Notable Black Memphians By Miriam DeCosta-Willis

Notable Black Memphians

Albert, Laurence (1953–), opera singer. A renowned baritone with an international reputation, he has performed operatic roles in twenty-five countries. The son of Laurence and Elizabeth Kilpatrick Albert, he was born in Memphis on April 9, 1953. The singer has deep roots in the Memphis community; his great-grandfather, Isaac Gooden, was a major figure at Avery Chapel A.M.E. Church, and his grandfather, Frank Kilpatrick, was prominent in the political and civil rights struggles of the 1950s and ’60s. Albert’s interest in music began in church and public school, where he took clarinet lessons with Thomas Doggett and sang in glee clubs directed by John Clayborne, Hattie Swearengen, and Lulah Hedgeman. After graduating from Hamilton High School in 1971, he entered Morehouse College, where he sang with the celebrated Morehouse Glee Club, under the direction of Memphian Wendell Whalum.