Civic leader Lester Aglar Walton (April 20, 1882 - October 19, 1965) promoted human rights through songwriting, journalism, and international diplomacy. The collection consists of four 10-inch records and one 12-inch record likely all recorded by Lester A. Walton, dating from circa 1940-1965.
Civic leader Lester Aglar Walton (April 20, 1882 - October 19, 1965) promoted human rights through songwriting, journalism, and international diplomacy. Between 1905 and the end of the 1950s, Walton wrote a number of songs related to politics and civil rights.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Walton wrote for a number of newspapers including the St. Louis Star (1902-1906), where he was the first African American to write for a daily paper. After moving to New York City in 1906, Walton began working in entertainment and entertainment journalism at the New York Age (1908-1914, 1917-1919), where he was manager and theatrical editor. From 1914 to 1916, and 1919 to 1921, he worked at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem. During World War I, he supervised theatricals among African American soldiers as a member of the Military Entertainment Service. Walton later served as vice president of the Negro Actor's Guild and, in the 1950s, was chairman of the Coordinating Council for Negro Performers, a group advocating for hiring more African Americans in entertainment. During this period, he recorded several songs, including "Welcome to New York," dedicated to Robert F. Wagner Jr., the mayor of New York from 1954 to 1965; and "Jim Crow Has Got to Go," a civil rights protest song. He died in New York City in 1965.
For more information about Walton's career as a journalist and international diplomat, see the biographical note for the Lester Walton papers, Sc MG 183.
The collection consists of four 10-inch records and one 12-inch record likely all recorded by Lester A. Walton, dating from circa 1940-1965. They are organized alphabetically by title. Titles reflect each side of the record. Walton's songs include "Jim Crow Has Got to Go," and "Welcome to New York." The collection also contains Walton's work with notable figures such as composer Margaret Bonds and film and television actress Rosetta LeNoire.
Walton Rochester and Marjorie Rochester, 1978 and 1984.
Collection inventoried by Christopher Arena. Collection processed and described by Lyric Evans-Hunter, archivist. Finding aid published in 2025.
See the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division for the Lester Walton papers, Sc MG 183.
See the Photographs and Prints Division for the Lester A. Walton photograph collection, Sc Photo Lester A. Walton Collection.
At the time of publishing, five records are not available pending digitization.