BIG BLACK
Percussionist Big Black is one of the first musicians to replicate bebop rhythms on hand drums. He is considered a master of his art, developing a teaching method for hand drums known as "Heart Beat." Big Black grew up in Savannah, Georgia and was influenced at an early age by his older brother, William "Fish" Ray, who was a Vaudeville performer. He began playing percussion in Miami in the 1950s, performing with salsa and calypso bands. In the 1960s, he moved to New York, where he began to connect with bebop musicians and become a successful actor. Big Black went on to play with Randy Weston, Dizzy Gillespie, and Freddie Hubbard, and he toured the world including the Caribbean, Brazil, and the Ivory Coast. Among the several albums he has recorded is Message to the Ancestors, a duet with Black Harold. Meanwhile, Big Black has established an impressive acting career, appearing in films including Uptown Saturday Night, Blazing Saddles, and Minus Man, which was a winner at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Over the years, he has also worked with Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Heath, B.B. King, Hugh Masekela, and Sun Ra. Big Black is presently involved with the African blues ensemble Jublu, in addition to actively teaching and touring.