11 Facts About Willis Conover

Willis Conover produced jazz concerts at the White House, the Newport Jazz Festival, and for movies and television.

The correspondence between Lovecraft, who was at the end of his life, and the young Willis Conover, has been published as Lovecraft at Last.

Willis Conover's father had intended for him to attend The Citadel and follow his family's history of military service.

Willis Conover later moved to Washington, DC, and focused on jazz in his programming, especially the Duke Ellington hour on Saturday nights.

Willis Conover came to work at the Voice of America, and became known to jazz lovers via the hour-long program Voice of America Jazz Hour.

Willis Conover was not well known in the United States, even among jazz aficionados, as the Voice of America did not broadcast domestically except on shortwave, but his visits to Eastern Europe and Soviet Union brought huge crowds and star treatment for him.

Willis Conover was a celebrity figure in the Soviet Union, where the Voice of America was a prime source of information as well as music.

In 1956, Willis Conover conducted a series of interviews with jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Art Tatum.

Willis Conover died of lung cancer on May 17,1996, at age 75.

Willis Conover's broadcasts influenced a wave of Russian and Polish jazz musicians, such as Leo Feigin and Adam Makowicz.

In 1990, Willis Conover was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.