Cy McLean

Cy McLean

Cy McLean was an incredible Black Canadian musician who led Toronto's very first Black jazz band and then first full Black orchestra in the 1940s, breaking barriers for future musicians with his talent and skill on the piano. He constantly challenged the segregated musicians union and was forced to play at smaller non unionized clubs that were not as well respected and not as popular. Growing up in 1920's Nova Scotia, McLean went to segregated schools, churches and played only in smaller underdeveloped clubs that would allow him entry such as the Cabana Club. With his father, George, being a prominent member and leader of the community's Universal N**** Improvement Association on Lingan Road, Cy was constantly exposed to church and jazz music. Each UNIA hall had its own contingent of Black Cross nurses, singers and musicians, educators, and residents from nearby towns. Cy was constantly exposed to gospel singers performing for religious expression but also the new emerging jazz. He later in his life moved to Toronto to further his career, and although he was underpaid and under appreciated in his time, he persisted with his career and reached regional recognition, forcing newspaper headlines to talk about the discrimination within the industry.

Doug Griffin

Cy McLean, Toronto Star Photograph Archive, TSPA_0067429F, Doug Griffin, 24 June 1969.

Toronto Star Photograph Archive,

1969

Toronto Star Photograph Archive

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