Page 32 - Florida Sentinel 7-3-20

Local Renowned Musician Dies
Popular Musicians Among Those Who Passed Away This Week
After Illness
The Tampa Bay commu- nity lost three of its popular musicians over the past few days. (See separate article on Maurice Jackson)
Mrs. Elvira Pinder
ended her 74-year journey in music in June, 2018, while serving at First Baptist Church of College Hill.
She took an interest in music at the age of 7, and by the time she turned 13, she was playing for churches all over the city and organizing choirs.
Mrs. Pinder’s talents took her all over the world as she traveled with her Air Force husband, Airman Earnest Pinder, and their 2 children, Earnest, III, and Sabrina.
While stationed in River- side, California, once the family returned to the United States, Mrs. Pinder organized a Young Adult Choir. She organized a group of ladies that sang as she played at various churches on the island of Guam.
When the family re- turned to the United States, they were stationed at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, where an all-Black church of military families was started on the base. There, she or- ganized a choir, Male Cho- rus and Youth Choir.
Mr. Pinder retired from the Air Force in 1972. The family returned to Tampa and re-united their member- ship at New Mt. Zion M. B. Church. With the pastor’s approval, she initiated or- ganizing a Male Chorus.
More than 20 years ago, she became the musician for the newly-formed Senior Choir at First Baptist Church
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A renowned musician died on Sunday at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Maurice James Jackson was 67-years-old.
His sister, Mrs. Mary Ivory, said Jackson lost his 4-year battle with con- gestive heart failure. He had been hospitalized several times because of the illness.
A native of Selma, Ala- bama, Jackson was born to the late James Douglas and Willie Lee Jackson. While living in Selma as a teenager, he and his family were participants in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March.
Jackson discovered his love for music and his musi- cal talents early in life. He graduated from Suncoast High School in 1971, where he was voted “best musi- cian.”
He continued his educa- tion at Bethune-Cookman University (then College), where he was an All-Star chorus singer with the Florida Music Educator’s Choir. After moving to Tampa, Jackson continued to broaden his knowledge at the University of South Florida. He credited that ex- perience as providing him with his formal Eurocentric- based music education.
His deep love of music included African American Folk Music, specifically, spiritual and gospel music. He joined the University of South Florida Gospel Choir under the leadership of Wayne Leonard.
Jackson also credit his success to the blessings God bestowed upon him. His niece, Ms. Brandii Ed- wards quoted Jackson as saying, “Use what you have, give God the praise, and He will bless you all of your days.”
Known both locally, na-
MAURICE JAMES JACKSON 2/11/1953 — 6/28/2020
tionally, and internationally for his musical talents, Jackson worked in the music industry as a free- lance musician. For more than 45 years, he shared his talent in the Christian Music Ministry on the local, dis- trict, and national levels.
For several years, Jack- son served as the Director of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP ACT-SO Competition. ACT-SO is an acronym for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. It is a yearlong achievement pro- gram designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.
In addition to Mrs. Ivory and the many lives in Tampa that he made a posi- tive impression upon, Jack- son is survived by 2 other sisters, Frances Smith and Geraldine Jackson, brother, Jefferies Jack- son, in-laws, goddaughter, nieces, nephews, other fam- ily members and friends.
Funeral services for Jackson were incomplete at press time. However, his family said the services will be held in West Palm Beach.
MRS. ELVIRA PINDER Retired As A Musician in 2018
of College Hill, where the family connected in 2004. She had been the musician for First Baptist off-and-on since she was 16 years old.
She was recentl;y hon- ored by the Tampa Mass Choir for her service to the community.
“I thank God for blessing me and giving me the oppor- tunity to bless others with my talent and a love for working with people,” she said in an interview 2 years ago.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Pinder will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2020, 11 a. m., at Aikens Funeral Home.
Herbert Coleman Ja- cobs, passed away on Sun- day morning June 28th). He was 67 years old.
HERBERT C. JACOBS Current Minister Of Music At Springhill MB Church
His early training in music began at New Jerusalem M. B. Church and Shady Grove M. B. Church, with the O. M. Hawkins Choir. He was also the mu- sician for various other churches in the Ft. Laud- erdale and Tampa Bay area.
Jacobs was the musi- cian for the University of South Florida Afro-Ameri- can Gospel Choir, Minister of Music for the Tampa Mass Choir of the Gospel Music Workshop of America and Florida Mass Choir, with whom he recorded a dozen Gospel albums. He was the current Minister of Music for Springhill M. B. Church.
Services for Jacobs will be held on Friday, July 3rd. (See Funeral Notices)
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