Funeral Services for Lyric Tenor Earl Calloway, longtime Fine Arts & Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Defender
By Juanita Bratcher
Funeral services for Earl Calloway, lyric tenor and longtime Fine Arts & Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Defender, will be held Sunday, August 31, 2014 at Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church, 7000 S. Michigan Ave., in Chicago. Visitation is 1-2 P.M., and funeral services from 2-3 P.M. Interment at Lincoln National Cemetery
Mr. Calloway, born October 4, 1926 in Birmingham, Alabama, died Wednesday, August 20 at the age of 87.
While Calloway spent most of his journalistic career at the Chicago Defender, starting there in September 1963, he also worked for the Associated Negro Press, the Chicago Courier and Negro Press International.
A graduate of Roosevelt University, Calloway also attended Chicago State University and Governors State University.
Calloway was active in many erstwhile organizations. He was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalist Chicago Chapter, founder of the Philharmonic Youth Choir and Oratorio Society of Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church.
He was a legend in his own time. Calloway made his mark on the entertainment landscape. His column flowed through the pages of the Chicago Defender for decades. There were offers from other publications to come on staff, but he always declined.
Calloway wrote thousands of articles about the movers and shakers in the entertainment industry. He wrote about the careers of most of the African-American entertainers, musicians and actors during his many years as a journalist.
Amid his numerous accomplishments, Calloway never lost the common touch with his readers and admirers. He was a hard worker, a tenacious go-getter, and at the top of entertainment writers. He was also a Chicago Jewel.
Mr. Calloway was a lyric tenor and performed in several opera productions. He was also the recipient of numerous awards for his outstanding contributions to the arts.
Juanita Bratcher is the CEO & Publisher of CopyLine Magazine
