Pianist Joe Blair joined the Ken Murray Group in the mid-40s when he was only 14 years old. He eventually left to become house pianist at the Royal Theater for several years and worked with many of the great stars who performed there including Sammy Davis, Jr., Redd Foxx, etc.…
In the late ‘40s Blair joined up with Bill Swindell’s group and traveled to New York where he met many jazz greats and eventually joined Red Prysock’s band, touring with him for over seven years.
In Baltimore in the ‘50s Blair was a member of the Mo-Bops. In the ‘60s he worked with vocalists Shirley Fields, and Bus Brown. Blair later became known by his Muslim name Yusuf Salim.
In the ‘70s he settled in Durham, North Carolina where he taught and promoted the jazz arts. His releases include the album “The Storyteller” as the Yusuf Sextet with vocalist Bus Brown (who also moved to the Durham area), and the CD “Songs of Brother Yusuf.”
