Dan Burley spent his career studying the contemporary African American life in New York and Chicago, a culture and society particular to blacks in the first half of the twentieth century. Burley socialized amid the celebrities of Harlem, yet never lost his admiration for the average people whose stories would not otherwise be noticed. Burley's intelligence and inquisitive nature led to a wide range of interests, from playing jazz piano to investigative writing, all of which he patently mastered. He spread his considerable understanding of contemporary black culture to the denizens of Chicago and Harlem as a musician, newspaper editor, socialite, and author. He possessed a natural ability to analyze his cultural observations and to set them forth in an entertaining yet informative fashion. Best known as a jazz musician and cultural icon, Burley also left an indelible mark on African American journalism. With a career that spanned...