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Billy Porter is introducing the world to an iconic yet unseen queer figure, and calling out the American education system for hiding stories like his in the process.
On this morning’s episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Porter told co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos about his new musical Billy Strayhorn: Something To Live For, which follows “one of the greatest jazz musicians, writers and arrangers of all time,” Billy Strayhorn.
“Everybody knows Duke Ellington, but very few people know one of the masterminds behind Duke Ellington, and his name was Billy Strayhorn,” Porter explained.
He shared that both he and Strayhorn grew up in Pittsburgh, where the musical is being produced, and that Strayhorn was the man behind “Lush Life” and “Take The A Train,” which Porter said “didn’t come out because he was queer.”
“So he took a back seat to Duke Ellington back in the day because he was queer,” Porter explained.
Porter acknowledged that “a lot of the queer stories of people who were invisible at the time are coming out” now. He cited the story of Bayard Rustin as an example — the gay and Black civil rights activist whose credentials include organizing the historic March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom — that is being highlighted in the upcoming film Rustin, which hits theaters Nov. 3 and makes its way to Netflix Nov. 17.
“These stories that people did not know about are now coming to the fore, and so this musical is brilliant,” he said.
Porter even noted that he grew up in the same neighborhood as Strayhorn, yet he “didn’t even know about him until [he] graduated from the Creative and Performing Arts high school and moved to New York City.”
“That’s unacceptable,” he proclaimed. “So I’m so grateful to be able to bring this story to life.”
For more information on Billy Strayhorn: Something To Live For, check out this website. Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check their website for local listings.
