Acclaimed classical vocalist and Bloomington native Jack Waddell died on New Year’s Day at the age of 83. Waddell’s career spanned 50 years of singing, theater and television in the United States and Europe.
For Waddell, recognition as a vocal talent began at Bloomington High School, where he graduated in 1959. Last year, Waddell told his story at a panel of African-American musicians at the McLean County Museum of History.
A member of the football team for all his four years, Waddell recounted how his teacher, Mary Selk, encouraged him to “do both” and balance football with performing in the school’s a cappella choir.
After high school Waddell joined a new African American community choir. Henry Charles, then a vocal professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, was behind the idea of the choir, but soon found Waddell was the only one showing up to rehearsal. That gave Charles a different idea: to give Waddell voice lessons. Waddell said he didn’t at the time have the money for private voice lessons, but Charles let him “work off” the lessons doing odd jobs at his home.
From his time with Charles, Waddell went on to earn a scholarship to Illinois Wesleyan, at the time one of the few African Americans to attend. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1963 in performance and also began teaching youths in music. Waddell recalled with pride watching one of his students, Carolyn Ware, win an All-State award in high school.
Ware is herself another part of Bloomington-Normal’s musical history. She’s performed and taught piano in the community for more than 50 years.
Waddell moved to New York after college, where colleagues believed his career would be primarily in teaching. Waddell said when he expressed his desire to pursue opera as a career, he received a friendly laugh and was advised it was unlikely to work out. Few opera singers were men or Black — and Waddell was both.
The unavoidable reality of racism was one Waddell knew well. Touring the American south with choir mates after college, he was even threatened at gunpoint by a state trooper while doing laundry.
In search of a stage where he and the art of opera would be given a better chance, Waddell decided Europe was an opportunity.
“I said, ‘I’ll go to Germany.’ And everybody laughed, including Hank [Henry Charles],” Waddell said. “Enter self-determination. Never let anyone define you. Never let anyone tell you what you cannot do.”
He flew to Germany, learned the language in a crash course, and started performing. In 1968 in Munich, Waddell assembled a memorial concert for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the wake of his assassination. Waddell described the set list as “all Negro spirituals” and said the performance was his “big break.”
This also led to Waddell’s first major recognition in the U.S., with his tribute to King featured on NBC.
From there, Waddell performed throughout the continent, from German stage and television to Holland and Paris, and found himself eventually successful back in America as well. Upon his return to his home country, he lived in New York City coaching many in their vocal careers, and some who went on to Broadway success, including Tony-awarded Brandon Victor Dixon. After 20 years in New York, Waddell moved back to Bloomington-Normal.
Near the close of last year’s history panel, Waddell was asked by a teacher what should be done to better welcome African American students into the arts. He said telling the truth and breadth of history, including the perspectives of all Americans, would be the first step.
“Maya Angelou said, we must get to the point where we talk about American history, not Black African American history, not native history — history. American history,” Waddell answered.
A history no doubt more inspirational, entertaining, and instructive for the presence of Jack Waddell.
If you'd like to hear Waddell tell some of his own story, his appearance on the McLean County Museum of History panel “We all Played Together: A Historical Account of African-American Musicians” can be found on the museum's YouTube channel.
