Reginal Bucker
*Reginald Bucker was born on this date in 1938. He was a Black musician and educator.
Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Reginal Tyrone Buckner grew up with an appreciation for the central location where many Jazz musicians of yore started. He also was raised in the Strangers Rest Baptist church community. Buckner was exposed to jam sessions in the Kansas City Jazz style (Charlie “Bird” Parker, Count Basie, Lester Young, Bennie Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Andy Kirk, Coleman Hawkins, et al.). He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1961 with a B.A. in music education. From 1966 to 1969, he taught music in his hometown.
In 1974 Dr. Buckner earned his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota and was a Music and Jazz Education professor. He taught many courses, one of which was the “Music of Black Americans.” While teaching, he researched as a Jazz Historian and developed a project video series called “Jazz: An American Classic.”
Alongside his primary position as a Professor at the University of Minnesota, he was a Minister of Music at Zion Baptist Church and performed around the Twin Cities. He also took post-doctorate studies in music and the University of Salzburg in Austria. Reginald Bucker died on February 4, 1989.
