eminent African-American composer, nephew of Joseph "King" Oliver; b. Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 7, 1917; d. Englewood, N.J., May 20, 1995. Kay received early training at home. On the advice of his uncle, the famous jazz cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, he studied piano.

In 1934 Kay enrolled at the University of Arizona at Tucson, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1938. He then went to study at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y, where he earned his Masters degree two years later. In 1941-42 he attended the classes of German composer PAUL HINDEMITH at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, Massachusetts.

Kay served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945, then studied composition with the well-known experimental composer OTTO LUENING at Columbia University from 1946 to 1949. He went to Rome as winner of the American Rome Prize, and was attached there to the American Academy until 1952. From 1953 to 1968 he was employed as a consultant by Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) in N.Y.

Kay was on the faculty of Boston University in 1965 and that of the University of California, Los Angeles in 1966-67. In 1968, he was appointed professor of music at the Herbert H. Lehman College in N.Y, where he was made Distinguished Professor in 1972, retiring in 1988. He received honorary doctorates from several American universities.

Kay's music is distinctly American, particularly in its rhythmic intensity. In HARMONY and COUNTERPOINT, he pursues a moderately advanced style, introducing DISSONANCES when appropriate. His instrumentation is masterly. His compositions include operas, a ballet score, orchestral works, chamber and solo works, band music, choral pieces, songs, and film scores, including The Quiet One from 1948.