Loonis McGlohon was one of America’s most beloved songwriters and jazz pianists. Born in the small town of Ayden, North Carolina, McGlohon was enthralled as a boy by the big-band sound that permeated across the airwaves in the 1940s and learned to play piano from the organist at his family’s church.
After serving in the military, he became involved with broadcasting in Charlotte, working as the music director for WBT radio and WBTV television (CBS affiliate). In addition to broadcasting, he formed his own trio for club and concert engagements, appearing across the United States, including three times at Carnegie Hall and in Japan, China, Singapore, France, Italy, and the UK. Loonis accompanied several legendary singers, including Helen O’Connell and Judy Garland, and was musical director for Mabel Mercer and Eileen Farrell.
Loonis joined longtime collaborator Alec Wilder to host American Popular Song for NPR, which received a Peabody Award. Among the songs Loonis wrote with Wilder are Blackberry Winter, Be a Child, and While We’re Young. Loonis wrote both music and lyrics for the song Songbird. With Wilder, he also wrote music and lyrics for the “Land of Oz” North Carolina outdoor attraction in Beech Mountain.
Longtime friend Frank Sinatra recorded two songs by McGlohon and Wilder and in 1985, Loonis was commissioned (with friend Charles Kuralt) to write a piece to celebrate North Carolina’s 400th birthday. The result was North Carolina Is My Home, a symphonic work with narration and vocals that became a recording, public TV broadcast, and book. He was inducted into the NC Music Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2002, NationsBank Performance Place in Charlotte’s Spirit Square was renamed the Loonis McGlohon Theatre in honor of his extraordinary contributions to the city’s cultural life. More recently, in May 2024, Charlotte’s Trail of History unveiled its 11th statue: a life-sized bronze of McGlohon celebrating his lasting influence on both the local arts community and the international world of jazz and American popular song.
