Cy McLean

Cy McLean. , Cyril "Cy" George McLean was among Canada's most accomplished and celebrated jazz musicians who broke racial barriers in live music, paving the way for generations of Black musicians., Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, McLean was introduced to the piano by his brother, Reginald. After learning just a few chords, he was able to get a job with a traveling band, launching his storied music career., McLean eventually settled in Toronto, where he was admitted to study at the Russian Hambourg Conservatory, an unprecedented accomplishment for a Black musician in the 1930s., During the Second World War, McLean and seven other musicians were sponsored by Lifebuoy soap to tour southern Ontario. At the time many of the province's nightclubs and dancehalls, including those in Toronto, refused to hire Black performers., In 1946 and 1947, the Lobster restaurant and Colonial Tavern - both on Yonge Street , booked versions of Cy McLean's all-Black swing band. The groups were the first Black bands to play Toronto's nightclub strip., Cy McLean played many of Toronto's best spots for live dance music, including the Corsair on Yonge Street, the El Mocambo on Spadina Avenue, and the Concord Tavern on Bloor Street. Later in his career, McLean performed five nights a week at the Warwick Hotel on Dundas Street East. He is buried in York Cemetery in North York. ,