Photo: Bernard Weston ( Christiern Albertson at en.wikipedia ) — CC BY-SA 3.0Source
Chris Albertson
record producer · biographer · music journalist · disc jockey
- October 18, 1931 · Reykjavík
- April 24, 2019 · Manhattan
- 87 years
About Chris Albertson
Chris Albertson, 87, American journalist, writer, and record producer.
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Full Biography
|Christiern Gunnar Albertson (October 18, 1931 – April 24, 2019) was a New York City-based jazz journalist, writer and record producer.
Early life
Albertson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, on October 18, 1931, but his father left the family before he was a year old. Yvonne, his mother, married three more times. He was educated in Iceland, Denmark and England before studying commercial art in Copenhagen.
In 1947, while living in Copenhagen, Albertson listened by chance to a Bessie Smith recording on radio; it led to an abiding interest in jazz and blues music. "We found magic in such names as Kid Ory, King Oliver, Johnny Dodds, Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey," he wrote on his Stomp Off blog in 2010.
On his home tape machine, Albertson recorded visiting British New Orleans revivalists Ken Colyer, Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan in 1953. These recordings were subsequently released on the Danish Storyville Records and British Tempo Records labels.
Career
In 1957, after two years as a disc jockey for Armed Forces Radio at Keflavík Air Base, in Iceland, Albertson migrated to the United States, initially working for radio stations in Philadelphia. At WCAU (a CBS affiliate) and WHAT-FM, a 24-hour jazz station, he conducted interviews, including one with Lester Young, one of only two extant with the tenor saxophonist. He was naturalised as an American citizen in 1963.
In 1960–61, Albertson was employed by Riverside Records' Bill Grauer as a producer. In this capacity, he arranged and recorded the last sessions of blues singer Ida Cox (whom he brought out of retirement) and boogie-woogie pianist Meade Lux Lewis, and supervised the label's 'Living Legends' series of location recordings. The initial albums in this series were made in New Orleans and featured such early jazz musicians as pianist Sweet Emma Barrett, clarinetist Louis Cottrell, Jr., trumpeters Percy Humphrey and Kid Thomas, blues duo Billie and De de Pierce, and trombonist Jim Robinson. He continued the series in Chicago, with performances by Lil Armstrong, Alberta Hunter, Little Brother Montgomery, and Earl Hines.
Albertson subsequently worked as producer for Prestige Records, supervising sessions by, among others, guitarist/singer Lonnie Johnson, whom he had pulled from obscurity while working in Philadelphia. He also founded his own production company, supervising sessions with Howard McGhee, Roy Eldridge, Bud Freeman, Ray Bryant, and Elmer Snowden.
In the mid-1960s, Albertson worked at NYC radio station WNEW, leaving there for Pacifica Radio's NY station WBAI, where he eventually became General Manager. In 1967, he worked for the BBC in London, advising them on how to adapt their radio programs for sale in North America.
In 1971, Albertson co-produced and hosted The Jazz Set, a weekly television program that was aired from coast to coast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television and featured such guests as Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, Randy Weston, Jimmy Heath, and Ray Bryant.
At this time, he was also producing reissues for Columbia Records, including the complete Bessie Smith LP sets. His work on these albums won Albertson 1971 two Grammy awards (one in the Best Album Notes category for "The World's Greatest Blues Singer" and a Grammy Trustees Award), a Billboard Trendsetter Award and the Montreux Jazz Festival's Grand Prix du Disque.
His standard work, Bessie, a biography of Bessie Smith, first appeared in 1972, with a revised and expanded version published by Yale University Press in 2003. The revised biography was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame in the Classic of Blues Literature Hall of Fame category in May 2012. In 2015, HBO premiered a biopic, Bessie, starring Queen Latifah in the title role, but Albertson's book was not credited as its basis.
Albertson wrote television documentaries, including The Story of Jazz and My Castle's Rocking (a bio-documentary on Alberta Hunter), as well as articles and reviews for various publications, including Saturday Review and Down Beat. He was a contributing editor for Stereo Review magazine for 28 years.
Albertson died at age 87 on April 24, 2019 in his Manhattan home. The New York Times said, “His death was confirmed by Gary King, a longtime friend, who found Mr. Albertson's body. No cause was given, but he had been ill for some time, Mr. King said.”
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Albertson
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Chris Albertson's archived record and the sources above.
1.Christiern Gunnar Albertson supervised sessions for which guitarist/singer he pulled from obscurity while working in Philadelphia?
- A.Howard McGhee
- B.Ray Bryant
- C.Lonnie Johnsoncorrect
- D.Roy Eldridge
Christiern Gunnar Albertson worked as a producer for Prestige Records, supervising sessions by Lonnie Johnson, whom he pulled from obscurity.
Source: Career
2.In what city was Christiern Gunnar Albertson born?
- A.Copenhagen
- B.London
- C.Reykjavíkcorrect
- D.Philadelphia
Christiern Gunnar Albertson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, on October 18, 1931.
Source: Early life
3.Which musical artist's radio recording inspired Christiern Gunnar Albertson's interest in jazz and blues in 1947?
- A.Kid Ory
- B.King Oliver
- C.Louis Armstrong
- D.Bessie Smithcorrect
In 1947, while living in Copenhagen, Christiern Gunnar Albertson listened by chance to a Bessie Smith recording on radio, leading to his interest in jazz.
Source: Early life
4.In what year did Christiern Gunnar Albertson become a naturalized American citizen?
- A.1953
- B.1957
- C.1963correct
- D.1960
Christiern Gunnar Albertson was naturalized as an American citizen in 1963.
Source: Career
5.What type of study did Christiern Gunnar Albertson pursue while living in Copenhagen?
- A.Commercial artcorrect
- B.Music production
- C.Classical piano
- D.Broadcast journalism
Before moving to the United States, Christiern Gunnar Albertson studied commercial art in Copenhagen.
Source: Early life
6.At which radio station did Christiern Gunnar Albertson interview the tenor saxophonist Lester Young?
- A.WBAI
- B.Keflavík Air Base Radio
- C.WNEW
- D.WCAUcorrect
While working at WCAU, a CBS affiliate, Christiern Gunnar Albertson interviewed Lester Young.
Source: Career
7.Which of the following musicians was featured in the Riverside Records 'Living Legends' series recorded in Chicago by Christiern Gunnar Albertson?
- A.Sweet Emma Barrett
- B.Earl Hinescorrect
- C.Jim Robinson
- D.Kid Thomas
Christiern Gunnar Albertson continued the 'Living Legends' series in Chicago with performances by artists including Earl Hines.
Source: Career
8.Which role did Christiern Gunnar Albertson hold at the New York station WBAI?
- A.General Managercorrect
- B.Music librarian
- C.Lead broadcast engineer
- D.Program director
Christiern Gunnar Albertson worked at WBAI, where he eventually became General Manager.
Source: Career
9.In 1967, Christiern Gunnar Albertson traveled to London to advise which organization on adapting their radio programs for North America?
- A.BBCcorrect
- B.CBS
- C.PBS
- D.Storyville Records
In 1967, Christiern Gunnar Albertson worked for the BBC in London, advising them on adapting radio programs for sale in North America.
Source: Career
10.What was the name of the weekly television program that Christiern Gunnar Albertson co-produced and hosted starting in 1971?
- A.My Castle's Rocking
- B.The Jazz Setcorrect
- C.The Story of Jazz
- D.Living Legends
In 1971, Christiern Gunnar Albertson co-produced and hosted The Jazz Set, a weekly television program aired by PBS.
Source: Career
11.For which magazine did Christiern Gunnar Albertson serve as a contributing editor for 28 years?
- A.Stereo Reviewcorrect
- B.Billboard
- C.Down Beat
- D.Saturday Review
Christiern Gunnar Albertson was a contributing editor for Stereo Review magazine for 28 years.
Source: Career
12.Which award did Christiern Gunnar Albertson win in 1971 for his work on Bessie Smith albums?
- A.Montreux Jazz Festival Grand Prix du Disque
- B.Blues Hall of Fame Classic of Blues Literature
- C.Billboard Trendsetter Award
- D.Grammy Trustees Awardcorrect
Christiern Gunnar Albertson won a Grammy Trustees Award in 1971 for his work on Bessie Smith albums.
Source: Career
13.When was the revised and expanded version of Christiern Gunnar Albertson's biography of Bessie Smith published by Yale University Press?
- A.2012
- B.2003correct
- C.2015
- D.1972
The revised and expanded version of his biography of Bessie Smith was published by Yale University Press in 2003.
Source: Career
14.Which actress starred as Bessie Smith in the 2015 HBO biopic?
- A.Queen Latifahcorrect
- B.Ida Cox
- C.Sweet Emma Barrett
- D.Alberta Hunter
In 2015, HBO premiered a biopic, Bessie, starring Queen Latifah in the title role.
Source: Career
15.In what year did Christiern Gunnar Albertson record British New Orleans revivalists on his home tape machine?
- A.1960
- B.1947
- C.1953correct
- D.1957
On his home tape machine, Christiern Gunnar Albertson recorded visiting British New Orleans revivalists in 1953.
Source: Early life
16.Who confirmed the death of Christiern Gunnar Albertson to The New York Times?
- A.Gary Kingcorrect
- B.Yvonne Albertson
- C.Queen Latifah
- D.Bill Grauer
The New York Times reported that Christiern Gunnar Albertson's death was confirmed by Gary King, a longtime friend.
Source: Career
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