Wallace Roney, May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2021 was an American jazz (hard and post-bop), trumpeter. From 1985 to 1991, Roney studied with Miles Davis and took lessons from Clark Terry. Wallace credits Davis with helping him to develop his creative outlook and being his mentor, mentor and friend. He was the only trumpet player Davis mentored. Roney was born in Philadelphia. He attended Howard University and Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts of the D. C. Public Schools where he studied trumpet under Langston Fitzgerald of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Roney moved to Boston and attended Howard University. Wallace was discovered to have perfect pitch when he was four years old. He began his musical and trumpet studies at Philadelphia’s Settlement School of Music. For three years, he studied trumpeter Sigmund Sheing of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Hering presented Wallace regularly at recitals at Settlement School and with Philadelphia Brass Ensemble during his time in Philadelphia. Roney, who had made his first recording at the age of 15, with Nation and Haki Mahabuti, was already familiar to the Duke Ellington School. He also met Valery Ponomarev and Woody Shaw, as well as Johnny Coles, Freddie Hubbard, and Bill Hardman. With the encouragement of his high-school teacher, he played 16 years old with the Cedar Walton Quartet, which featured Sam Jones, Billy Higgins and Philly Joe Jones. Roney was a talented local performer in Washington, D.C. Roney was awarded the DownBeat Award in 1979 and 1980 for Best Young Jazz Performer of the Year. In 1989 and 1990, Roney received the DownBeat Magazine Critic’s Poll Award for Best Trumpeter To Watch. He met his idol in 1983 while participating in a tribute of Miles Davis at “The Bottom Line” (New York). Roney said that Davis asked him what type of trumpet he had. He gave me one of his. He was forced to perform in Latin dance and reception band bands during 1984 and 1985 as New York’s jazz clubs had almost disappeared. He received two calls in 1986 to play with Art Blakey and Tony Williams, which led to Roney becoming one of the most sought-after trumpet players on professional circuit. He succeeded Terence Blanchard as Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1986. He was an integral member of Williams’s quintet in the 1980s and 1990s. Roney performed with Davis at Montreux Jazz Festival 1991. Roney, a Davis alumni, toured in memory of Davis that year with Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter. They also recorded A Tribute to Miles. The album won them a Grammy Award. Roney received his training directly from Miles Davis. Critics have accused Roney of sounding too much like his idol. In 1987, Roney released Verses, his first album as a leader on Muse Records. He recorded a number of albums on Muse Records, Warner Bros. Records, and Concord Records/Stretch Records, and was documented on more than 250 audio recordings by the time Roney turned 40 in 2000. His albums from the 2000s included Mystikal (2005) on HighNote Records and Jazz (2007). His most recent albums include A Place in Time (HighNote 2016, Blue Dawn – Blue Nights, HighNote 2019, which features his nephew, the drummer Kojo Roney. Wallace Roney, U.S. father of Wallace Roney. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 102 Marshal and President, Wallace Roney, was the son of Roosevelt Sherman, a Philadelphia musician, and Antoine Roney, tenor and soprano saxophonist. Roney married Geri Allen in 1995. They had two daughters and one son. Allen died in 2017 after the marriage. The marriage ended before Allen’s death in 2017. Roney was a Montclair resident earlier in his life. Wallace Roney, 59, died March 31, 2020 at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center Paterson, New Jersey. It was due to complications from COVID-19, according to Wikipedia.
