Roland Hayes
Toronto Daily Star, January 9 1929
Roland Hayes (1887-1977) lived a memorable and remarkable life. Born in rural Georgia, his mother was formerly a slave, his father passed away when he was 11, and he received only a sixth-grade education. His family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was in a church choir; a visiting pianist asked him to sing a solo and introduced him to the music of Enrico Caruso.
He began studying music seriously in 1905, including regular lessons from a teacher who insisted on Hayes visiting him at home so as not to embarrass him in front of his white students. In 1915, Hayes started touring the United States.
He toured in Europe between 1920 and 1923, including giving a command performance for King George V and Queen Mary. He then returned to the United States for another successful tour, eventually dividing his time between the two continents. He wound up earning $100,000 a year at his peak. He also found time to have an affair with a German aristocrat named Bertha Henriette Katharina Nadine, Gräfin von Colloredo-Mansfeld.
In 1942, Hayes's wife and daughter accidentally sat in a part of a shoe store in Rome, Georgia that was intended for white customers. Hayes confronted the store owner and resolved the conflict, but was assaulted by a police officer (who was apparently not in uniform) and arrested. This brought national attention; the officer was eventually fired.
Hayes had a distinguished career which ended when he gave his last performance at the age of 85. Before he passed away, he was able to acquire the property in Georgia on which he had grown up.
Created September 15, 2025.