Ellis Marsalis Sr.
#277,253 Most Popular
About
A farmer and civil rights activist who also raised a legendary jazz family.
Before fame
He was a welder and built batteries on the home front in WWII.
Trivia
He ran The Marsalis Motel, which accepted guests turned away from whites-only establishments.
Family life
His son Ellis Marsalis Jr. and his grandson Wynton Marsalis both became prominent jazz musicians.
Associated with
Among the most notable guests at his hotel was the future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
