Elayne Jones

American timpanist, percussionist and author.
Born January 30, 1928 in New York, New York, USA.
Died December 17th, 2022 (aged 94) in Walnut Creek, California, USA.
She graduated from Juilliard. Jones's career was marked by many firsts. She became the first Black opera orchestra member in 1949.
She played with the San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic among others.
Her mother wanted to be a concert pianist but became a housewife and domestic worker. Instead she taught her daughter piano very early in her life.
She published her autobiography "Little Lady with a Big Drum" in 2019.