© 2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved. Born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs in Atlanta on May 8, 1910, Mary Lou Williams was one of the most influential ...

Throughout the history of jazz, men like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie carved out the basic musical fabrics that ranged from the boogie blues to fusion. Yet there’s one woman who ...