Gail King

Gail Sky King (January 14, 1956 – May 16, 2022), also known as Sky King, was an American musician and composer. She was best known for her work on various children's shows, including Sesame Street as a staff composer, and Ghostwriter as a musical director and composer. She is also known for her work in the music industry, including her work on Vanilla Ice's track "Cool as Ice (Everybody Get Loose)" as a writer and producer. She was also known for her involvement in juggling clubs, including the International Jugglers' Association, and was typically involved in their workshops and events. King died on May 16, 2022.

Early life King was born Queens, New York on January 14, 1956 to immigrant parents from Barbados. King first learned to play guitar at a sleep-away camp when she was twelve years old, and in her teenage years she played as a guitarist for various funk and jazz bands. She later got started in disc jockeying as a radio jock at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts while earning her communications degree, playing until 1974.

King was later hired to work on Sesame Street as a staff composer, being brought on by Kevin Clash while he was searching for talent to support a new character for the show. Starting in the Fall of 1993 King worked with Sesame street for over 12 seasons, there was talk about having her own character but it never aired. She continued to practice with coworkers on Sesame Street, which later led her to attend meetings for the Carmine Street Irregulars, a local New York City jugglers club located at the Carmine Street Recreation Center. The club was populated by new jugglers and national champions alike. Gail herself was drawn to the club due to the diverse skill levels found at the club:

"There are some serious cats here who are world champions, and there are beginners who nevertheless practice it with the same degree of determination. When I tell people people I'm in the club, they laugh and say, 'Oh, you want to be a clown?' But they don't understand the level that these people have taken juggling to -- it's truly an art form."

She was then introduced her to Ray Smith, the third and only other Black juggler at the convention.

“I jokingly said, ‘This is the inaugural meeting of the BJA — Black Jugglers Association’ — and they both fell out laughing. But of course, it wasn't really funny because it was a shame — one thousand people and there are three Black folks.” says Sky. “That didn't deter me or put me out, but it would have been nice to see more people of color represented.”

In 2021, the IJA established the "Sky King Award", given "[in] recognition of outstanding dedication to furthering diversity and equity in the juggling community by a BIPOC member of that community."

King married Latvian-born robotics engineer Maris Ambats in June, 1989. Their daughter, Krista Ambats, was born in December, 1989. On May 16, 2022, King died at Mt. Sinai Hospital.