Johnnie Garry

Johnnie Garry (October 31, 1924 – March 13, 2018) was an American entertainment director, producer, historian, nightclub manager, and road manager for Sarah Vaughan and Mary Lou Williams. He was the stage manager at the New York jazz club Birdland in the 1960s. He also worked as a stagehand, and as production coordinator and historian for Jazzmobile in New York City.

Early life Garry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. He was an only child. In 1928, his family moved to Harlem, where they lived near the Apollo Theater on 127th Street. Garry saw his first jazz show at the Apollo; it featured Don Redman and his orchestra. He was unable to finish high school because he needed to support his family, so he took a job in the Garment District.

In 1960, Garry began working at the jazz club Birdland and rose to the position of club manager. He was the first African-American manager of a major downtown New York City night club. During the 1960s, Garry also worked at Club Sahara, another New York City jazz club. He remained at Birdland until 1977.