Kelsey Pharr

Kelsey L. Pharr Jr. was born in Miami on January 10, 1917, the son of Kelsey Leroy Pharr, a prominent retired mortician and active in the Afro-American civil rights campaign,[1] who, in 1939, was interviewed by Bertha R. Comstock for the Life History Project at the Library of Congress.

He also appeared in other drama productions in Chicago, and later went on Broadway as a cast member of Porgy and Bess.

[3] Pharr left the musical to join the quartet Delta Rhythm Boys as a baritone.

On January 21, 1941, Pharr, a gay man, married Mabel Mercer to give her a valid passport to leave Europe and enter the United States.

[3] While in Madrid, Spain, in 1960 Pharr discovered he had cancer and underwent a major operation in Paris.

Delta Rhythm Boys, The quartet with pianist Rene DeKnight. Top l to r: Lee Gaines, DeKnight. Center: Carl Jones. Bottom l to r: Traverse Crawford, Kelsey Pharr.