Extraordinary Jazz Pianist Ms. Marian McPartland (March 20, 1918 - August 20, 2013)

Margaret Marian Turner was born on Wednesday March 20, 1918 in Slough, Berkshire, England to Frank and Janet Turner. Through a tremendous amount of hard work, she became a world-renowned jazz pianist, writer, and composer. She married Chicago-born cornetist James Dugald "Jimmy" McPartland on Saturday February 3, 1945, and she became Marian McPartland. Marian McPartland was also known to have perfect pitch.

From 1978 to 2011, McPartland hosted a weekly hour-long show on PBS called Piano Jazz. The show featured many well-known musical guests, and McPartland hosted more than 700 episodes of Piano Jazz.