William Thomas McKinley was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 1938. One of the most highly regarded and well-known composers of his generation, McKinley learned both classical and jazz piano at a very early age became a member of the American Federation of Musicians at twelve and pursued a diverse and intensely active professional career in both fields. He composed over 300 works, is listed in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and has received commissions from the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Fromm Foundation and the Naumburg Foundation. His many awards and grants include, among others, an award and citation from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and eight NEA grants. His oral biography is documented in the American Composers Series at Yale University, and William Thomas McKinley: A Bio-Bibliography, a biography, and catalog of his works, has been published by Greenwood Press. As a jazz pianist, he has performed, composed, and recorded with the likes of Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Eddie Gomez, Gary Burton, Miroslav Vitous, Rufus Reed, Ray Hughes, and Billy Hart, to name a few. McKinley has studied with many renowned teachers and composers, including Aaron Copland and Gunther Schuller and he also taught at the New England Conservatory. Mr. McKinley passed away in February of 2015.