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Ken Rhodes was a US-American jazz pianist and composer, born on August 14, 1945, in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in a musical family and began taking piano lessons at the age of six. After spending his formative years in Chicago, he led jazz trios throughout high school. Rhodes earned a master’s degree in composition from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and pursued a doctorate degree at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. His career took him to Europe in the 1970s, where he worked as a rehearsal pianist for the Augsburg Opera and as a house musician for the Nuremberg Drama Theaters. He played with the Bavarian Radio Big Band and the Dusko Goykovich Quintet, and he led his own jazz trio on tours. Rhodes composed extensively in the classical genre, including writing one symphony. In 1987, he moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he served as a resident accompanist and composer in the Dance and Drama departments at the UNC School of the Arts until his retirement in 2013. He recorded several albums, including “Profiles” in 1974 and “The Ken Rhodes Trio Live at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art” in 2000. He also played on Chris Murrell’s debut album, “Reprise,” in 1994. Rhodes was remembered fondly by his friends and colleagues, including Matt Kendrick, who played bass in Rhodes

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