J. B. Sims

J. B. Sims

J. B. “Jay” Sims. As a student at Alabama State, Sims served as the original singer and emcee of the ‘Bama State Collegians, performing in the frenetic “wildman” style of Cab Calloway; after graduation, he returned to his hometown of Birmingham, where he taught music, led his own band, and performed in the band of his mentor, “Fess” Whatley. In the 1940s, Sims covered Birmingham’s Black entertainment scene as a writer for the Weekly Review newspaper. He later relocated to New York City, where he worked for the postal service.

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