Gerald Busby, Date of Birth, Place of Birth
TweetGerald Busby
Date of Birth: 16-Dec-1935
Place of Birth: Tyler, Texas, United States
Profession: composer
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius 
About Gerald Busby
- Gerald Busby (born December 16, 1935) is a Texas-born American composer. Busby was born in Tyler, Texas.
- He studied piano as a child, playing with the Houston Symphony when he was fifteen.
- He attended Yale where he studied music in college, but once graduated, began working as a traveling salesman.
- At age 40 he had an "epiphany" and began to compose, a direction which surprised him.In 1977, with the assistance of Virgil Thomson, he moved to the Hotel Chelsea in New York City where he has written most of his work.
- Living at the Hotel Chelsea brought him into contact with numerous cultural figures.
- One of them was dancer Rudolf Nureyev and his then-partner Wallace Potts.
- Potts gave Paul Taylor a recording by Busby's music, which led to Busby writing the score for Taylor's dance Runes.
- Regarding his scores for Paul Taylor's dance "Runes" and Robert Altman's film 3 Women, Busby said "Those two pieces are acknowledged as masterpieces, so that I know they’ll last beyond me,” Mr.
- Busby said.
- “Not because what I did was a masterpiece, but I was part of it."In 1985 Busby was diagnosed with HIV as was his partner Samuel Byers.
- Byers died on December 14, 1993; the couple had been together for 18 years.
- "Sam’s death was just unbearable...He lost his mind and withered away.
- I was there the whole time with him and taking care of him, so I just went nuts." After a bout of depression and drug addiction, he became sober and began composing again.
- In 2007, his monthly income amounted to $658 from Social Security, $78 in disability payments, and $156 in food stamps.
- Income from his music was undependable; in a good month he could get $1000, or nothing.The New York Times ran him as one of their "most neediest cases." Through the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Busby was able to receive $754.96 for digitizing recordings originally made on perishable cassette tape.Despite being HIV positive, he claims that his immune system has regenerated, something he attributes to his daily practice of reiki.
- He continues to live at the Hotel Chelsea.
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