Birthplace of Herman Chittison
Flemingsburg, Fleming County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Birthplace of Herman Chittison. Born in Flemingsburg, October 15, 1908, to Charles and Sarah Jane Chittison. He played hymns at Strawberry Methodist Church as a child. Attended Walden College in Nashville, 1924; later Ky. State Industrial College for Colored Persons in Frankfort. Began his musical career with Zach Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels, 1928. Presented by Fleming Co. Bicentennial Com. (Reverse) Herman Chittison recorded on both American and French labels as a soloist and accompanist for Ethel Waters and Mildred Bailey. Toured with comedian Stepin Fetchit and trumpeter Louis Armstrong. Played "Ernie" in radio series Casey, Crime Photographer (1942-51). Played several prominent clubs in New York during 50s and 60s. Died 1967 and buried in Cleveland, Ohio.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Born in Flemingsburg in 1908, Herman Chittison first played hymns at a local Methodist church before launching a jazz career with Zach Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels in 1928. A gifted pianist, he recorded on American and French labels, accompanied singers Ethel Waters and Mildred Bailey, and toured with Louis Armstrong. He even acted the role of "Ernie" in the radio series Casey, Crime Photographer before his death in 1967.
Why it matters
Chittison's journey from a small Kentucky town to international stages reflects the reach and influence of African American musicians in the golden age of jazz.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Herman Chittison was born in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, in 1908, into the early years of the twentieth century's Progressive and modern era — a time when a new American music was taking shape. Jazz was being born and spreading outward from its roots, carried by touring bands, phonograph records, and radio into every corner of the country and, before long, across the ocean.
Small-town Kentucky might seem an unlikely launchpad for an international musical career, but music often begins in exactly such places. For many African American musicians of this generation, the first instrument and the first audience were found in church, where hymns and gospel gave a young player both technique and feeling long before any nightclub did.
This was also an era of enormous opportunity and enormous barriers. African American performers were creating the defining popular music of the age, yet did so within the constraints of a segregated society. The most gifted often found wider acceptance in the recording studio, on the road, and abroad — and Chittison's path would carry him through all of these worlds.
People & events
The story begins simply, at Strawberry Methodist Church, where the young Herman Chittison — son of Charles and Sarah Jane Chittison — played hymns as a child. From those first sacred melodies grew a formidable talent at the keyboard. He went on to attend Walden College in Nashville in 1924, and later the Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons in Frankfort.
His professional career took off in 1928 when he joined Zach Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels, a launching point into the wider jazz world. From there, Chittison built a life on record and on tour. He recorded on both American and French labels, working as a soloist and as an accompanist to celebrated singers Ethel Waters and Mildred Bailey — a role that demanded both brilliance and the generosity to serve another artist's voice.
His path crossed with some of the era's biggest names, touring with the comedian Stepin Fetchit and the trumpeter Louis Armstrong. Chittison's reach even extended into radio drama: from 1942 to 1951 he played the character 'Ernie' in the series Casey, Crime Photographer. Through the 1950s and 1960s he performed at prominent New York clubs before his death in 1967, and he was buried in Cleveland, Ohio.
Its place in the American story
Chittison's life traces the remarkable arc of African American music in the golden age of jazz — from a church piano in a small Kentucky town to recording studios, radio waves, and stages here and abroad. That journey is the story of jazz itself in miniature: an art form born in local, often humble settings that grew into one of America's greatest cultural exports.
The fact that he recorded on French as well as American labels speaks to something larger than one career. American jazz found deep admiration in Europe, and musicians who might face limits at home often discovered wider audiences overseas. Chittison's presence on both sides of the Atlantic places him within that important current of cultural exchange.
His versatility is its own kind of significance. Soloist, accompanist to major singers, touring partner to famous entertainers, and a working actor on a long-running radio series — Chittison moved fluidly across the many stages where popular culture was being made. He reminds us that the influence of African American musicians in this era ran through every channel of American entertainment, shaping how the whole nation listened.
If you visit
This marker stands in Flemingsburg, in Fleming County, at the birthplace of a musician whose life reached from this quiet Kentucky town to international stages. Coming here is a chance to stand at the very starting point of that journey — the place where a boy first sat down to play.
As you read the marker, let your imagination travel from the local to the global. Picture young Herman playing hymns at Strawberry Methodist Church, then trace the story forward: the college years, the first band in 1928, the records made in America and France, the tours with famous names, the voice coming through the radio as 'Ernie.' All of it began on this ground.
A stop like this fits wonderfully into a road trip built around Kentucky's musical and African American heritage. It is a modest, reflective marker rather than a grand attraction — the kind of place that rewards travelers who love discovering how the wider world connects back to a single hometown. Stand here for a moment, and consider how far the music carried a son of Flemingsburg.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum14.0 mi away · 2124 Old Main Street, Maysville, KY
- Albert Sidney Johnston House14.0 mi away
Places to stay
- Super 8 by Wyndham Maysville KY14.7 mi away · 550 Tucker Drive, Maysville, KY
- Hampton14.8 mi away · 503 Market Place Drive, Maysville, KY
- Quality Inn15.0 mi away · 1428a KY 10
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Related people
- · Herman Chittison
- · Louis Armstrong
- · Ethel Waters
Themes & tags
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