American classical and jazz pianist and composer Don Shirley is best remembered for his jazz albums for Cadence Records in the 1950s and 1960s. The Florida-born musician was a prodigy and was trained as a classical pianist. However, early in his career, he was advised to switch to jazz, as there was a chance that Americans would not accept a Black man as a concert pianist. He thus focused on jazz and pop but hated performing in nightclubs. He eventually blended various musical genres and created his unique style. During the 1960s, on one of his concert tours in Deep South, Shirley hired nightclub bouncer Frank Anthony “Tony Lip" Vallelonga as his driver and bodyguard. They apparently formed a bond that lasted till their final years. This relationship was the basis of the 2018 film Green Book. There were rumors that Shirley was gay. However, his family later stated that the filmmakers had misrepresented him in the movie.