La plume du mon oncle

William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry, was released from prison on this day in 1901. Billy Porter did three years at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, having been convicted of embezzling from a bank in Austin, TX. (Porter had fled to Honduras but returned when his wife, still in the U.S., became ill.  He wrote a story in Honduras in which he coined the phrase "banana republic.") While in prison he began writing stories to pass the time and support his young daughter.

After his release, Porter moved to NYC and worked for New York World, writing one short story a week from 1903 to 1906. In 1904, his first story collection, Cabbages and Kings, was published. He was a prolific writer, cranking out a new collection twice a year for a decade or so. I do not know why he took the pen name (nom de plume) of O. Henry. He's best known for the beloved Christmas story The Gift of the Magi.

One might argue that Billy Porter was a prodigal son, returning to make amends, leading us to Ry Cooder's song (below). This transition, this segue, this link may seem a little forced but I do not care because it's my damn blog, OK? And I like Ry Cooder.

Twenty years to the day after O. Henry was released, another Billy -- Billy Taylor, the great jazz pianist, composer, arranger, band leader, and teacher --  was born. I met Billy Taylor on 1966 or 1967 at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. He was one of the judges and I had a winning ticket in the drawing, which meant I got to meet the judges (Billy and Quincy Jones and some other dude) and get some records for free! Billy's album "Midnight Piano" is still in my collection.