Wilmer “Little Axe” M. Broadnax 1916 – 1994

Wilmer Broadnax was a gospel quartet singer who worked and recorded with many of the most famous gospel groups of his day. Broadnax was born in Houston, and moved to Southern California in the mid 1940s when he began his singing career. By the 1950s, Broadnax–now a diminutive man with glasses and a powerful tenor voice—was performing with one of the most impressive line-ups in gospel quartet history: the Spirit of Memphis Quartet. He went on to work with the Fairfield Four and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, and in the early 60s, Broadnax was the front man for a quartet called “Little Axe and the Golden Echoes.” Broadnax retired from touring shortly thereafter, though he continued to record occasionally with the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi through the 70s and 80s.

It was not known that he was a transgender man until the time of his death in 1994.

October is LGBT History Month. This post on Wilmer M. Broadnax is taken from Transguys.com by Joshua Riverdale. Read all the stories on A Brief History of FTM Trans Civilisation.

20th Century Transgender Men

These historical profiles of some of the key trans men of the past century highlight their remarkable achievements. Their perseverance in the face of prejudice has earned them a place in the FTM trans history time line.

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