Harry T. Burleigh's fame came as a church singer in New York City -- but that recognition came after he had already established himself as a top musician in Erie. Burleigh is best known for his position as a longtime soloist at St. George's Episcopal Church in New York and for his arrangements of spirituals, which helped to popularize the genre. But before those later-life achievements, he made a name for himself in Erie by performing all over the city and was often cited in newspapers as a top singer, said Jean Snyder, who has organized Burleigh events at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and is working to republish some of Burleigh's art songs and choral works. His music career "didn't start when he went to New York," she said. Unlike many black Americans who wanted to ignore reminders of slavery, Burleigh valued spirituals, which originated as slave songs. He thought they could help the rest of the country respect black music and culture, Snyder said, noting that Burleigh became known as a talented musician even in an era of widespread discrimination. "Burleigh's life went from success to success at the same time people were being lynched and Jim Crow (segregation) was moving farther north," she said.