John Francis Mehegan (June 6, 1916 – April 3, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, lecturer and critic.
Early life
Mehegan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 6, 1916, although he sometimes gave the year as 1920. He began playing the violin in 1926 and played for seven years without enjoying it.
Later life and career
In New York, Mehegan played in clubs. He also taught at the Juilliard School of Music (1947–64), Columbia University Teachers College (1958 to 1961 or 1962), the University of Bridgeport (1968–77) and Yale University (1974–83). Mehegan was questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he was an uncooperative witness. He was the jazz critic for the New York Herald Tribune from 1957 to 1960. and was published between 1959 and 1965. Mehegan died in New Canaan, Connecticut, on April 3, 1984.