Let's March Forward Together: The Rise of Black Advertising Professionals and Consumers

Born in 1930 in New York, Roy Eaton was a child prodigy and classically trained pianist who composed many memorable advertising jingles and melodies, such as “We’re having Beefaroni,” “Wake up to Post Cereal,” and “Deep, Dark, Delicious” for Yuban Coffee. Eaton worked at mainstream New York agencies Young & Rubicam and Benton & Bowles before opening his own production company, Roy Eaton Music, in 1980. He is the first Black American to hold general creative managerial responsibilities in a major advertising agency.

Eaton is also a noted composer and concert pianist, making his concert debut at Carnegie Hall in 1946 and winning the first competition of the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Award in 1950.