Tony Award Countdown: 30 Years In 30 Days, The Great Gregory Hines in JELLY'S LAST JAM, 1992

Welcome to BroadwayWorld's Tony Award Countdown: 30 Years In 30 Days, a look at some of the Tony Awards' most memorable moments from the past three decades.

Twenty-four years before his exploration of the groundbreaking musical SHUFFLE ALONG, George C. Wolfe offered Broadway another history lesson about African-American performing artists. As bookwriter and director of JELLY'S LAST JAM, Wolfe used the music of the legendary Jelly Roll Morton (with lyrics added by Susan Birkenhead) to tell of the hard road that lead to the country's acceptance of jazz as a popular art form.

The star was Gregory Hines, one of the greatest singer/actor/dancers American theatre has known and this, his 5th Broadway musical, was the finest showcase for his talents. Tragically, it would be his last Broadway appearance. Hines passed on from liver cancer in 2003. But on the night he won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical, his dazzling performance showed the world what it meant to be a star.

The American Theatre Wing's 70th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Tony Award winner James Corden, will air on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, June 12, 2016 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City.