Cornbread (graffiti artist)

Darryl McCray(born 1953), better known by his tagging nameCornbread, is an Americangraffitiwriter fromPhiladelphia. He is widely considered one of the world's first modern graffiti artist.McCray was raised inBrewerytown, a neighborhood ofNorth Philadelphia. During the late 1960s, he and a group of friends started doing graffiti in Philadelphia, by writing their monikers on walls across the city.Independently to Philadelphia, the graffiti movement was evolving inNew York Cityand blossomed into the modern graffiti movement, which reached its peak in the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and then spread to Europe. McCray later worked with the Philadelphia'sAnti-Graffiti NetworkandMural Arts Programto help combat the spread of graffiti in the city. He is currently a public speaker and a youth advocate.
Born inBrewerytown, Philadelphiain 1953, Darryl McCray was primarily raised by his mother and grandparents.  In 1965, McCray was sent to a juvenile corrections facility called the Youth Development Center (YDC). While at the YDC, McCray adopted the nickname "Cornbread". McCray complained to the cook of the institution, Mr. Swanson, that he only baked white bread, while McCray preferred his grandmother'scornbread. McCray's constant badgering inspired Mr. Swanson to start calling McCray "Cornbread", a nickname that McCray adopted.
The YDC was full of Philadelphiagangmembers who would write their names on the walls of the facility. McCray claims he was never part of a gang, but he would write his new nickname, Cornbread, on the walls next to the gang members. McCray claimed to be the first person to tag his own name and not a gang name or symbol.
When McCray was released from the YDC, he went toStrawberry Mansion Junior High School. There, he developed a crush on a girl named Cynthia Custuss. To win her attention, he wrote "Cornbread Loves Cynthia" all over North Philadelphia. After winning over Cynthia, he continued tagging North Philadelphia.
In 1971, Cornelius Hosey was shot dead ingang warfare, and Philadelphia newspapers incorrectly identified him as Cornbread, the tagger.Cornbread then decided to make a captivating and unusual come back to win over media attention, after they falsely pronounced his death. He decided to 'bomb' the wholePhiladelphia Zoowith his tag and finally wrote "Cornbread Lives" on a tame elephant that he had met a few days prior. Due to this, he was arrested and had to serve community service.
In 1984,Mayor Wilson Goodefounded theAnti-Graffiti Networkand recruited McCray to help him stop theinner-cityyouth from tagging. The Anti-Graffiti Network eventually turned intoMural Arts Program, the largest public art program in the United States.
In 2011, a local mural tour inWest PhiladelphiacalledLove Lettersdrew its inspiration from 1967's "Cornbread Loves Cynthia".
In 2007, documentary filmmaker, Sean McKnight, made a film calledCry of the City Part 1: The Legend of Cornbread.The story of Cornbread is also prominently included in the documentary film about the history of graffiti, calledBomb It(2007). In August 2013, McCray was honored at the Graffiti Hall of Famein East Harlem for his contribution to hip-hop culture.
Today, McCray works as a public speaker and youth advocate. He gives motivational talks about his youth as a tagger, his run-ins with the law, and his struggles with drugs.
In 2021, McCray married Consuela Sanchez, a longtime friend from Philadelphia.