Do You Know Odetta?
Odetta (1930-2008) One of the strongest voices in the folk revival and the civil rights movement, Odetta was born on New Year’s Eve 1930 in Birmingham, AL. By the time she was six years old, she had moved with her younger sister and mother to Los Angeles. She showed a keen interest in music from the time she was a child, and when she was about ten years old, somewhere between... Read More
Do You Know Gil Scott-Heron?
Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) One of the most important progenitors of rap music, Gil Scott-Heron’s aggressive, no-nonsense street poetry inspired a legion of intelligent rappers while his engaging songwriting skills placed him square in the R&B charts later in his career, backed by increasingly contemporary production courtesy of Malcolm Cecil and Nile Rodgers (of Chic).... Read More
Do You Know Romare Bearden?
Romare Bearden ( 1911-1988) Romare Bearden, painter and collage maker, fills his works with the symbols and myths of the American black experience. Bearden was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1914. Soon after his birth, his family moved to New York City’s Harlem. During the mid-1930s, when Bearden was a student of George Grosz at the Art Students League, he founded the... Read More
Do You Know Abbey Lincoln?
Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010) Singing alongside jazz greats such as Stan Getz, Max Roach, and Sonny Rollins is just a part of vocalist and composer Abbey Lincoln’s expansive career. She began as a cabaret singer, starred in films with Sidney Poitier, and became one of the first musicians to sound her voice as a call against racism in the United States. She continued to develop her... Read More
Do You Know Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in New York on February 22, 1960, his father is from Haiti, his mother is Puertorican. In 1978 Jean-Michel Basquiat, along with his friend Al Diaz, begins his artistic career as a graffiti sprayer in the streets of New York, he signs his graffitis “SAMO”, which stands for “Same old Shit”. He earns... Read More
Do You Know Ella Fitzgerald?
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) After a troubled childhood, Ella Fitzgerald turned to singing and debuted at the Apollo Theater in 1934. Discovered in an amateur contest, she became the top female jazz singer for over 50 years. Her multi-volume “songbooks” on Verve are among the treasures of American song. Her voice quality, with lucid intonation and a broad range, won her... Read More
Do You Know James Weldon Johnson?
James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) James Weldon Johnson (b. June 17, 1871) was an American author, politician, poet, songwriter, and educator. Along with his brother, he wrote over 200 songs. Their “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is something of a national anthem for many black Americans. Johnson was an early leader of the NAACP. His books include American Negro Spirituals (1925,... Read More
Do You Know Virginia Hamilton?
Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002) Virginia Hamilton changed children’s literature for generations of readers, bringing a Faulknerian style of sophisticated and cutting-edge writing to the world of books for young readers. America’s most distinguished author of children’s literature; Hamilton was awarded four Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Newbery Medal, three Newbery... Read More
Do You Know Josephine Baker?
Josephine Baker (1906-1975) Josephine Baker sashayed onto a Paris stage during the 1920s with a comic, yet sensual appeal that took Europe by storm. Famous for barely-there dresses and no-holds-barred dance routines, her exotic beauty generated nicknames “Black Venus,” “Black Pearl” and “Creole Goddess.” Admirers bestowed a plethora of gifts,... Read More
Do You Know Chuck Berry?
Chuck Berry (1926-present) Chuck Berry’s music has transcended generations. He earns respect to this day because he is truly an entertainer. Berry, also known as “The Father of Rock & Roll”, gained success by watching the audience’s reaction and playing accordingly, putting his listeners’ amusement above all else. For this reason, tunes like “Johnny... Read More
