1st.
AUGUST
BLACK
REMEMBERENCE DAY
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 071: ROBERT
L. VANN (1887-1940)
1834 Slavery
is abolished in British colonies by Royal assent.
However, immediate freedom was granted only to slaves under the age
of six. Older slaves had to serve an apprenticeship of between four
and six years. A gravestone inscription at Newent dated 7
October 1829 remembers Thomas Bloomsbury 'a native of Africa and
for&ldots;55 years a faithful servant to the late Samuel Richardson
Esq’. Our Untold Stories This scheme however became
unmanageable. Eventually all British slaves were freed at midnight on
31 July, 1838. Many former slaves migrated to Britain from the
various Caribbean islands, and this pattern continued until the 1930s
when the Depression brought a pause to this movement. There are
well-documented details of the lives, achievements and contributions
made to British society by an array of people of African descent
born, brought to or living and staying in Britain from the early 19th
century. They cover almost every field of endeavour, from politics
and medicine to sport and entertainment
1851
William Wells Brown chairs a meeting of fugitive American slaves
in London along with black West Indians, prominent British
abolitionists and Tennyson. He travelled over 12,000 miles and spoke
at over 1,000 meetings. Sold 12,000 copies of his book
Narrative in 1850. (mn-pf)
1874
Charles Clinton Spalding,
U.S. businessman, born. Although he was best noted for his business
leadership, Spaulding was also involved in political and educational
issues. As national chairman of the Urban League's Emergency Advisory
Council in the 1930s, he campaigned to secure New Deal jobs for
African-Americans. As chairman of the Durham Committee on Negro
Affairs, he engaged in voter registration efforts and convinced city
officials to hire black police officers. Spaulding also supported
education for blacks while serving as a trustee for Howard
University, Shaw University, and North Carolina College. He died in
1952. (tr-iokts-aareg)
1895
Benjamin E. Mays,
educator and former president of Morehouse college
born.Benjamin Elijah Mays, was born in 1895 in South Carolina, and
graduated from Bates College in Maine in 1920. He went to the
University of Chicago for his master’s degree and doctorate, and
while he was working on those degrees, he was ordained into the
Baptist ministry. He taught at Morehouse College and at South
Carolina State College. From 1934 to 1940, he served as dean of
the Howard University School of Religion and then moved on to the
presidency of Morehouse College, a position he distinguished for the
next quarter of a century. He also served his community well,
becoming the first black president of the Atlanta school board. He
spoke early and often against segregation and for education. He
received nearly thirty honorary doctorates and other honors and
awards including election to the Schomburg Honor Roll of Race
Relations, one of a dozen major leaders so honored. He had been
a model for one of his Morehouse students, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and he served the young minister as an unofficial senior advisor. He
gave the eulogy at King's funeral. Among his books were the
first sociological study of African-American religion, The Negro's
Church, published in 1933; and The Negro's God, of 1938; Disturbed
About Man, of 1969; and his autobiography Born to Rebel, of
1971. These books reveal a combination of sharp intellect with
religious commitment and prophetic conviction. (mn-jc)
1914 Marcus
Masiah Garvey launches the U.N.I.A. and
had plans to establish an institute in Kingston similar to the
Tuskegee institute run by Booker T. Washington in the USA. Wrote to
Booker T. and was invited to visit the USA to raise funds and see
Tuskegee. Unfortunately, Booker T. died before Garvey Arrived. It was
originally chartered under the name "Universal Negro Improvement
and Conservation Association and African Communities League"
(the word "Conservation" later removed) in Jamaica on
August 1, 1914. The organisation is also known as the UNIA-ACL or
simply the UNIA. (tr)
1941 Ronald
H. Brown,
former chairman of the Democratic National Administration,
born. He was born in Washington, D.C., and was raised in Harlem, New
York, in a middle-class family. Brown attended Hunter College
Elementary School, and Rhodes Preparatory School, reputable schools
of New York City, New York. Ron Brown was the first African-American
member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, a national men's collegiate fraternity.
Upon learning of Brown's membership, the National Headquarters of
SigEp demanded that the chapter expel him or face closure of the
chapter. The chapter declined to remove Brown and was shut down by
the national organization, but was later re-opened. Brown joined the
army in 1962, after graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont,
and served in South Korea and Europe during his tenure. After being
discharged in 1967, Brown joined the National Urban League, a leading
economic equality group in the United States. Meanwhile, Brown
enrolled in law school at St. John's University and obtained a degree
in 1970. (tr-jc-iokts-wickpedia)
1942
Jean Wells,
gospel/soul singer born West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. She grew up
on Belle Glade. Her family were musical and she sang in church choirs
as a child and taught herself the piano. Started singing secular
before leaving school. Made her first record in Phlly in 1959, 'Song
Of The Bells'. Popular in the UK for 2-Step track 'What Have I Got To
Loose' and Northern floor fillers; 'Best Thing For You Baby', 'I Feel
Good' and 'With My Love And What You Got' on Calla records. (mn)
1953
Robert Cray,
singer/guitarist, born, Columbus, GA, USA. Robert Cray was among
artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood, who got
wider radio airplay and regular MTV video exposure during the late
1980s. He started playing guitar in his early teens. In high school
his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting
records. By the time he was twenty, Cray had seen his heroes Albert
Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert, and decided to
form his own band. His band started playing college towns on the west
coast. After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to
Mercury Records in 1982. His third release, Strong Persuader,
received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin'
Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition. (mn-ap-wickpedia)
1960
Aretha Franklin goes pop. Having made only gospel records since
she was 14 she joined Columbia Records under the guidance of
A&R man John Hammond. (mn-jt)
1960
Chuck D,
rapper with Public Enemy, real name Carlton Douglas Ridenhour
born. PE formed in Long Island, New York in 1982. They were signed to
the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard
Chuck D freestyling on a demo. It then took roughly five years before
their debut, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was released in 1987 to critical
acclaim. They went on to release the revolutionary It Takes a Nation
of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1988, which performed better in the
charts than their previous release, and included the hit single
"Don't Believe the Hype." The album was voted Album of the
Year by the The Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll, the first rap album
to be ranked number one by predominantly rock critics. (mn-ms-wickpedia)
1964
Arthur Ashe is the first African American to play on the U.S. Davis
Cup tennis team. (tr-iokts)
1987
Joe Liggins,
R&B singer, died in Lynwood, CA, USA. Age: 71. ("Joe
Liggins & the Honeydrippers"). Pianist Joe Liggins and his
band, the Honeydrippers, tore up the R&B charts during the late
'40s and early '50s with their polished brand of polite R&B.
Liggins scored massive hits with "The Honeydripper" in 1945
and "Pink Champagne" five years later, posting a great many
more solid sellers in between. Born in Oklahoma, Liggins moved to San
Diego in 1932. He moved to Los Angeles in 1939 and played with
various outfits, including Sammy Franklin's California Rhythm
Rascals. When Franklin took an unwise pass on recording Liggins's
infectious "The Honeydripper," the bespectacled pianist
assembled his own band and waxed the tune for Leon Rene's Exclusive
logo. The upshot: an R&B chart-topper. Nine more hits followed on
Exclusive over the next three years, including the schmaltzy "Got
a Right to Cry," the often-covered "Tanya" (Chicago
guitarist Earl Hooker waxed a delicious version) and "Roll
'Em." In 1950, Joe joined his brother Jimmy at Specialty
Records. More hits immediately followed: "Rag Mop," the
number one R&B smash "Pink Champagne," "Little
Joe's Boogie," and "Frankie Lee." During this period,
the Honeydrippers prominently featured saxists Willie Jackson and
James Jackson, Jr. Liggins stuck around Specialty into 1954, later
turning up with solitary singles on Mercury and Aladdin. But time had
passed Liggins by, at least right then; later, his sophisticated
approach later came back into fashion, and he led a little big band
until his death. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide (info-net-answers.com)
1995
First Uk Remembrance Day for ancestors lost during the
Black Holocaust.
1997
The West Midlands Black Police Association (BPA) was launched at
a ceremony attended by Mr.Crew and Sybil Spence, Lord Mayor
of Birmingham. (mn-voice)
2001 Ron
Townson, singer
with the 5th. Dimension dies aged 68 after a 4 year battle with
kidney disease. Ron Townson, born in St. Louis, Missouri,
started singing at the age of 6 and was a featured soloist on various
choirs throughout his years in school. He owes a great deal to his
grandmother, who realized his vocal talent early on. His parents
arranged for him to have private singing and acting lessons. During
high school, he won third place in the Missouri State trials for the
Metropolitan Opera. He also appeared for three seasons in productions
of Bloomer Girl, Annie Get Your Gun and Show Boat. (mn-br)
2nd.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 072:
FRANK L. GILLESPIE (1876-1925)
1847
William A. Leidesorff launches first steamboat in San Francisco Bay.
He had brought it from the Russian-American Fur Company. He was
a manoeuvring millionaire. Died one year later aged 38 leaving
an estate of $1,500,000. (mn-ra)
1920
Marcus Garvey presented his 'Back To Africa' program in New
York City. (jc)
1924 James
Baldwin,
author/writer is born in New York City, USA. The Amen Corner and
Blues for Mr. Charlie were two of his stage productions in the 1960s. (mn-ra)
1939 Edward
Patten a
'pip'with Gladys Knight & Pips born. The Pips were formed in
1952, first recorded on Brunswick in 1958, later Vee
Jay, Maxx, Huntom, Fury, Motown, Buddah and CBS. Biggest
U.K. hit was The Way We Were/Try To Remember reached N0.4 and in
chart for 15 weeks in 1975. (mn-jt)
1940 James
Govan singer in
Jayhawks later called the Vibrations born. The Vibrations were
notable for being equally proficient with smooth ballads (Oh Cindy,
1962) and exuberant dance tunes (Shoop Dance, 1964). Their
exciting stage show made them one of the favourites on the R&B
theatre circuit. (mn-cl)
1941
Homer Banks singer
born today in Memphis, Tenassee, USA. He worked as a clerk in
the offices of Satellite studio in Memphis, hoping to
be recognised, later to become Stax records. At first his
talents went unnoticed, but Isaac Hayes & David Porter set
him up at Genie records in 1964. Best remembered for 60 Minutes of
You Love (1966). (mn-cl)
1941
Doris
Kenner of the
Shirelles born Doris Coley. Combining sweetening strings with
elements of church music with R&B, the Shirelles exerted an
unconscious pivotal influence on female vocal groups. They were
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996. (mn-jt)
1945
Jewell Jackson McCabe born.
Jewell Jackson McCabe (b. 1945), African American professional. As
quoted in I Dream a World, by Brian Lanker (1989). McCabe was
President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (tr-bl)
1949
Larry James
drummer with Fat Larry's Band born. They had a bid hit in 1982
with the Commodores song Zoom, taking it to N0.2 in the UK charts.
Started as a back-up musician for the 'Delfonics' and 'Blue Magic'.
He then formed his own group consisting of Art Capehart (trumpet,
flute), Jimmy Lee (trombone, saxophone), Doug Jones (saxophone),
Erskine Williams (keyboards), Ted Cohen (guitar), Larry LaBes (bass),
and Darryl Grant (percussion). James died on December 5, 1987. (mn-jt)
1964
Ray Charles performs at Hamburg's Star Club where the Beatles had
played a pre-fame apprenticeship. (mn-jt)
1983
James Jamerson,
semi-unknown bassist dies. He formed a vital part of the Funk
Brothers, Motown's studio session band. He's on 100's of big
hit-tunes of the 1960's period. Legendary Motown bassist James
Jamerson single-handedly revolutionized bass playing. Throughout the
entire classic Motown catalog (and some non-Motown sides), Jamerson
shaped a new inventive style of bass playing and brought what had
been regarded by some as a "minor" instrument to the
forefront through the use of the electric Fender bass, powered by his
musical genius and amazing dexterity. Jamerson wasn't Motown's first
bassist, but he was certainly the first to incorporate a fresh
perspective and intuitiveness along with his own jazz/blues-oriented
background to Motown founder Berry Gordy's R&B/pop leanings. (mn-dc)
1997
Fela Anikulapo
Kuti Dies of
AIDS. The Nigerian musician was 58. During the height of his
career Fela changed part of his family name from Ransome to
Anikulapo, means; 'one who keeps death in his pouch'. It's almost
impossible to overstate the impact and importance of Fela Anikulapo
(Ransome) Kuti (or just Fela as he's more commonly known) to the
global musical village: producer, arranger, musician, political
radical, outlaw. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence,
inventor of Afro-beat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody
megalomaniac. His death on August 3, 1997 of complications from AIDS
deeply affected musicians and fans internationally, as a musical and
sociopolitical voice on a par with Bob Marley (mn)
3rd.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 073: C.C.
SPALDING (1874-1952)
1897 Black
Invention, the
Dust Pan, Lloyd P Ray. (sc)
1908
Allen Allensworth files the site plan for the African American
town Allensworth, California, USA. (tr-iokts)
1936
Long John Woodruff wins Olympic Gold Medals in the 800 metres.
1941 Beverly
Lee singer with
the soul group The Shirelles born. Combining sweetening
strings with elements of church music with R&B, the Shirelles
exerted an unconscious pivotal influence on female vocal groups.
They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996. (mn-cl)
1964
Lucky
Philip Dube (pronounced
doo-bay) (dies: October 18, 2007) was a South African reggae
musician. He recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans in a
25-year period and was South Africa's biggest selling reggae artist.
Dube was murdered in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville on the
evening of 18 October 2007. (wikipedia)
1951
Johnny Graham guitarist
with soul group Earth Wind and Fire born. The group was formed in
1970 by Maurice White (drummer) and had hit records every year
through-out the 70s. Their stage show was big with fireworks, magic
and pyramids. After 1980 new record sales dropped off (mn-jt)
1960
The Republic of Niger receives Independence from France.
1963
Tasmin Archer
was born in Bradford. She first worked as a sewing machine operator,
but after studying secretarial skills she became a clerk at Bradford
Magistrates' Court. At the same time she joined a group called
'Dignity' as a backing vocalist. She went to work at a recording
studio called 'Flexible Response', and subsequently formed the group
'The Archers' with John Hughes and John Beck. They were signed by EMI
in 1990, and recorded their song Sleeping Satellite for them in 1992. (nationmaster)
1986
Joe Thomas,
tenor sax, died in Kansas City, MO, USA. Age: 77. Joe Thomas (1909-1986)
was born on June 19 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He began his
professional career on the alto saxophone with Horace Henderson
(1930-1931) but changed to the tenor saxophone, the instrument with
which he became famous, after joining Stuff Smith in 1932. Jimmie
Lunceford heard him play with Henderson in 1933 in Buffalo, New York
and asked Thomas to join his group. (info.net)
1997
Birmingham Carnival 2000 takes place. 300,000 took to the
streets. The chairman is Gus Williams and the patron's are Sir
Richard Knowles and black Mayoress Sybil Spence.
(£136.000 council grant) (mn-voice)
2010
Bobby Hebb
dies. b. Robert Von Hebb, 26th July 1938, Nashville, Tennessee,
U.S.A. d. 3rd August 2010, Centennial Medical Center, Nashville,
Tennessee, U.S.A. The singer, Bobby Hebb, who is probably best
remembered for his Sixties hit song 'Sunny', has died. He was 72.
Bobby had been suffering from a long battle with lung cancer, and
died at the Centennial Medical Center, in Patterson Street, in
Nashville. Bobby was born in Nashville to two parents, William and
Ovalla Hebb, who were both blind. He joined the Navy in 1955, played
the trumpet in a jazz band, and later played and danced with Roy
Acuff's country band, the Smoky Mountain Boys. He was one of the
first black musicians to perform on the Grand Ole Opry show in
Nashville, and sang background vocals on Bo Diddley's tune 'Diddley
Daddy'. (soulwalking)
4th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 074:
CLAUDE A. BARNETT (1889-1967)
1810 Robert
Purvis Sr.,
abolitionist, born. In 1836 he was one of three black men who
helped to found the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833, came
to Britain to do some lobbying. The Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell,
when Purvis was presented to him at the House of Commons, thought he
was a white American and refused to shake hands with him. Told
by John Scobie who Purvis was, O'Connell greeted him warmly,
explaining that he never took an American's hand without first
knowing where he stood on slavery. (tr-iokts-mm-pf)
1875
The Convention of Coloured Newspapermen is held in Cincinati,
Ohio, USA. The convention's aim was to promote the establishment
of United States newspapers that would focus on the African American
community. (tr-iokts)
1896
Black Invention:
Curtain Rod Support, W.S. Grant. (sc)
1901
Louis
"Satchmo" Armstrong,
Trumpet, b. New Orleans, LA, USA. d. July 6. 1971, New York, NY,
USA. (Note: For many years, it was thought that Armstrong was born on
July 4, but writer Gary Giddons discovered a birth certificate that
had August 4 as Armstrong's birthday.) Many people have the notion
that when the oldtime New Orleans Jazzmen left New Orleans, they took
the Mississippi River boats up to Chicago. Unfortunately for this
idea, the Mississippi River doesn't go to Chicago. In point of fact,
all the old New Orleans Jazzmen went upstream a little ways by
riverboat often playing as various towns en route, and eventually
reached St. Louis, where they would board the Illinois Central RR to
Chicago. They got off at the terminus... the Twelfth Street Station.
In Aug. 1922, Joe "King" Oliver sent Louis Armstrong a
telegram asking Satchmo to leave N.O. and to join King's Creole Jazz
Band in Chicago. Satchmo quit his work with the Tuxedo Brass Band (
and with Kid Ory too ), and boarded the Illinois Central Railroad
train. He got off at the 12th Street Station, - only 5 days after his
21st birthday. The rest is history. (info.net)
1931
Daniel Hale Williams,
pioneer in surgery dies. When he died in 1931, he had devoted my
life to two main interests, NAACP and the construction of the
hospitials, and the training schools for Afican-American doctors and
nurses. Some years after he died, about 1970, He was awarded a bill
by the United States Congress that issued a commemorative stamp in my
honor and became a historic figure and a promiment surgeon, not only
in the African-American medical organizations, but organizations for
all American surgeons. (mn-jc)
1936
Long John Woodruff of University of Pittsburgh wins an Olympic
gold medal in the 800-meter run.
1939
Big Dee Irwin,
singer born Difosco Ervin in New York City, NY, USA. Big Dee
Irwin first came to prominence in the Pastels, a group that sang doo
wop during the 1950s. The New York City native, whose real name was
Defosca Erwin (sometimes spelled Difosco Ervin), joined forces with
three other young men to form the group in 1954 when all were
stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in Greenland. Lead singer Irwin
joined a talent competition held for servicemen, along with baritone
Jimmy Willingham, first tenor Richard Travis, and second tenor Tony
Thomas. When all four singers received orders that took them to
Washington, D.C., Irwin and the Pastels began to entertain at
nightspots that catered to servicemen, as well as at functions hosted
by the USO. In 1957, after receiving a warm and encouraging response
for their performance in an annual Air Force competition called Tops
in Blue that was staged on the grounds of Mitchell Air Force Base in
New York, Irwin and the others set out to land a recording contract.
Dies 1995 from heart failure. (mn-cl)
1940
[Timi Yuro]
soul singer born Rosemarie yuro in Chicago, Ill, USA. She sang in
her parents' Italian restaurant and in local clubs before catching
the eye and ear of record executives. Signed to Liberty Records, she
had a Top Ten hit in 1961 with "Hurt", an R&B ballad
that had been an early success for Roy Hamilton. On "Hurt"
and on her Top 20 follow-up, "What's a Matter Baby (Is It
Hurting You?)", Yuro showed an emotional but elegant vocal style
that owed a debt to Dinah Washington and other black jazz singers.
Many listeners in the early 1960s thought Yuro was black. (cl)
1971
Yo Yo, feisty
rapper from South Central L.A., USA, real name is Yolanda
Whitaker, born today.'Yo-Yo' is a Grammy nominated American
hardcore rapper known primarily among hip hop fans and music critics
during the 1990s. Her albums were never explicitly feminist, though
she earned praise from some quarters for her advocacy of female
empowerment, especially sexually. She first appeared as a guest
rapper on Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted album in 1990. Her
critically acclaimed debut was 1991's Make Way for the Motherlode
(see 1991 in music) and was followed up by the equally acclaimed
Black Pearl (1992, 1992 in music). After that, just as West Coast hip
hop artists like Death Row Records labelmates Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy
Dogg began topping the charts, Yo-Yo's next two albums, 1993's You
Better Ask Somebody and 1996's Total Control, became less and less
successful, especially after Death Row began disintegrating in the
middle of the decade. In 1998, she finished her fifth and final
album, Ebony, but it was not released; as such, it is a highly
sought-after bootleg by fans. (mn-ms-wickpedia)
2005
'Little Miton' Campbell,
singer guitarist dies aged 71 from a stroke. He didn't recover
from a coma following a stroke he suffered July 27 in Memphis.
Campbell, Son of "Big" Milton Campbell was a
Grammy-nominated blues man who burst onto the scene in 1953, with his
debut for Sun Records when he was just a teenager. But it wasn't
until the 1960s that he made his true mark on the Blues soundscape
putting out such classics as We're Gonna Make It on Chess records.
The record hit number one on the R&B charts during the height of
the civil rights movement. In the 1970s, Campbell found a home at
legendary Memphis label Stax, where he produced his critical smash
Tin Pan Alley. However, Campbell's timing was off when he landed at
Stax, as the famed label went belly-up in 1975, leaving the blues
singer little choice but to pick up with the TK/Glades label, an
imprint more focused on its funk acts at the time. During the last 20
years, Campbell toured the world (especially Europe and Japan) and
recorded what may now be his best known track, "The Blues Is
Alright." The song became his calling card abroad, where it
remains popular with blues fans. The Blues Hall of Fame guitarist was
awarded the W.C. Handy Award for Blues Entertainer of the Year in
1988. His most recent release is his debut for Telarc Records, 2005's
critically well-received Think of Me. (e-net.com)
2011
Mark Duggan
shot dead by police in Tottenham. Riots broke out in Tottenham two
days later after a peacefull protest was made on a police station.
Riots also broke out in Birmingham city centre four days later. (mn)
5th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 075: A.G.
GASTON (1892-
)
1892
Harriet Tubman recieves a pension from Congress for her work as
a nurse, spy, and scout during the Civil War. Often called Moses
of her People, Tubman was the best-known African American woman
abolitionist. Through the Underground Railroad he helped 300
slaves escape to freedom. Read Harriet Tubman: the Moses of her
People by Sara Bradford (1869) (tr-iokts-mm-ss)
1948
Wint First In 400-Metre Final. Read the headline the next day in
Jamaica's Daily Gleaner newspaper. Jamaica did it.... and 'God Save
The King' was played for the first time, continued the headline. It
referred to an Olympic ceremony that had taken place in Wembley
Stadium. Arthur Wint had ran 400-metre's in 46.2 which equalled the
world record. (mn-ts)
1930
Damita Jo,
vocals, born; Austin TX, USA. d. 1998 née: Damita Jo DuBlanc.
In 1949, Black Disc Jockey (in Los Angeles) Joe Adams began to
promote her career. She had been appearing at the Club Oasis, in
L.A., for a couple of months when the independent label Discovery
Records put Joe in charge of their fledgling R&B department. Joe
immediately signed Damita. In the spring of 1950, she made her first
recording, and in that summer she returned to the Club Oasis, where
she appeared with Count Basie and his new sextet featuring Wardell
Gray and Buddy DeFranco on saxes. From 1951 to 1953, Damita was the
featured vocalist with 'Steve Gibson and the Red Caps', then
appearing at the Riviera Club in New Jersey. From 1959 to 1960, she
was again with the Red Caps (during which time she was also married
to Gibson) then appearing at the Club Martinique, in Wildwood, New
Jersey. When the group disbanded in the early sixties, Damita Jo's
career continued, but now as a solo performer. Subsequently, she
worked as a regular on the Redd Foxx TV series. She also found some
success with two solid Pop releases in the early sixties. Her 1960
R&B single 'I'll Save The Last Dance For You' was conceived as an
answer to 'Save the Last Dance for Me', -a huge hit for 'The
Drifters'. Her 1961 single 'I'll Be There' made it to #12 on the pop
charts. While none of her subsequent releases never got that high
again, she did remain a popular performer. (info.net)
1951
Philip Bailey,
vocalist. b. Denver, CO, USA. Member group: 'Earth, Wind &
Fire'. Philip Bailey first gained fame as the mesmerizing lead
falsetto of '70s supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire . The
singer/percussionist's four-octave range set a high standard for
upper-range pop vocalists. Bailey's shimmering falsetto blended
perfectly with Maurice White's charismatic tenor to help the group
build a reputation for exciting, live shows (complete with feats of
magic) and innovative recordings. Six-time Grammy winners Earth, Wind
& Fire had 46 charting R&B singles, 33 charting pop singles
including eight gold singles. (info.net)
1962
The Black Pimpernel Nelson Mandela was arrested in Howick, Natel and
tried Johannesburg regional court for leaving the country without
a passport and for incitement to strike. He was sentenced
to five years' imprisonment and sent to Robben Island, near
Capetown and placed in Solitary confinement. (mn)
1962
The British Union flag was lowered at midnight and Jamaica's flag
was raised for the first time in it's place, similar flag
raising ceromies were also held in parish capitals throughout the
island. (mn-cb)
1984
Track and field stars Evlyn Ashford and Edwin Moses win gold
medals in the L.A. Olympic Games. Edwin Moses was one of the
greatest hurdlers in the history of track & field, won
the Gold Medal in 1976/1986 Olympic games. Three times the nation's
top amateur athlete, he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame
after he earned the Bronze Medal in the 1988 Games. (mn-ss)
6th.
AUGUST
49th
Independence Day - Jamaica (2011)
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 076: JOHN
H. JOHNSON
(1918- )
1918
[Norman
Granz],
Producer, born, Los Angeles, CA, USA. d. Nov, 22, 2001. Founder of
the Verve and Pablo record labels. (info.net)
1922
Willie Nix,
singing drummer/tap dancer, born, Memphis, TN, USA. Though he never
found great success, he was a hard working entertainer. By age 12,
and as a teenager during the late '30s, he toured with the Rabbit
Foot Minstrels Shows as a Tap dancing comedian. In the early '40s, he
appeared in local Memphis, TN venues and performed on the streets and
in the parks around town. In 1947, Nix, with Robert Lockwood, Jr.,
was heard on a Little Rock, AR radio station. He was also on Memphis
radio when he appeared with such stars as B.B. King and Joe Hill
Louis. Subsequently, he worked with the Four Aces touring Arkansas,
Tennessee and Mississippi. The group consisted of Sonny Boy
Williamson II, Willie Love, and Joe Willie Wilkins. In 1951, he cut
his first records (in Memphis) for the RPM label. In 1952, he cut
some sides for the Chess Records' Checker subsidiary. In early 1953,
Sam Philips signed him as a singing drummer with a band for the Sun
label, promoting him as "the Memphis Blues Boy". In
Chicago, he recorded for Art Sheridan's Chance label. During the mid
'50s, he worked with Memphis Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Johnny
Shines, and Elmore James. The end of the 1950s found him back in
Memphis, where he also did a short stretch in prison. During the '60s
and '70s, his health and abilities deteriorated, and he only
performed occasionally. (info.net)
1932
Dorothy Ashby,
jazz harp player born in Detroit, Mich, USA. Her recording career
ran from 1958 until 1984, with about 10 albums including 3 on the
Cadet label. Dies 13th April, 1986 in Santa Monica, USA. (mn)
1938
Isaac Hayes pianist/soul
singer/producer/actor born (other bio. say's 20/8/42). Started as a
studio musician for Stax records. Later songwriter with David Porter
for many of the labels early hits. He then had album success's
including the movie soundtrack for Shaft which established him
internationally. Very visual; Bald headed with African fur boots. (mn-jf)/(cl-20/8/42)
1947
Dennis Alcapone,
reggae singer born Dennis Smith, Clarendon, JA. Alcapone's career
began in 1970 with the debut single "El Paso". Over the
next six years, Alcapone released numerous hits, including "Maca
Version", "Number One Station", "Wake Up
Jamaica", "Teach The Children", and "Guns Don't
Argue". He was one of the dub musicians to hit it big toasting
in the wake of U-Roy's Wake the Town for Duke Reid, and the work of
Sir Lord Comic and King Stitt. (cl-wickpedia)
1953
Lynn White,
Blues vocals, born, Mobile, AL, USA.She was six years old when she
began singing in church, and began her professional career during the
late 1970's. Lynn's debut single came in 1981 with 'Am I Too Much
Woman for You'. In 1982, she recorded the single 'I Don't Ever Want
to See Your Face Again' for the Sho Me label. The single was picked
up by Willie Mitchell (best known for his work with Al Green), who
reissued it on his Waylo Records. Willie approached Lynn in for a few
studio sessions, resulting in her remaining with Waylo for the
duration of the 1980's. In 1987, Lynn released the album 'Love &
Happiness', which contained the modern mid-tempo gem 'See You Later,
Bye'. The following decade Lynn formed her own label, Chelsea, where
she released 'The New Me' in 1990. 'Home Girl' followed in 1991, and
two years later Lynn returned with 'Cheatin'. In 1993, Lynn released
a 12" single entitled 'I Don't Know Why', which became a highly
sought after track on the U.K. Modern Soul Scene. (info.net-soulwalking)
1954
Robert B
Hudmon Jr R&B
singer was born at West Point, Georgia and started his singing carer
at a very early age, I'm a roller (1966), five singles on
Atlantic/Cotillion & an album in 1978. Dies 25 August 1995. (mn)
1958
Randy
Debarge soul
singer with Debarge born. Groomed to be the heirs to the Jackson 5
throne in the early '80s, DeBarge mirrored the Jacksons early
success with a string of hits, but were unable to sustain their
winning streak. Originally formed in 1978 and hailing from Grand
Rapids, MI, the quintet was comprised of four brothers (Eldra, Mark,
James, and Randy) and one sister (Bunny). The band signed on with the
same label that the Jacksons started with, Motown, courtesy of their
two older brothers, Tommy and Bobby (both of whom were members of
another Motown act at the time, Switch). Led by the soft-and-sweet
vocals of Eldra (or El, for short), DeBarge issued a debut album in
1981, The DeBarges, which showed that the group had yet to hone their
hit-making style. But the quintet soon found the formula, as their
sophomore effort, 1982's All This Love, would go on to become
DeBarge's first gold-certified success, and spawn such hit singles as
"I Like It," "Time Will Reveal," and the title
track. (mn-jt)
1959
Joyce Sims,
singer/songwriter born in Rochester, New York, USA. She studied music
at collage where she learned a number of musical instruments. Unable
to play professionally at first, she took a job in a hamburger bar
and wrote songs in her spare time. One of her songs was overheard by
an agent who introduced her to Sleeping Bag Records where she signed
for hits singles: All & All, Lifetime Love, Come into My life and
All About Love. (mn-rt)
1960
Chubby Checker performs The Twist on American Television for
the first time on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. (mn-jt)
1962
*Independence Day in Jamaica.
1962
Sir Alexander Bustamante as first Prime Minister/Sir Kenneth
Blackburne a Governenor General. (cb)
1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Young Rights Act, outlawing
the literacy test for voting Eligibility in the South. (tr-iokts)
1973
Memphis Minnie,
blues singer dies. A child prodigy, she began playing local parties
as "Kid" Douglas before running away from home to play for
tips at Church's Park ( the current W.C. Handy Park) on Beale Street
in Memphis. During the 1910s and early 1920s, Douglas adopted the
handle of Memphis Minnie and toured the South, playing tent shows
with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Truly a blues legiond. (b.
3/6/1897) (mn-rs)
1977
Sir Alexander Bustamante,
dies. He was Jamaica's first independent Prime Minister. He
became Prime Minister in 1962, He was also the founder of the
Jamaica Labour Party. The two main political parties in Jamaica
are the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party. Sir
Alexander Bustamate wanted better wages and living conditions for
poor people. He formed a trades union. He was made a National Hero
during his lifetime and was knighted by the Queen in 1954 and died on
this day aged 93. (mn)
2010
Phelps Collins
dies. b. Phelps 'Catfish' Collins, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1944, U.S.A. d.
6th August 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. The older brother of
bassist Bootsy Collins, 'Catfish' Collins, has died after a long
battle with cancer. He was 66. Phelps was a rhythm guitarist with the
P-Funk collective. He was born eight years before Bootsy, who gave
him the nickname 'Catfish' because he thought he looked like one! He
was 'enthusiastically' protective of his family, once threatening to
kill his father with a butcher knife if he saw him hurt their mother
again. Often overlooked, in favour of his younger brother, Bootsy
Collins, Phelps played on several records by Parliament, Funkadelic,
and Bootsy's Rubber Band. In 1968, the siblings, along with Kash
Waddy and, ex. Detroit Spinner, Philippe Wynne, formed a group called
The Pacemakers. James Brown subsequently hired the group as his
backing band, later becoming known as The J.B.'s. As the J.B.'s, they
recorded many funk evergreens including 'Super Bad', 'Get Up (I Feel
Like Being A) Sex Machine', 'Soul Power', and 'Give It Up or Turn it
Loose'. By the start of the Seventies, Phelps and the rest of the
J.B.'s left the James Brown entourage. Bootsy and Phelps Collins,
along with Kash Waddy formed the group the House Guests, later
joining Funkadelic, featuring on their album 'America Eats Its Young.
Four'. Bootsy then joined Bootsy's Rubber Band, whose line-up
included Waddy, Joel 'Razor Sharp' Johnson (on keyboards), Gary
'Muddbone' Cooper (on drums), and Robert 'P-Nut' Johnson (on vocals),
additionally featuring The Horny Horns. Phelps was the gfeatured
rhythm guitarist on several sides, including the 1978 Parliament
dancer 'Flash Light'. Phelps also featured on releases by the likes
of Deee-Lite, Freekbass, Snoop Dogg, Black Eye Peas, A Tribe Called
Quest, Digital Underground, Big Daddy Kane, 2Pac, Biz Markie, Kurtis
Blow, Hammer, Grandmaster Flash and H-Bomb. On his early recordings,
Phelps utilised a Vox Ultrasonic guitar with built-in sound effects. (soulwalking)
7th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 077: PAUL
R. WILLIAMS (1896-1980)
1894
Black Invention:
Kneading Machine, Joseph Lee. (sc)
1894
Black Invention:
Corn Silker, Robert P. Scott. (sc)
1904
Ralph Bunche,
first African American Nobel Prize winner, is born
in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In 1950 Ralph Bunche became the
first black person awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in
fostering an armistice between warring Arabs and Israelis. The award
brought to public attention a long record of public service. Bunche
was a central figure among blacks, and although less well known
during the 1940s than W. E. B. Du Bois or A. Philip Randolph, like
them he prepared the way for the civil rights revolution of the 1950s
and 1960s. (tr-iokts)
1932 Abele
Bikila of
Ethiopia who later wins the 1960 Olympic marathon (running
barefoot), born. Abebe Bikila (August 7 1932 - October 25 1973)
ƒut two ƒois victorious of the Marathon (sport) to the
Olympic Games. Originating in Ethiopia, Abebe Bikila, an
officier of police force and personal bodyguard of the emperor Haile
Selassie. He became a national hero after having gained two gold
medals with the OJ. In 1960, with the plays of Rome, Bikila traversed
the forty-two kilometers without shoes. At the time of the following
plays, in 1964 in Tokyo, Bikila one second ƒois in this
discipline gained. This ƒois-Ci it ran however with shoes, and
beat the record in 2:12 again: 11. In 1969, Bikila had a car accident
close to Addis Ababa, which deprived it of the use of its legs. It
died in 1973, at the 41 years age. The national stage of Addis-Abeba
bears its name. (near translation)
1936
Roland Kirk
jazz musician born. Preferring to lead his own groups, Kirk rarely
performed as a sideman, though he did record with arranger Quincy
Jones, Roy Haynes and had especially notable stints with Charles
Mingus. He played the lead flute and solo on Jones' Soul Bossa Nova
associated with the Austin Powers film. His playing was generally
rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's knowledge of jazz history
allowed him to draw on many elements of the music's history, from
ragtime to Swing and free jazz. Kirk also regularly explored
classical and pop music. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1936
Charles Pope,
soul singer with The Tams born. They were originally formed in 1952,
as the Four Dots, but they took their long lasting name from the Tam
O'Shanter style hat that the group choose to wear on stage. Although
such an early origin suggests longevity, it was not until 1960 that
the group finally emerged with a single on Swan Records. "Untie
Me", a Joe South composition, became a Top 20 U.S. R&B hit,
but follow-up releases failed until 1963, when "What Kind Of
Fool (Do You Think I Am)", reached the U.S. Top 10. Whilst never
a major recording force, their longevity was due to persistence, and
the occasional surprising success. For example, "Hey Girl Don't
Bother Me" was a modest Stateside hit in 1964. The Tams had only
one further U.S. hit in 1968 with "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be
Happy", which peaked on the Billboard R&B chart at 26, and
made the UK Top 40 in 1970. However, the group stunned many
(including themselves), by flying to the Number One slot in the UK
singles chart in September 1971, thanks to its initial support from
the then thriving northern soul scene. They were destined to not
chart again until sixteen years later. Then, their association with
The Shag, a dance craze and subsequent 80s film, secured a further
lifeline to this remarkable group, giving The Tams another UK Top 30
hit, with "There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'". (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1936
Don Bradley,
vocals, b. St. Louis, MO, USA. member groups: 'The Vibrations','The
Jayhawks' "The Vibrations" were an American soul music|soul
vocal group from Los Angeles, California, active from 1960 to 1976.
Most notable among the group's hit singles were "My Girl
Sloopy" (1964) and "Love in Them Thar Hils" (1968).
The quintet's members included "Don Bradley", "Carl
Fisher", "Dave Govan", "James Johnson", and
"Ricky Owens". (info.net)
1937
Magic Slim,
guitarist born, Torrence, MS, USA. né: Morris Holt Member: '
Magic Slim & the Teardrops', a fine Chicago Blues band. The times
do change. These days (2005) Slim's no longer slim. This Mississippi
native had to take up the guitar when he was forced to give up
playing the piano after he lost his little finger in a cotton gin
mishap. One of his boyhood pals, "Magic Sam" bestowed his
'magic' monicker on the budding guitarist . (info.net)
1939
Ron Holden,
soul singer born in Seattle, Washington, USA. d. 22 January 1997.
Holden's career had a unique beginning: he had been arrested for
driving with alcohol and marijuana in his possession and was in the
police station when a police officer heard him singing. The officer,
Larry Nelson, told Holden that he was planning on quitting the police
department for a career in music and gave Holden his phone number.
The teenager called Nelson upon his release from jail and Nelson
recorded Holden singing his own composition "Love You So".
The ballad was issued on Nelson's Nite Owl label and then sold to the
larger Donna label, reaching the US Top 10 in the summer of 1960. An
album was released on Donna but further singles on that and other
labels did not recapture the flavour of the hit and Holden retired
from the music business. (mn-cl)
1948
Alice Coachman becomes the first African-American to win an Olympic
Gold Medal during the summer games in London. Alice Coachman (born
November 9, 1923 in Albany, Georgia) is an American former athlete.
She specialized in high jump, and was the first black woman to win an
Olympic gold medal. Coachman dominated the AAU outdoor high jump
championship from 1939 through 1948, but was unable to compete in the
Olympic Games as they were cancelled in 1940 and 1944 because of
World War II. In the high jump finals of the 1948 Summer Olympics,
Coachman leaped 1.68 m (5 ft 6 1/8 in) on her first try. Her nearest
rival, Great Britain's Dorothy Tyler, matched Coachman's jump, but
only on her second try. Coachman was the only American woman to win
an Olympic gold medal in 1948. Coachman also excelled in the indoor
and outdoor 50 m dash and the outdoor 100 m dash. Representing
Tuskegee Institute, Coachman also ran on the national champion 4 x 4 100-meter
relay team in 1941 and 1942. Coachman is a member of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Inc. (wickpedia)
1948
Lynn August,
zydeco accordion player, born Joseph Leonard August in Lafayette,
La, USA. One of zydeco's most versatile performers, Lynn August
spiked his native southwestern Louisiana sound with elements of pop,
gospel and R&B. Born in Lafayette on August 7, 1948, the blind
August was encouraged by his mother to pursue a career in music, and
he was raised on a steady diet of zydeco, New Orleans rhythm and
blues and swamp-pop. After learning to play drums on an old wash
basin, at the age of 12 he was recruited to play percussion with the
legendary Esquerita, who convinced him to also take up the piano; a
few years later, August made the switch to the Hammond B-3 organ as
well. During the mid-1960s, he played with a young Stanley
"Buckwheat" Dural, later mounting a solo career as well as
sitting in with a variety of local swamp-pop combos; he also led a
big band, and even directed a church choir. In 1988, August turned to
the accordion and began his zydeco career in earnest; forming the Hot
August Knights with tenor saxophonist John Hart, he also studied
field recordings made in 1934 by archivist Alan Lomax to absorb the
original Creole style of "jure" singing into his own
contemporary aesthetic. After signing to the Maison de Soul label,
August debuted with It's Party Time, followed in 1989 by Zydeco
Groove; a move to Black Top heralded the release of 1992's Creole
Cruiser, with the acclaimed Sauce Piquante appearing a year
later. (mn-sr-allmusic)
1962
Princess Margaret opens the first session of Parliament in Jamaica.
In 1961, a referendum was called to determine whether or not the
people of Jamaica should remain a part of the Federation. The
Jamaican people voted for Independence. Jamaica was given a
Westminster style constitution, with a Governor-general as the
representative of the British Crown, and a bicameral Parliament. In
January 1962, a draft of the Independence Constitution was brought
before both Houses and after a full debate it was unanimously
approved. It was also agreed that the 300 year old Coat of Arms would
be retained and the Latin motto "Indus Uterque Serviet Uni"
changed to one in English "Out of Many One People". At
midnight 5th August 1962 the British Flag was lowered and the
Jamaican Flag was hoisted for the first time. On the 6th of August
1962 Jamaica was given its independence. (originationsite)
1968
James Brown record's Say It Loud - I'm Black & I'm Proud at
VOX Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA. Heavy times. Hank Ballard
claimed to be with JB when he wrote this song, and said that it was
written - along with Blackenized and How You Gonna Get Respect(when
you haven't cut your Process Yet) - as I direct result of JB being
threatened by sub-machine gun toting Black Panthers. Black &
Proud James Brown also said in his biography he found an un-primed
hand grenade with his name on it outside his hotel room on the night
of this recording. It reaches No.1 in the R&B chart. (mn-cw)
1984
Esther Phillips soul/jazz
singer dies, Carson, California. Born Esther Nay Jones in
Galverston, Texas, in 1935. She was discovered by Johnny Otis at a
tallent contest in 1949. She made her debut as Little Esther for the
Savoy label in 1950. That year Double-Crossing Blues was a US R&B
No.1 . In 1960 she signed to Lennox records with Release Me, going
Top 10, (later a hit for Engleburt Humperdinck in UK). All her life
she suffered with additions to drink & drugs which led to her
death on this day. (mn-rt-rs)
8th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 078:
MARTIN DE PORRES (1579-1639)
1865
Matthew A. Henson,
explorer born in Charles City, Md, USA. In 1909 Henson leads a party
of 5 to reach the North Pole after a 20 year odyssey. Born on a farm
in Charles County, Maryland, USA, he went to sea when he was about
12, In 1887 he met Robert E. Peary, then a lieutenant in the US navy
and already committed to exploring the Artic region. Henson
began as Peary's personal assistant. For 20 years Henson led sleds
and was Peary's right hand man. On this day in 1909, Peary,
Henson and four Eskimos were the first known humans to reach the
North Pole. (mn-ss)
1917
Earl Cameron
born is a British actor. He is known as one of the first black actors
to break the "colour bar" in the United Kingdom. He also
had repeated appearances on many British science fiction programmes
of the 1960s, including Doctor Who and The Prisoner. In 2004, he
appeared in the film The Interpreter as the fictitious dictator
Edmond Zuwanie. Cameron is a practioner of the Baha'i faith. (mn-wickpedia)
1923
Jimmy Witherspoon soul/blues
singer born in Arkansas, USA. He first attracted attention singing
with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular
radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during
World War II. Witherspoon made his first records with Jay McShann's
band in 1945. In 1949, recording under his own name with the McShann
band, he had his first hit, "Ain't Nobody's Business", a
song which came to be regarded as his signature tune. In 1950 he had
hits with two more songs closely identified with him: "No
Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl". Witherspoon's
style of blues became unfashionable in the mid-1950s, but he returned
to popularity with his 1959 album, Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey
Jazz Festival. He later recorded with Ben Webster, Richard
"Groove" Holmes, and T-Bone Walker, and toured in the 1970s
with a highly regarded band of his own featuring Robben Ford and Russ
Ferrante. He continued performing into the 1980s. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1933
Joe Tex
soul singer born Joseph Arrington Jnr., in Rogers, Texas, USA.
Dies August 13, 1982. Joe Tex made the first Southern soul record
that also hit on the pop charts ("Hold What You've Got," in
1965, made number five in Billboard). An early rapper he is,
arguably, the most underrated of all the '60s soul performers
associated with Atlantic Records, although his records were more
likely than those of most soul stars to become crossover hits. He
displayed his vocal talent quickly, first in gospel, then in R&B.
By 1954, he'd won a local talent contest and come to New York, where
he recorded a variety of derivative (and endlessly repackaged)
singles for King, some as a ballad singer, some as a Little Richard-style
rocker. Tex's career didn't take off until he began his association
with Nashville song publisher Buddy Killen, after Tex wrote James
Brown's 1961 song "Baby You're Right." In 1965, Killen took
him to Muscle Shoals, not yet a fashionable recording center, and
they came up with "Hold What You've Got," which is about as
close to a straight R&B ballad as Tex ever came. It was followed
by a herd more, most of which made the R&B charts, a few cracking
the pop Top 40. Tex made his mark by preaching over tough hard soul
tracks, clowning at some points, swooping into a croon at others. He
was perhaps the most rustic and back-country of the soul stars, a
role he played to the hilt by using turns of phrase that might have
been heard on any ghetto street corner, "One Monkey Don't Stop
No Show" the prototype. In 1966, his "I Believe I'm Gonna
Make It," an imaginary letter home from Vietnam, became the
first big hit directly associated with that war. His biggest hit was
"Skinny Legs and All," from a 1967 live album, his rapping
pure hokum over deeply funky riffs. "Skinny Legs" might
have served as a template for all the raucous, ribald hip-hop hits of
pop's future. After "Skinny Legs," Tex had nothing but
minor hits for five years until "I Gotcha" took off, a
grittier twist on the funk that was becoming disco. In 1977, he
adapted a dance craze, the Bump, and came up with the hilarious
"Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)," his
last Top Ten R&B hit, which also crossed over to number 12 on the
pop chart. In the early '70s, Tex converted to Islam and in 1972
changed his offstage name to Joseph Hazziez. He spent much of the
time after "Ain't Gonna Bump" on his Texas farm, although
he did join together with Wilson Pickett, Ben E. King, and Don Covay
for a reformed version of the Soul Clan in 1980. He died of a heart
attack in 1982, only 49 years old. Killen, King, Covay, Pickett, and
the great songwriter Percy Mayfield served as pallbearers. ~ Dave
Marsh, All Music Guide (mn)
1956
David Grant soul
singer with Lynx, later solo, born in Kingston, Jamaica on this day.
Grant became famous in the early 1980s as a member of UK soul/funk
duo Linx, whose biggest hit was "Intuition" in 1981. He
began a solo career in 1983 with the Top 40 hit "Stop and
Go". Further hits included "Watching You Watching Me"
and the Top 10 duet with Jaki Graham, "Could It Be I'm Falling
In Love". He has also worked as a session singer for artists
including Diana Ross and The Lighthouse Family. In recent years David
has become well known, along with his wife Carrie Grant, as a vocal
coach on the BBC talent show Fame Academy. He also appears regularly
as a panelist on the Five topical debate show, The Wright Stuff. In
2006 he appeared in the four part BBC television series The Sound of
Musicals, which was filmed in 2005. (mn-wickpedia)
1967
Lorraine Peason soul
singer with Five Star born. Lorraine does most of the talking in
interviews and is regarded as spokesperson of the group. In 1988, she
was romantically linked to the comedian Eddie Murphy. Lorraine now
writes books (her novel Her, Me and Reality was published in 1989),
and still appears with Stedman and Denise on stage. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1975
Julian
'Cannonball' Adderley
saxophonist dies. He was one of the great saxophonists of his
generation, His Fiery, blues-soaked interpretations of Charlie
Parker's alto legacy brought jazz to many people hitherto untouched
by it. (mn-cl)
1999 PCRL
receives studio raid, Lady J.C. arrested 17.15 p.m. Noise
had been a constant problem at this studio location. Even with
blankets suspended from the ceiling around the studio console to hold
back the noise, the police were called and walked in on
JC's Sunday soca music program. (she'd left the door open!) (mn)
2011
Roits/Looting takes place in Birmingham city centre. It was a Monday
afternoon after a weekend of riots in London that continued all
around the UK. (mn)
9th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 079: THOMAS
PAUL (1773-1831)
1936
Jesse Owens wins four Olympic medals in the 800-meter run.
A frequent and outspoken critic of America's racial policies, he
eventually emerged as an engaging speaker and leader of youth. He was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. (mn-ss)
1939
Billy Henderson,
vocals, The Detroit Spinners, 1980 UK No.1 and US No.2 single
Working My Way Back To You. Originally, called the Domingoes, the
Spinners formed when the quintet were high school students in the
Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1957. At the time, the group featured
Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, George W. Dixon, Billy Henderson, and
Henry Fambrough. Four years later, they came to the attention of
producer Harvey Fuqua, who began recording the group -- who were now
called the Spinners -- for his Tri-Phi Records. The band's first
single, "That's What Girls Are Made For," became a Top Ten
R&B hit upon its 1961 release and featured Smith on vocals.
Following its release, Dixon was replaced by Edgar "Chico"
Edwards. Over the next few years, the group released a series of
failed singles, and when Tri-Phi was bought out by Motown in the
mid-'60s, the Spinners became part of the larger company's roster. By
that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron. (info.net)
1941
Willie Henderson,
tenor sax/arranger/producer, b. Pensacola, FL, USA. Producer/arranger
Willie Henderson's versatile talents can be heard throughout the
Brunswick Records catalog as well as a myriad of sides recorded
during the '60s-'70s heydays of Chicago soul. Henderson's family
moved to Chicago when he was a child. Taking up the baritone sax, he
began backing Otis Rush and others while in his twenties. He also
studied with another arranging legend, James Mack. After graduating
from Crane Junior College, Henderson began playing around Chicago,
backing Syl Johnson, Alvin Cash, and Harold Burrage. Henderson joined
the Chicago branch division of New York-based Brunswick Records in
1968. Working with producer Carl Davis, Henderson arranged, produced,
and played on records by the Chi-Lites, Jackie Wilson, Tyrone Davis,
Barbara Acklin, and other Brunswick acts. He produced and arranged
Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind" and another gold
single, "Turn Back the Hands of Time"; the following year,
Henderson co-wrote Johnny Williams' "I Made a Mistake."
Three years later, Williams hit with "Slow Motion (Part 1),"
a Top Ten R&B single for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia
International Records. (info.net-answers.com)
1942
Jack DeJohnettte,
jazz drummer born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He's played for all
the Jazz greats and was session drummer for ECM label In the 70s.
Best heard with the Lloyd Quartet for showcasing his style. (mn-cl)
1947
Barbara Mason
soul singer born in Philadelphia, USA. First started recording with
Crusader records in 1964, but no success until she signed to Artic
records, with her voice sounding young and innocent in it's thinness
and flatness, Mason reached the charts with the marvellous Yes I'm
Ready (R&B, No.2 in 1965). (mn-cl)
1959 Kurtis
Blow rapp
singer born Kurt Walker. "The Breaks" (1980) is one
of hip hop's undisputed classics, with its catchy disco tune and
rapping style. Blow was influenced by DJ Hollywood. Blow began his
career in New York City in the mid-1970s, when he was a breakdancer
until switching to DJing under the name Kool DJ Kurt and then finally
rapping. He was the first rapper to record a full length album on a
major label (1980). This occurred after recording "Christmas
Rappin", his first single; during this time, "Rappers
Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang became the first hit for hip hop.
The whole field was derided as a fad, though, and thus there was much
resistance to signing Blow. He has appeared in the feature films
Krush Groove and The Show. Bob Dylan appeared on Kurtis Blow's 1986
album Kingdom Blow. And in 2004 he recorded the song "Hey
Everybody" with Max C and Bomfunk MC's for their album Reverse
Psychology. He also co-wrote songs with The Fat Boys, including their
signature songs "Fat Boys" (1984) and "The Fat Boys
Are Back" (1985). Kurtis Blow also became the first hip hop
musician embraced by the mainstream advertising industry with his
appearance in a commercial for the soft drink, Sprite. He is
currently a DJ on Backspin 43, which is the old school hip hop
station on the Sirius Satellite Radio service. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1963 Whitney
Houston,
singer/actress born to Cissy Houston (also a soul singer), winner of
both Emmy and Grammy awards is born in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Whitney is one of the most commercially successful singers of all
time!, she's also the first person to enter Billboard Album Charts at
No.1. (mn)
2008 Bernie
Mac, actor and
Comedian Dies at Age 50. Chicago (AP), the Emmy and Golden Globe
nominated actor and comedian who worked his way to Hollywood success
from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side, died.
"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from
complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his
publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles. She
said no other details were available and asked that his family's
privacy be respected. The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an
inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the
body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in
2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which
his publicist said was not related to the disease. Recently, Mac's
brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a
surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential
candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama. Toward the end of a
10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual
infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The
performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign. But despite
controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a
performer. "Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in
2002. "I have to put on a good show." Mac started his
comedy career at age 8, with a standup performance at a church
dinner. In 1977, at age 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in
Chicago. His film career started with a small role as a club doorman
in the Damon Wayans movie "Mo' Money" in 1992. Mac went on
to star in the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt
and George Clooney and his turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's
"Guess Who?" _ a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn 1967 classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" _
topped the box office. Mac also had starring roles in "Bad
Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and
"Transformers." The comedian drew critical and
popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac
Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006
(Chanel 5 UK). The series about a man's adventures raising his
sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time,
judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and
class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion _ and
cool." The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for
Mac. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album
in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy"
co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer. In
2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he
planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my
producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit,"
Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a
street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." Mac
was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He
grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and
grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church. In
his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote
about having a poor childhood _ eating bologna for dinner _ and a
strict, no-nonsense upbringing. Mac's mother died of cancer when he
was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him
he would surprise everyone when he grew up. "Woman believed in
me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I
believed." (A.P)
10th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 080: AUGUST
US TOLTON (1854-1897)
1867
Ira Aldridge,
famed Shakespearean actor dies. Born 24th. July, 1802 in New York
City. Famous for his Othello, he attended the African Free School in
New York City until he was 16 before joining the African Grove
theatre troop there in 1821. He studied acting in Glasgow and made
his first known appearance in Turinam or Slave's Revenge in 1925. His
career is commemorated by a tablet at the New Memorial theatre in
Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. (mn-ss-jc)
1880
Charles C. White,
composer and violinist, born in Clarksville, Tn.
1909
George W. Crockett Jr.,
first African American lawyer with the U.S. Department of Labour, is
born in Jacksonville, Fla, USA. Representative from Michigan;
attended the public schools; A.B., Morehouse College, Atlanta, Ga.,
1931; J.D., University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, 1934;
admitted to the Florida bar in 1934 and commenced practice in
Jacksonville; senior attorney, United States Department of Labor,
1939-1943; hearing officer, Federal Fair Employment Practices
Commission, 1943; senior member of law firm, Detroit, 1946-1966;
elected judge, recorder’s court, Detroit, 1967-1979; acting
corporation counsel, city of Detroit, 1980; elected simultaneously as
a Democrat to the Ninety-sixth and to the Ninety-seventh Congress by
special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
United States Representative Charles C. Diggs, Jr., and reelected to
the four succeeding Congresses (November 4, 1980-January 3, 1991);
was not a candidate for renomination to the One Hundred Second
Congress in 1990; died September 7, 1997 (tr-iokts-usguv)
1943
Veronica 'Ronnie Spector' Bennett
who sang in The Ronnettes born New York, USA. From a very young age,
she took to singing and her large, close family encouraged her to do
so, along with the other members of the Ronettes. The other members
were her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley. They were a
multiracial group, which was a bit unusual during the 1960s. The
Bennetts' mother was black and Native American; their father was
white. In her autobiography, Ronnie Spector said that she was not
sure if she was black, or white, at one point in her childhood. From
1968 to 1973, she was married to record producer Phil Spector, who
produced the Ronettes and brought them success. In early 1971, during
Phil Spector's tenure as head of A&R at Apple Records, Ronnie
recorded the single "Try Some Buy Some"/"Tandoori
Chicken"; released as Apple 33 in the UK, Apple 1832 in the U.S.
The A side of the single was written by George Harrison, and produced
by Harrison and Spector. Although the single was not a big hit, it
had one lasting influence: when John Lennon recorded "Happy Xmas
(War Is Over)" later the same year, he asked Spector to
reproduce the same mandolin-laden 'Wall of Sound' that he had created
for "Try Some Buy Some". (Lennon liked the rockabilly
B-side too, and is reported to have sung it at his birthday party in
New York in October 1971.) (mn-wickpedia)
1948
Patti Austin soul
singer born in New York, USA. She made her debut at the Apollo
Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was
only five. With Coral records in the 60's she recorded a number of
minor hits that were picked up by the Northern Soul scene in the UK.
Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her
godparents. By the late 1960s Austin was a prolific session musician
and commercial jingle singer. By the 1980s she was signed to Jones's
Qwest Records and she began having hits. She charted twenty R&B
songs between 1969 and 1991 and had success on the Hot Dance
Music/Club Play chart, where she hit number one in 1981 with "Do
You Love Me?" / "The Genie." The album containing that
hit, Every Home Should Have One, also produced her biggest mainstream
hit. "Baby, Come To Me," a duet with James Ingram, peaked
at number 73 on the Hot 100 in early 1982. After being featured as
the love theme in a prominent storyline on the soap opera General
Hospital, the song re-entered the pop chart in October and went to
number one in early 1983. Austin continued to have minor chart hits
through the remainder of the 1980s, although no other singles reached
the Hot 100 Top 40. She does not have chart hits today but she still
produces new music. (mn-tt/gg)
1948 Lucille
Bogan a.k.a. Bessie Jackson,
blues singer, dies, Los Angeles, California, USA. Best known to
blues record collectors and historians for writing and singing Shave
Em Dry, one of the bawdiest blues songs ever recorded ("I got
nipples on my titties big as the end of my thumb & I got somethin
''tween my legs 'll make a dead man come"). (mn- rs)
1964
Neneh Cherry,
singer born, Stockholm, Sweden. 'Buffalo Stance', 'Manchild', '7
Seconds' (with Youssou N'Dour) The daughter of West African
percussionist Amadu Jah and artist Moki Cherry. Raised by her mother
and her jazz trumpeter stepfather (Don Cherry) in both Stockholm and
New York City, she left school at 14. In 1980, Cherry moved to London
to sing with the punk group the Cherries. After working with
the Slits and the Nails, she joined the experimental funk outfit Rip
Rig + Panic, and appeared on the group’s albums God (1981), I Am
Cold (1982), and Attitude (1983). After this, Cherry sang with Float
Up CP, and led them through one album, 1986’s Kill Me in the
Morning. The band broke up and Cherry began rapping in London,
releasing her first single, Stop the War. After attracting some
composer and musician Cameron McVey, who, under the alias Booga Bear,
wrote much of the material on Cherry’s 1989 debut LP Raw Like
Sushi. Cherry’s cover Buffalo Stance was an international smash
of eclectic fusion of pop smarts and hip-hop energy. After the
record’s release Cherry caught Lyme disease and, apart from a
version of Cole Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin in1990,
remained silent until Homebrew two years later. Cherry returned to
the charts in 1994 in duet with Youssou N’ Dour on the global
hit Seven Seconds. She then took time off to raise her children. She
resurfaced with the distinctive Man in 1996. Neneh Cherry has her own
groundbreaking blend of pop, dance, and hip-hop that is the emergence
of both alternative Rap and Trip-Hop. (info.net-aareg))
1968 Michael
Bivins singer
with New Edition/Bell Biv Devoe born. As one of the original members
of New Edition, Mike has always been involved with the management
side of New Edition. He is mostly a background member of the group,
but he once said, "Even though I am a group member, I like to
still get behind the scenes and take care of things. That's why I
ended up helping co-direct the video." When he said this, he was
speaking of the "You Don't Have To Worry" video. It is
quite obvious that Mike would rather do things behind the scenes than
be upfront. With much talent, he has even started his own record
label, Biv 10 Records, and he has discovered groups like 702, ABC
(Another Bad Creation), and Boyz II Men, who got their name from a
song on NE's "Heart Break" album and became one of the
biggest R&B acts of the 90's. (mn-jt-angelfire.com))
1993
Edward Roberts,
singer dies in Akron, OH, USA. Age: 57 One of the 4 male members of:
"Ruby & The Romantics". (The female was Ruby Nash
Curtis, b. Nov. 12, 1939 in Akron Ohio, USA). Ruby & The
Romantics was an American doo-wop group, frequently considered a
one-hit wonder, which topped the charts once with 1963's Our Day Will
Come. Ruby Nash Curtis, the female lead of the group, originally sang
with an all girl group consisting of her sister and 2 friends. They
sang at "record hops", "mixers", "talent
shows" and some clubs in Akron, Ohio and surrounding areas. Some
of the male members of the "Romantics" sang with a local
group called "The Embers". Over time changes occurred and
"The Embers" became "The Supremes". Since they
all grew up in Akron and knew each other, Leroy Fann, a member of
"The Supremes", asked Ruby to sing with them on a few
occasions. It clicked, and the rest is history. The group auditioned
for and was signed to Kapp Records, which changed their name from The
"Supremes" to "Ruby and the Romantics". All was
not peaches and cream. There was conflict (personality, money, music
and "Diva-tude") ... the typical group thing ... and
eventually they lost the feeling. After repeated attempts to match
their earlier success, the group had a complete lineup change in
1965. In 1968 an all-female lineup was brought in. The group broke up
in 1971. But many of the songs they recorded went on to be hits for
other artists, such as "Hurting Each Other" (a #2 hit in
the United States for the Carpenters in February 1972), "Hey
There Lonely Boy" (which was recorded by Eddie Holman as
"Hey There Lonely Girl" and peaked in the US at #2 in
February of 1970) and "When You're Young And In Love"
(recorded by the Marvelettes and peaking at #23 in the US in May
1967). Additionally, "Our Day Will Come" itself was covered
by Frankie Valli and peaked at #11 in the US in the fall of
1975. (info.net)
1994
Bil Baker,
vocals, died in New Haven, CT, USA. Age: 58. Member: 'Five Satins'.
The Five Satins are best known for the doo wop classic "In the
Still of the Night," a song that was popular enough to make the
group one of the most famous doo wop outfits, although they never had
another hit of the same magnitude. (info.net)
2008
Isaac Hayes
dies. (b. Isaac Lee Hayes Jnr., 20th August 1942, Covington,
Tennessee, U.S.A.) d.10th August 2008, Baptist Memorial Hospital,
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A. Isaac Hayes has died at his home in
Memphis, Tennessee. He was 65. Shelby County Police were called to Mr
Hayes' home after his wife found him unconscious on the floor near a
still-running treadmill. He was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in
Memphis, where he was pronounced dead at 2:08pm. The cause of death
was not immediately known. "Family members believe at this point
it is a medical condition that might have led to his death," a
police spokesman said, adding Mr Hayes was being treated for "a
number of medical issues". (soulwalking)
11th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 081: RICHARD
ALLEN (1760-1831)
Independence
Day-Republic of Chad.
1873
J. Rosamond Johnson,
aurthor/actor and co-composer, born in Jacksonville, Fl, USA. Dies
1954. John Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954), most often referred to
as J. Rosamond Johnson, was a composer and singer during the Harlem
Renaissance. Johnson, from the United States, is most notable as the
composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing which has come to be known in
the United States as the "Black National Anthem". His
brother, poet James Weldon Johnson, wrote the lyrics of the famous
piece. (mn-jc)
1914
Buster Brown,
blues singer/harmonica player, born, Chriss, Ga, USA. (dies
January 31, 1976, Brooklyn, NY, USA. (mn-rs)
1921
Alex Haley,
aurthor and writer of Roots born in Ithaca, N.Y., USA. Two
men he interviewed, Black Muslim leader Malcolm X and American Nazi
Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell, were both assassinated.
Several hundred copies of his book "Roots" had to be
recalled from the publisher because they had been accidentally bound
with covers meant for "Gone With The Wind". The only person
in the history of PLAYBOY magazine to appear both as an interviewer
and a celebrity interviewee. Had three children two daughters, and
one son. Godfather to Malcom X's daughter Attallah Shabazz. He may
also be the only modern writer of note to have a warship named after
him. The 283-foot Medium Endurance Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC-39) was
commissioned on 10 July, 1999, and is homeported in Kodiak, Alaska.
Ship's missions include fisheries patrol, search and rescue, law
enforcement, environmental protection, and homeland security in the
North Pacific. While negotiating with Reader's Digest over their
publication of Roots, he was flown out to the company headquarters on
their private jet. While sipping the company's scotch and eating
their complimentary nuts he thought to himself, "I guess it
finally jelled!" The most amusing rejection slip he got stated,
"Thanks, but this doesn't jell for us." While in the Coast
Guard he submitted articles and short stories to various magazines,
and posted his rejection slips on the walls of his cabin, and
eventually in the galley when he ran out of wall-space in his own
quarters. In 1983 he announced his intention to write a book about
the true people of the Smoky Mountains, tentatively titled
"Sitting in the Appalachians". The book never materialized,
however. While researching his family in Africa, he was driven to an
outlying village where his ancestor had come from. A crowd was
waiting there, and they chanted in a language Haley didn't
understand. When he asked his guide for a translation, the man
replied, "They are saying, 'A son of the village has
returned.'" (imdb.com)
1943
Kenny Gamble producer/songwriter/singer
with the Romeos born in Philadelpia, USA. (mn)In
tandem with his partner Leon Huff, producer and songwriter Kenny
Gamble was the principal architect behind the lush and seductive
Philly Soul sound, one of the most popular and influential musical
developments of the 1970s. Born in Philadelphia on August 11, 1943,
he first teamed with Huff during the late '50s while a member of the
harmony group the Romeos, a unit which also included another aspiring
area musician named Thom Bell, who would become crucial to Gamble's
later success. "The 81," a 1964 single by the little-known
Candy & the Kisses, was the inaugural Gamble-Huff co-production,
and three years later the duo scored their first Top Five pop hit
with the Soul Survivors' "Expressway to Your Heart." Soon
recruiting the aforementioned Bell as arranger, they subsequently
scored with smashes including Archie Bell & the Drells' "I
Can't Stop Dancing" and Jerry Butler's "Only the Strong
Survive," gradually forging their own distinctive sound. (answers.com)
1965 Watts
Riots in Southeast L.A., USA.The
worst rioting of the century in the United States occurred in the
Watts area of Los Angeles on Aug. 11-16, 1965. Watts is an
impoverished district with a 90 per cent Negro population, most of
them unskilled workers and many of them recent immigrants from the
South-East. Before the riots 40 per cent of the adult population were
unemployed, and illiteracy, broken homes, crime, prostitution, drug
addiction, and alcoholism are common. Civil rights organizations and
the Negro clergy had strongly criticized alleged police brutality.
The Black Muslim movement had been strong in the area for some years,
and a heat wave with temperatures approaching 100 degrees added to
the atmosphere of tension. After three Negroes had been
arrested in the evening of Aug. 11 on a charge of drunken driving the
onlookers alleged that the police had used excessive violence, and
rioting started which continued all night and broke out again on the
following evening (Aug. 12). On Aug. 13 the disorders went on
throughout the day and spread to the main Negro area of the city;
bands of Negroes roamed through the streets in an orgy of violence,
attacking Whites and Negroes indiscriminately, looting shops, setting
on fire scores of stores, shops, and offices, as well as churches and
a timberyard, and driving fire engines approaching the area back with
a hail of bricks and stones. (mn-jc)
1966
Peg Leg Howell,
blues guitarist/singer, dies. Peg Leg Howell was born Joshua Barnes
Howell on March 5, 1888 in Eatonton, Georgia. Howell was a
self-taught guitarist who was said to have connected early country
blues and the 12-bar styles. Over time, he learned to be skilled in
finger picking and slide techniques. The nickname “Peg Leg”
was acquired from an incident with a shotgun in 1916, where his
brother-in-law allegedly shot his leg off. After this incident, he
could not work on a farm anymore, so he packed his things and left
for Atlanta, where he pursued a full-time music career. He started
off playing on street corners for change. (b.5/3/1888) (mn-rs)
1969 Diana
Ross launches Jackson Five.
She invites 350 special guests to the super-trendy Daisy club in
Beverly Hills to show off Motown's new signings The Jackson
Five. Although few people know that Bobby Taylor was the person who
actually took the groop for an audition with Berry Gordy. (mn-jt)
1984
Percy Mayfield,
composer/singer, known as the Poet of The Blues, dies the day
before his 64th birthday, Los Angeles, California, USA. He was famous
for the songs "Hit the Road, Jack" and "Please Send Me
Someone to Love". Mayfield was born in Louisiana. As a youth, he
showed a talent for poetry, so he thought he would try songwriting
and singing. He began his performing career in Texas and had moved to
Los Angeles by 1942. He auditioned his song "Two Years of
Torture" to Supreme Records (a Los Angeles-area record label)
because he thought it would be a good song for Jimmy Witherspoon. The
label liked his performance and asked him to record it in 1947. In
1950, he signed with Specialty Records and released several
well-received R&B records. His most famous performance:
"Please Send Me Someone to Love" was a number one R&B
hit in 1950. His career continued to blossom with songs like
"Strange Things Happening", "Lost Love,"
"What a Fool I Was," "Prayin' for Your Return,"
"Cry Baby," and "Big Question." A 1953 auto
accident left him seriously injured, including a facial disfigurement
that limited his performing. Mayfield's songs tend to be downbeat and
his lyrics tend to be heartbreaking, but his vulnerability and
emotional sensitivity prevent songs like "Life Is Suicide"
and "The River's Invitation" from being maudlin. Mayfield
continued to write and record for Specialty until 1954 and then
recorded for Chess Records and the Imperial label. In the early
1960s, he became one of Ray Charles's favorite songwriters, writing
classic songs such as "Hit the Road Jack", "At the
Club", and "Danger Zone" (which has the same melody of
"Please Send Me Someone to Love". Charles signed Mayfield
to his Tangerine logo in 1962. Mayfield struggled with alcoholism,
but he continued to write and perform until his death. (mn-rs-wickpedia)
1999
Total eclipse of the sun in the U.K. at 11.10 am.
12th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 082:
DANIEL ALEXANDER PAYNE (1811-1893)
1890
Madame Lillian Evanti,
opera singer, who made her debut in France, born in Washington, D.C.
Lillian Evans Tibbs (1890-1967), professionally known as Madame
Lillian Evanti, was a lyric soprano who received international
acclaim. She was the first black woman to sing opera with an
organized company in Europe. A native Washingtonian, Annie Wilson
Lillian Evans was the daughter of teachers Anne Brooks and Dr. Bruce
Evans. She sang in her first public concert, a charity event, at age
four. Evanti attended Armstrong Manual Training School and Miner
Teachers College, and graduated from Howard University School of
Music in 1917. She met her future husband Roy Tibbs at Howard. While
embarking on her musical career, Evanti taught kindergarten in the DC
Public Schools. In 1924 she left for Paris for further training and
for better professional opportunities at a time when American opera
and classical music companies refused to admit African Americans. She
adopted the stage name Madame Lillian Evanti, combining Evans and
Tibbs into an Italian-style name. Evanti made her professional debut
in Nice in 1925, beginning a period of touring Europe interspersed
with visits to her family in Washington, including a concert at the
Lincoln Theatre. In 1934 she performed at the White House for
President Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Evanti was also a
composer, who wrote the music for “Hail to Washington,”
with lyrics by poet Georgia Douglass Johnson. After returning to
Washington, Evanti performed with the National Negro Opera Company,
portraying Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. The 1943 production was
performed on the floating Watergate Theater barge on the Potomac
River. The Evans and Tibbs families have owned and/or lived in this
house since 1904. After Evanti's death, her grandson, art collector
Thurlow Tibbs, Jr., lived here. In the 1970s he founded and operated
an art gallery, the Evans-Tibbs Collection. Tibbs died in 1997 and
bequeathed the collection to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The
Evans-Tibbs house was listed on the DC Inventory of Historic Places
in 1985 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
1907
Glady's Bentley,
caberet singer/pianist, born, Pennsylvania, USA. Died January 18,
1960, Los Angeles, USA. Gladys Bentley was a famous butch lesbian
African-American blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Bentley
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of American
George L. Bentley and his wife, a Trinidadian, Mary Mote. She
appeared at Harry Hansberry's "Clam House" on 133rd Street,
one of New York City's most notorious gay speakeasies, in the 1920s,
and headlined in the early thirties at Harlem's Ubangi Club, where
she was backed up by a chorus line of drag queens. She was a 250
pound bulldyke, dressed in men's clothes (including a signature
tuxedo and top hat), who played a mean piano and sang her own obscene
lyrics to popular tunes of the day, in a deep, growling voice,
flirting outrageously with women in the audience. On the decline of
the Harlem speakeasies with the repeal of Prohibition, she relocated
to southern California, where she was billed as "America's
Greatest Sepia Piano Player", and the "Brown Bomber of
Sophisticated Songs". She was frequently harassed for wearing
men's clothing. She claimed that she had married a white woman in
Atlantic City. Fictional characters based on Bentley appeared in Carl
Van Vechten's Parties, Clement Woods's Deep River, and Blair Niles's
Strange Brother. She recorded for the OKeh, Victor, Excelsior, and
Flame labels. During the McCarthy Era, she started wearing dresses,
married a man, and studied to be a minister. She died, aged 52, from
pneumonia. (mn-rs-wickpedia)
1920
Percy
Mayfield soul
singer born in Minden, Louisiana, USA. He was famous for the songs
"Hit the Road, Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to
Love". Mayfield was born in Louisiana. As a youth, he showed a
talent for poetry, so he thought he would try songwriting and
singing. He began his performing career in Texas and had moved to Los
Angeles by 1942. He auditioned his song "Two Years of
Torture" to Supreme Records (a Los Angeles-area record label)
because he thought it would be a good song for Jimmy Witherspoon. The
label liked his performance and asked him to record it in 1947. In
1950, he signed with Specialty Records and released several
well-received R&B records. His most famous performance:
"Please Send Me Someone to Love" was a number one R&B
hit in 1950. His career continued to blossom with songs like
"Strange Things Happening", "Lost Love,"
"What a Fool I Was," "Prayin' for Your Return,"
"Cry Baby," and "Big Question." A 1953 auto
accident left him seriously injured, including a facial disfigurement
that limited his performing. Mayfield's songs tend to be downbeat and
his lyrics tend to be heartbreaking, but his vulnerability and
emotional sensitivity prevent songs like "Life Is Suicide"
and "The River's Invitation" from being maudlin. Mayfield
continued to write and record for Specialty until 1954 and then
recorded for Chess Records and the Imperial label. In the early
1960s, he became one of Ray Charles's favorite songwriters, writing
classic songs such as "Hit the Road Jack", "At the
Club", and "Danger Zone" (which has the same melody of
"Please Send Me Someone to Love". Charles signed Mayfield
to his Tangerine logo in 1962. Mayfield struggled with alcoholism,
but he continued to write and perform until his death. (mn-rs-wickpedia)
1922 Fredrick
Douglas's home in Washington, D.C., is dedicated as a memorial.
Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the
abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United
States in the decades prior to the Civil War. A brilliant speaker,
Douglass was asked by the American Anti-Slavery Society to engage in
a tour of lectures, and so became recognized as one of America's
first great black speakers. He won world fame when his autobiography
was publicized in 1845. Two years later he bagan publishing an
antislavery paper called the North Star. Douglass served as an
adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought
for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting
rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a
powerful voice for human rights during this period of American
history and is still revered today for his contributions against
racial injustice. (tr-iokts)
1923 Ophelia
DeVore-Mitchell
born, she is the publisher of the Columbus Times. Famous quote: ....
you can’t love yourself unless you know that somebody that looks
like you has done something good. African American fashion model and
businesswoman. As quoted in I Dream a World, by Brian Lanker (1989).
Referring to the importance of documenting the accomplishments of
African American people. DeVore-Mitchell was a founder of the African
American press archives at Howard University, Washington, DC. (tr-bl-bartleby.com)
1926
Joe Jones,
singer born, New Orleans, USA. Joe Jones (d. November 27, 2005, Los
Angeles, California) (not to be confused with guitarist Joe
"Boogaloo" Jones) was an American R&B singer,
songwriter and arranger. As a singer, Jones' greatest hit was the Top
Five 1960 R&B hit "You Talk Too Much". He composed many
songs including the song "Iko Iko" which appeared in the
opening sequences of Rain Man. Jones is also generally credited with
discovering The Dixie Cups. Jones died in 2005 from complications
from quadruple bypass surgery. (mn-cl)
1937
Jimmy Norman,
soul singer born Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Jimmy Norman has stories
to tell, whether in the lyrics of the hundreds of songs he has
written over the past 50 years or in a remarkable musical life that's
taken him from the dark side of the Chitlin' Circuit to the inner
circles of American pop music. Through photos, music clips, audio
interviews and video remembrances, this web site allows visitors to
become part of that historic journey. Jimmy's songwriting talent led
to musical collaborations with such notables as Bob Marley, Jimi
Hendrix, Lloyd Price, Lou Rawls and Johnny Nash. While performing in
venues extending from the smallest Chitlin' Circuit dives to the
stages of the Apollo Theater and Carnegie Hall, Jimmy has appeared
with Jerry Lee Lewis, Solomon Burke, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations,
Ben E. King, and Ike & Tina Turner. Later, he would perform
around the globe as lead singer of Carl Gardner’s popular group,
The Coasters. In 1964, Jimmy wrote lyrics during an Irma Thomas
recording session for the R&B classic, Time Is On My
Side—later to become a major hit for the Rolling Stones. In
1972, Jimmy was featured vocalist on Eddie Palmieri’s revered
Harlem River Drive, a breakthrough Latin-flavored funk album. (mn-cl-jimmynorman.net)
1950
Kid Creole, real
name Thomas August Darnell Browder, soul singer/guitarist/producer
born. His music incorporates styles like big band jazz, disco, and in
particular Caribbean/Latin American salsa. The Coconuts were a
glamorous trio of female backing vocalists. August began his career
in a band named The In-Laws with his half-brother in 1965, which
disbanded so August could pursue a career as a English teacher. He
obtained a masters degree, but in 1974 again formed a band with his
half-brother under the name Dr. Buzzard's Original
"Savannah" Band. They played to some initial success,
reaching a gold and Top 40-charting album with their debut release,
but could not match this on subsequent releases. August began
producing for other artists before adopting the name Kid Creole (from
the Elvis Presley film King Creole) in 1980, and forming The
Coconuts; a trio of female backing vocalists including his wife
Adriana Kaegi, and a band including vibraphone player Andy Hernandez
aka Coati Mundi. Their debut album was the heavily disco-influenced
Off the Coast of Me, which was critically well-received but not
scucessful commercially. The sophomore release Fresh Fruit in Foreign
Places was a concept album matched with a New York Public Theatre
stage production; it charted briefly and garnered the Top 40 UK hit
"Me No Pop I" for Coati Mundi. Their breakthrough came with
1982's Tropical Gangsters, which hit #3 in the UK and spun off three
Top 10 hits with "Stool Pigeon", "Annie, I'm Not Your
Daddy" and "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby". "Dear
Addy" also made the Top 40. In the US the album was retitled
Wise Guy and reached #145, and "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby"
flirted with the R&B charts. 1983's Doppelganger was a relative
commercial disappointment, despite the single "There's Something
Wrong in Paradise" reaching the Top 40. August divorced his wife
in 1985, leaving the original Coconuts to split and form their own
group by the name of Boomerang. Darnell continued the group with a
new lineup and in the mid to late 1980's contributed to various film
soundtracks and other such projects. He appeared at the Montreaux
Jazz Festival in 1986 and in this period released the albums In
Praise of Older Women and Other Crimes and I, Too, Have Seen the
Woods, neither of which charted despite the hit "Endicott".
1990's Private Waters in the Great Divide had a hit with single
"The Sex of It", a song written by Prince and recorded at
Paisley Park Studios with Sheila E. It reached Top 40 in the US and
UK and is to date one of his most well-known songs. He now resides in
the Dinnington area of South Yorkshire, and still tours with the
Coconuts as well as leading 1970s musical revival shows. (wickpedia)
1972 Teren
Delvon Jones,
funk rapper from Oakland, California, USA, member of Del Tha Funkee
Homosapien group born. Cousin of renowned gangster rapper Ice Cube,
Del tha Funkee Homosapien got his start with Ice Cube's backing band,
da Lench Mob. But Del's rap isn't as grim or violent as Ice Cube's
is, in fact, he's been known to include something in his music that's
far too uncommon in most rap: humor. (mn-rs)
1977
Figure-head and activist Steve Biko is arrested in South Africa.
Later beaten to death by the police. (mn)
1984
Lionel Richie closes the Los Angeles Olympic Games by singing All
Night Long to over 2.5 million TV viewers. (mn-jt)
1997
C.P. (Crafman Piato) Spencer, singer and founder of the Detroit
Spinners/Originals appears on PCRL in a two-part serial about
his life. (mn-br MD-921)
13th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT:
083:
JAMES AUGUSTINE HEALY (1830-1900)
1881
The first African American nursing school opens at Spelman College
in Atlanta, Ga, USA. (tr-iokts)
1892
The first issue of the Afro-American newspaper is published in
Baltimore, Md, USA. (tr-iokts)
1983
Daley Thompson of Britain wins decathlon championship at the
World Track and Field Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Francis
Morgan Thompson, CBE , known commonly as Daley Thompson, is a former
English decathlete. Thompson won consecutive gold medals at the 1980
and 1984 Olympic Games, and broke the world record for the event four
times. His best score in the event was set in the 1984 Olympic
competition at 8847 points, a world record that stood for nine years
and an Olympic record that stood for 20 years until the Czech athlete
Roman Šebrle scored 8893 points in the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens. He competed for an unprecedented third Olympic decathlon gold
at the 1988 Seoul games, but was severely hampered by injury and
could only finish fourth. Thompson was the first athlete to
simultaneously hold Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World titles
in a single event. His rivalry with German athlete Jürgen
Hingsen was legendary in the sport throughout the 1980s. The pair
consistently traded world records, but Thompson always had the upper
hand in the major events, remaining undefeated in all competitions
for nine years between 1979 and 1987. He was a natural showman who
endeared himself to the British public with his irreverent
personality, notably when he nervelessly whistled the British
national anthem God Save The Queen after receiving his gold medal in
1984. Afterwards, he famously sent a message to friends back home via
a TV interview by showing his medal and saying I've got the Big G,
boys - the Big G! Sometimes his behaviour caused offence, not least
when he refused to carry the flag at the opening ceremony of the 1982
Commonwealth Games, claiming that the effort required participating
in the four-and-a-half hour ceremony would reduce his chances of
winning his event. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
award the same year. Making his acceptance speech during the live
broadcast of the programme Thompson uttered an obscenity, which
caused media comment. Despite this, he was awarded the OBE in 1983,
followed by a CBE in 2000. Since retiring from athletics in 1992,
Thompson has been associated with various football clubs and also had
stints as a television presenter. However, he will always be
remembered as one of the world's greatest ever athletes, who
single-handedly transformed the decathlon from obscurity to an event
of national and international interest. (wickpedia)
1895
Black Inventions:
Guard Attachments for beds, Lewis A. Russell. (sc)
1921
Jimmy McCracklin
singer born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. McCracklin was born in St.
Louis, Missouri. He joined the United States Navy in 1938 following a
successful run as an amateur boxer. McCracklin began recording after
World War II. His first recordings were released by Globe Records in
1945. He formed the Blues Blasters in 1946. His first recording under
his name were on the Trilon Records label in 1948. He recorded on
many labels in ensuing years, including Swing Time Records in 1951,
Peacock Records in 1952, as well as Modern Records, Irma Records, and
Gedinson's Records. His popularity increased after appearing on the
TV pop show American Bandstand in support of his single "The
Walk". He formed his own record label in 1961, Art-Tone Records,
and enjoyed his biggest hit with "Just Got to Know". Jimmy
McCracklin Sings, his first solo album, was released in 1962. He
moved to Imperial Records in 1965. In 1967 Otis Redding and Carla
Thomas had success with "Tramp", a song credited to
McCracklin and Lowell Fulson. Following that success, he signed with
Stax Records in 1971. McCracklin continued to tour and produce new
albums in the 1980s and 1990s. He was given a Pioneer Award by the
Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1990. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1938
Dave 'Baby' Cortez soul
singer born. Dave "Baby" Cortez (born David Cortez
Clowney in Detroit, Michigan) is an American pop music and
R&B pianist and organist. Clowney made his first record in 1956
under his own name but it was not until three years later that he
scored a major success using the stage name Dave "Baby"
Cortez. His instrumental, "The Happy Organ" was the first
pop/rock hit to feature the organ as lead instrument. The 45rpm
single went to No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 charts. More
than forty-five years later, the record is still frequently played on
the radio and a favorite "download" on the Internet. Cortez
had another Top Ten hit in 1962 with "Rinky Dink". (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1971
King Curtis
Ousley, singer/sax player dies aged 37 (murdered outside his home by
a junkie), one of soul music's great saxophonists and Aretha
Franklin's favourite. (mn-jt)
1971
Mark Johnson
IBF Flyweight World Champion Boxer born. Record: 33-1(24). Best wins:
Leon Salazar; Francisco Tejedor and Cecilio Espino.
1973
Johnny Moore lead singer with the Drifters as they sign to Bell in
the U.K for and make a remarkable come-back. Johnny had been singing
with the group for 18 years. (mn)
1982
Joe Tex soul
singer dies. Joe Tex, 47, Recording Artist And Soul Singer for 30
Years. Joe Tex, a soul singer and recording artist, died here today,
three days after suffering a heart attack. He was 47 years old. Mr.
Tex, a singer for almost 30 years, performed on radio, television and
in concerts on four continents and made records on the Dial label.
His hits include ''Hold What You've Got,'' ''Skinny Legs and All,''
''I Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)'' and ''I
Gotcha.'' He was born in here Joseph Arrington Jr. He adopted the
Muslim name of Josepth Hazziez, but kept his stage name of Joe Tex.
Survivors include his wife, Deliliah Hazziez; two sons, a daughter,
his mother, a sister and a grandmother. (mn-jt-new york times)
1988
Fred Below,
respected 50s blues drummer, dies, Chicago, Ill, USA.Below played
drums in high school and went on to study percussion at the Roy C.
Knapp School of Percussion. Primarily a jazz drummer at the time, he
played bebop and joined the Army as part of the 427th Army band.
After the service, he returned to Chicago in 1951 to find that blues
gigs were what was happening. Jazz was in a lull. Then Muddy Waters
drummer Elgin Evans introduced Below to a group called the Three Aces
-- Junior Wells (vocals, harp), Louis Myers (guitar), and Dave Myers
(bass) -- who needed a drummer. As a jazz drummer, Below did not know
blues drumming and it was a rough fit at first. The next big event
came when Little Walter (on the sudden success of his instrumental
"Juke") quit the Muddy Waters band and was replaced by
Junior Wells. Little Walter then joined the Three Aces which he had
been itching to do because Muddy Waters did not play in the up-tempo
style that Walter was into. Little Walter and the Four Aces (later
renamed the Jukes) were a perfect fit and this four-piece electric
blues combo became the hottest band in Chicago. It is hard to
estimate the effect of this band on Chicago music scene, and a large
part of this success is due to the refined and elegant drumming of
Below. He plays on almost all of Walter's greatest hits. He was in
total demand for recording sessions. Everyone wanted him and he
recorded for Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, Otis Rush,
Elmore James, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Dinah Washington, John Brim,
the Platters, the Moonglows, the Drifters, Bo Diddley, John Lee
Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and many more. Fred Below and the Aces pretty
much created the standard for the blues shuffle beat. Below also was
known for his use of the ride cymbal, the wood block, tom-tom fills,
and many other embellishments. Just check out his drum solo on Little
Walter's classic tune "Off the Wall." (mn-rs-blueson.se)
1990 Curtis
Mayfield Paralyzed after stage accident.
A gust of wind at an out-door charity concert blew a lighting rig
over (drummer dies), Mayfield survives in a wheelchair until his
death nine years later 25/12/99. Even Bob Marley admitted to looking
at Mayfield's work for inspiration. (mn)
14th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 084: HENRY
MCNEAL TURNER (1833-1915)
1883
Ernest E. Just,
biologist and pioneer of cell division born. A measure of his
contribution to biological knowledge may be see in the words of the
late Dr. Charles Drew, himself an outstanding researcher in blood
plasma preservation. Dr. Drew described Dr. Just as a "
biologist of unusual skill and the greatest of our original thinkers
in the field." He was seen as producing "new concepts of
cell life and metabolism which will make for him a place for all
time". Dr Just also wrote over sixty scientific papers and two
major books in his field. (jc-mn-ra)
1888
Black Invention:
galvanic battery, G.T. Woods recieves patent.
1909
Hezekiah
Stuff Smith,
violinist, born in Portsmouth, Ohio. Smith was, along with
Stéphane Grappelli and Joe Venuti, one of jazz music's
preeminent violinists of the swing era. He was born in Portsmouth,
Ohio in 1909 and studied violin with his father. Smith cited Louis
Armstrong as his primary influence and inspiration to play jazz, and
like Armstrong, was a vocalist as well as instrumentalist. In the
1920s he played in Texas as a member of Alphonse Trent's band. After
moving to New York he had a regular gig with his sextet at the Onyx
Club starting in 1935 and also performed with Coleman Hawkins as well
as with younger musicians such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie,
and later, Sun Ra. Smith was critical of the bebop movement, although
his own style represented a transition between swing and bebop. He is
credited as being the first violinist to use electric amplification
techniques on a violin. He contributed to the song "It's
Wonderful (1938)" often performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella
Fitzgerald throughout their careers. Smith moved to Copenhagen in
1965, performed actively in Europe, and died in Munich in 1967. (wickpedia)
1938
Niara Sudarkasa,
eductor and first female president of Lincoln University, is born in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla, USA. In 1987, Niara Sudarkasa became the first
female president of Lincoln University, and she summarily transformed
one of the oldest African-American colleges in the United States from
an all-male into a coeducational institution. She was also the first
African-American woman to gain tenure as a full professor at the
University of Michigan. Her anthropological research focuses on
comparative studies, specifically seeking to establish the ties that
bind African culture with African-American culture. (tr-iokts)
1946
Larry Grayam
bassist for Sly Stone and Grayam Central Station born in Beaumont,
Texas, USA. Graham Central Station was a showcase for the
revolutionary pop-and-slap bass guitar of Larry Graham, an alumnus of
Sly and the Family Stone largely responsible for originating the
percussive groove which typified the progressive funk sound of the
1970s. Born August 14, 1946 in Beaumont, Texas, Graham was raised in
Oakland, California; by his teens he was adept not only on bass but
also guitar, harmonica and drums, and at the age of 15 began
performing with the Dell Graham Trio, his mother's lounge act. While
attending college, he served as a supporting musician with the likes
of John Lee Hooker, Jackie Wilson, Jimmy Reed and the Drifters; in
1968 he joined Sly and the Family Stone, appearing with the group
during the halcyon period which gave rise to such classic albums as
Stand and There's a Riot Goin' On, as well as smash singles like
"Dance to the Music" and "Everybody Is a Star,"
both of which prominently feature Graham's cavernous baritone in
addition to his enormously influential thumping bass style. (mn)
1956
Sharon Bryant soul
singer with Atlantic Starr born.Born in New York, Sharon joined
Atlantic Starr in the late 70's and was their lead singer when the
group signed to A & M in 1979. She was featured on such hits as
'When Love Calls' and 'Circles,' both of which were Top Ten R & B
singles. After leaving Atlantic Starr in 1984 she married Rick
Gallway, a one-time member of the group Change. After working as a
session singer, Sharon returned to the spotlight in 1989, releasing
an album on the Wing label (via Polygram) 'Here I Am', including
'Foolish Heart'. Sharon has sung with jazz alto saxophonist Donald
Harrison (his 'Power Of Cool' album 1994) and has sung lead vocals on
a Cynthia Biggs Project in 2000 on the track 'No One Like You'. (mn-jt)
1959
Earvin
'Magic' Johnson,
basketball player is born in Michigan, USA. Johnson, African-American
basketball player, b. Lansing, Mich. After winning the national
championship with Michigan State Univ. (1979), he joined the Los
Angeles Lakers and with them won five National Basketball Association
championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88). Respected as a
consummate team player and leader, he was named most valuable player
three times (1987, 1989–90). In 1991 he announced that he had
tested positive for HIV and retired from professional basketball. He
subsequently worked to promote AIDS awareness, played on the 1992
U.S. Olympic “Dream Team,” made brief comebacks with Los
Angeles in 1992 and 1996, and coached the Lakers in 1994. In 1998 he
bought the Borås, Sweden, professional basketball team and has
played occasional games with them. Since his official retirement
Johnson has also become a successful entrepeneur, overseeing a
multimillion dollar business empire based in inner-city minority
neighborhoods throughout the country. He is also a vocal proponent of
African-American economic empowerment. (mn)
1968
Halle Berry,
actress born in Cleveland, Ohio. Oscar-winning actress who as a high
school cheerleader and beauty queen was the first African American to
represent the United States in the Miss World pageant in 1986. After
a stint on Knot's Landing (1991–92), she moved on to films,
starring in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever (1991) and Alex Haley's Queen
(1993) before going opposite Kurt Russell in Executive Decision
(1996) and Warren Beatty in Bulworth (1998). She has appeared in
critically acclaimed roles (The Wedding, 1998) and critically panned
roles (B*A*P*S, 1997). Berry won wide praise—and Emmy and Golden
Globe awards—for her title role in the television biopic
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999). Her most notable films include
Bullworth (1998), X-Men (2000) and the sequel X2 (2003), the James
Bond movie Die Another Day (2002), and Monster's Ball (2001), for
which she won a Best Actress Oscar and a reputation as a talented,
versatile actress. (wickpedia)
1992 Platters
star dies. Tony
williams
original lead singer dies at the age of 64 of emphysema, a condition
complicated by diabetes. (mn-jt)
2010
Abbey Lincoln dies.
b. Anna Marie Wooldridge, 6th August 1930, Chicago Illinois, U.S.A.
d. 14th August 2010, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A. The singer and
actress, Abbey Lincoln (also known as Gaby Woolridge, Anna Marie and
Gaby Lee) has died. She was 80. Abbey recorded the songs 'Afro-Blue'
and 'The World Is Falling Down' and worked with Benny Carter, Sonny
Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Eric Dolphy and Max Roach (Who she had been
married to at one time, divorcing in 1970). As an actress, she also
appeared in the films, 'Nothing But A Man', 'For Love Of Ivy' (with
Sidney Poitier and Beau Bridges) and 'The Girl Can't Help It' (the
latter film wearing a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the film
'Gentleman Prefer Blondes'). Born in Chicago and raised in rural
Michigan, Abbey was influenced greatly, by the singer Billie Holiday,
meeting Billie in Honolulu during the 1950's. In 1956, she recorded
her first album, 'Affair ... a Story of a Girl in Love' for the
Liberty imprint, followed by 'That’s Him', released on the
Riverside label in 1957. She was actively involved in the civil
rights movement, recording 'We Insist! - Freedom Now Suite', after
which she became involved in the political struggle to a greater
extent in the following decades. Abbey's career waned in the 1970's
and 1980's, following her divorce from Max Roach in 1970. She began
recording on small independent labels, and realised a renaissance
during 1990 when she signed with Verve Records and released 'The
World Is Falling Down', an album featuring the pianist Hank Jones and
the trumpeter Clark Terry. Abbey, later, starred in the Spike Lee
movie vehicle 'Mo Better Blues', later receiving the National
Endowment for the Arts NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2003. Her singing
career remained consistent right up until her time of passing, even
after undergoing open heart surgery in 2007 (from which she never
really recovered fully). Abbey is survived by her brothers, David and
Kenneth Wooldridge, and her sister, Juanita Baker. (soulwalking)
15th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT:
085:
JOHN JASPER (1812-1901)
Congolese
National Day.
1824
Freed American slaves establised country of Liberia, on the west
coast of Africa. (mn-jc)
1925
Oscar
Peterson Jr.,
jazz pianist born. He began learning trumpet and piano from his
father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of
tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. Some of the artists who
influenced Peterson during the early years were Teddy Wilson, Nat
"King" Cole, James P. Johnson and the legendary Art Tatum,
to whom many have tried to compare Peterson in later years. In fact,
one of his first exposures to the musical talents of Art Tatum came
early in his teen years when his father played an Art Tatum record to
him and Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he didn't
touch the piano for over a week. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1930
Jackie Brenston,
a.k.a. Blind Jim Brewer, street singer, born, Brookhaven, Miss, USA.
(died Decemebr 15, 1979, Memphis, Tenn, USA. (mn-rs)
1933
Floyd Aston
singer with the Tams born. (mn-jt)
1933
Bill Pinkney singer
with the Drifters born. The Drifters had a long a varied carrer with
Bill also a member with The Coasters. (mn-jt)
1934
Bobby Byrd singer
with James Brown Review born. Bobby Byrd (born Bobby Day) is an
African American funk/soul/R&B/gospel musician, best known as
James Brown's longtime sideman and co-vocalist. Byrd also produced a
slew of solo funk tracks which have been sampled by, among others,
Public Enemy, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and A Tribe Called Quest. Byrd was
leader of a group called The Avons when Brown joined in the
mid-1950s. The Avons later became The Flames, then The Famous Flames,
before they were repackaged with Brown as the frontman. He was
married to funk singer Vicki Anderson, another James Brown
collaborator. (mn-jt)
1938
Stix
Nesbert Hooper
drummer with Crusaders born. One of the original Jazz Crusaders, Stix
Hooper remains a well-respected drummer although his own solo career
has mostly found him in fairly anonymous settings. He started playing
drums early on in his native Houston. When he was 16 he put together
his own group which was originally known as The Swingsters. Later on
it changed its name to The Modern Jazz Sextet, The Night Hawks and by
the late 1950's the Jazz Crusaders. Trombonist Wayne Henderson,
tenor-saxophonist Wilton Felder and pianist Joe Sample became the
co-leaders of the quintet (which had a variety of bassists through
the years). The band's unusual trombone/tenor frontline and its
ability to play soulful hard bop kept it popular and generally
creative throughout the 1960's. In 1971 the Jazz Crusaders became the
Crusaders and soon Henderson dropped out and the music became more
r&b-oriented. Hooper stuck with the group until 1983 when his
departure signaled the beginning of the end since his distinctive
drumming was a large (if underrated) part of the band's sound. Stix
Hooper, who led rather routine albums of his own for MCA and Artful
Balance in the 1980's, has made occasional guest spots on other dates
including sessions led by Grant Green and George Shearing. (mn-jt)
1938
Maxine Waters,
the second African American woman from California to be elected to
US Congress is born. Representative from California; born Maxine
(Moore) Carr, in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Mo., August 15, 1938;
B.A., California State University, Los Angeles, Calif., 1970;
delegate, Democratic National Conventions, 1972-1988; member of the
California state assembly, 1977-1991; elected as a Democrat to the
One Hundred Second and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3,
1991-present). (tr-iokts)
1941
Johnny Thunder,
soul singer born Gil Hamilton in Leesburg, Florida, USA. He started
singing in church, high school, and on street corners. Nothing was
happening in Florida in the late '50s, so Thunder moved to New York
City under the advice of a friend who worked as the road manager for
the Drifters. Thunder even sung with the famous Atlantic Record group
for a few months prior to Ben E. King leaving to go solo. After the
stint, he started recording under his birth name for Capitol and Fury
Records, but had no success. To keep the rent paid and food in his
belly, he made his self useful as a studio background vocalist
working with then-unknowns Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Cissy
Houston, and others. Thunder's high mellow resonant tenor always
lifted him above the others. One of his Capitol releases was
"Tell Him," the same song which became a hit for the
Exciters months after his version had died. (The Exciters' members
included the boisterous voice of Brenda Reid, who's the mother of
Antonio "L.A." Reid, who became a songwriting and record
producing force with Babyface in the '80s and '90s.) (mn-cl)
1944
Fredrick Knight
singer/songwriter/producer born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. I've
been lonely for so long was his big seller in 1972 for Stax
Records. (mn)
1945
Little Beaver,
singer born in Forest City, Arkansas, USA. He played on Joss Stone's
first album. Beaver moved to Florida when he was a teenager. After
recording for other labels, he recorded sides for the Cat label, an
imprint of Henry Stone's TK Records of Hialeah, FL. His first
charting singles were "Joey" and "Wish I Had a Girl
Like You" b/w "Six Foot Hole." The next single, the
hit "Party Down, Part 1," was later sampled by rap and hip-hop
artists, like so much of the TK catalog. The mid-tempo groover was
his biggest record. The Party Down LP featured vocals by Betty Wright
and keyboards by Benny Lattimore ("Let's Straighten It Out")
and Timmy Thomas ("Why Can't We Live Together").
Post-"Party Down" singles were "Let the Good Times
Roll" b/w "Let's Stick Together," both on the Party
Down LP; "Little Girl Blue"; "I Can Dig It Baby"
(co-written by Hale, Betty Wright, and Willie Clarke) b/w "Get
Into the Party Life"; "Give a Helping Hand" b/w
"Mama Forgo"; "Funkadelic Sound"; and "We
Three." Other Little Beaver albums are Little Beaver, Black
Rhapsody, When Was the Last Time, and Beaver Fever, which was
credited to Willie "Beaver" Hale (all were released on
Cat). ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide (mn-cl)
1958
Big Bill Broonzy,
blues singer/songwriter, dies, Chicago. While Broonzy himself
claimed to be born in 1893, another source claims that Broonzy had a
twin sister named Lannie Broonzy who had proof they were born on June
26, 1898. During this time, it was common for black men to add years
to their actual age in order to get a job or join the military, which
may very well have been Broonzy's case as well. Regardless, Broonzy
left Mississippi in 1924 and arrived in Chicago, where he met Papa
Charlie Jackson, who taught him to play guitar (Broonzy had
previously been a fiddler). Broonzy first recorded as a self-accompanied
singer in 1929, and continued to record in that style. Around 1936,
he became one of the first blues singers to use a small instrumental
group, including "traps" (drums) and acoustic bass as well
as one or more melody instruments (horns and/or harmonica). These
discs were usually issued as Big Bill and his Chicago Five. At that
time, Broonzy was recording for the American Record Corporation on
their line of less expensive labels (Melotone, Perfect Records, et
al). In 1939, ARC was acquired by CBS, and Broonzy then appeared on
Vocalion (later Okeh) and, after 1945, on Columbia Records. One of
his best-known songs was written at that time, "Key To the
Highway." (mn-rs-wickpedia)
1961
Granville "Sticks" McGhee,
guitarist/singer, dies, New York. (mn-rs)
1976
David
Anthony Johnson,
5'6", 12.3 footballer born in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies.
Club Honours: FAYC '95; Div 2 '97. International Honours: E: B-1.
Ipswich T paid £800,000 for him on 14/11/97. (bh-mn)
1984
People to People: Struggles for the Black Community (Tiger Bay Is
My Home) - Broadcasted by CH4 television. Made in Brutetown,
Cardiff, this programme reveals that there has been a black presence
in the area since the 1850's, and includes interviews with survivors
of the 1919 race riots. (mn-sb)
1992
Jackie Edwards,
soul/reggae singer dies. Born Wilfred Edwards in Jamaica in 1938. He
graced hundreds of ska, R&B, soul, rocksteady, reggae and ballad
recordings since he composed and sang 'Your Eyes Are Dreaming', a
sentimental ballad, and a gentle Latin-beat 'Tell Me Darling', for
future Island Records owner Chris Blackwell in 1959. Probably the
most accomplished romantic singer and songwriter that Jamaica ever
produced. (mn-cl)
2010
Robert Wilson
dies. b. Robert Wilson, 1957, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A. d. 15th August
2010, Palmdale, California, U.S.A. Robert Wilson, the bassist for the
funk group, the Gap Band, has passed away. He was 53. Robert suffered
a heart attack at his home in California. The Gap Band were
originally known as the Greenwood, Archer And Pine Street Band
(G.A.P.), who later changed their name to the abbreviated version,
scaoring several dancefloor hits including 'Ooops, Upside Your Head',
'Outstanding', 'Early In The Morning' and 'You Dropped A Bomb On Me'.
Formed in 1967, Charlie formed the group with his brothers Charlie
and Ronnie. Charlie Wilson stated: 'My brother Robert was a bad boy
on the bass and shared a bond as brothers, musicians and friends. I
loved him and losing him is difficult for both Ronnie and I. The
music world has lost a very talented man'. Robert was scheduled to
perform at the Tulsa Timeless Music Festival later this August. He is
survived by his wife Brenda and two daughters, Robin and Latina
Wilson. (soulwalking)
16th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 086:
ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, SR. (1865-1953)
1816
Peter Salem dies
(1750-1816) A hero of The Battle for Bunker's Hill. American
Independence Wars. (mn)
1872 Black
Invention:
Improvement in means for Operating Car Brakes, John V.
Smith. (sc)
1922 Louis
E. Lomax,
author born (1922-1970). (mn-jc)
1928
Eddie Kirkland
guitarist born in Kingston Jamaica, West Indies. The career of
guitarist Eddie Kirkland spans 40 years and a variety of musical
styles. Soon after his birth the family relocated to the southern
states of America and at the age of 15 he took a day job at the Ford
Motor Company in Detroit. He met John Lee Hooker and became his
regular accompanist both on the club circuit and on record, proving
to be one of the few who could follow Hooker's erratic style.
Kirkland's first recordings were made in 1952 and throughout the
decade he recorded for RPM, King, Cobra, Fortune and Lupine. In 1961
he made his first deviation from "down-home" blues when he
recorded with King Curtis and Oliver Nelson for Prestige. In the
mid-60s he moved to Macon, Georgia, where he turned to soul music,
eventually signing to Otis Redding's enterprise Volt, in 1965.
Redding used Kirkland in his touring band, but Kirkland's role as a
soul artist was never more than minor. In the 70s, he returned to his
blues roots, recording for Pete Lowery's Trix label, both solo and
with small bands, and has since maintained a heavy touring schedule
in the USA and in Europe. Fresh sounding material was issued on
Lonely Street, although his vocals now leave a lot to be desired, he
is playing with some younger musicians, who in turn are pushing him
forward. Tab Benoit and Sonny Landreth are both featured. (mn)
1934
Ketty
Lester soul
singer born Revoyda Frierson in Hope, Arkansas. Revoyda Frierson, 16
August 1934, Hope, Arkansas, USA. Ketty Lester began her singing
career on completing a music course at San Francisco State College. A
residency at the city's Purple Onion club was followed by a
successful tour of Europe before she joined bandleader Cab Calloway's
revue. Later domiciled in New York, Lester's popular nightclub act
engendered a recording contract, of which "Love Letters"
was the first fruit. The singer's cool-styled interpretation of this
highly popular standard, originally recorded by Dick Haymes, reached
the Top 5 in both the USA and UK in 1962, eventually selling in
excess of one million copies. The song has been covered many times,
with notable successes for Elvis Presley and Alison Moyet. Its
attractiveness was enhanced by a memorable piano figure but Lester
was sadly unable to repeat the single's accomplished balance between
song, interpretation and arrangement. She later abandoned singing in
favour of a career as a film and television actress, with appearances
in the series Days Of Our Lives, Little House On The Prairie, Hill
Street Blues, and the movies Blacula and The Prisoner Of Second
Avenue, to name but a few. She was later coaxed back into the studio,
but only on her stipulation that it would be exclusively to perform
sacred music. (mn-oldies.com)
1938
Robert Johnson,
blues man, dies in Greenwood Mississippi, USA. Eleven 78 rpm records
were issued during Johnson's lifetime and one posthumously. They were
just "race" records then--another casual attempt at trying
to capitalize on the blues. Needless to say, they were enough to
establish his identity wherever he went and afford him a degree of
fame and fortune for the short time he lived after their release.
Including the material that never saw issuance on 78's, there are 29
compositions and alternate versions of nearly half of them. Including
the recent discovery of a previously unknown alternate take of one of
Johnson's recordings, a total of 42 recordings remain to this
day--the only recordings of one of the true geniuses of American
music, blues singer extraordinaire Robert Johnson. (b. 8/5/1911) (mn-rs)
1942
Barbara George soul
singer born. "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" topped
the R&B charts in 1961 and has proven a popular cover item ever
since. The New Orleans native had never been in the studio before she
brought her extremely catchy melody to Harold Battiste's fledgling
A.F.O. label. Benefiting from her pleasing, unpolished vocal and a
melodic coronet solo by Melvin Lastie, the tune caught fire, vaulting
high on pop playlists. Amazingly, nothing else George did ever dented
the charts, although she waxed some listenable follow-ups for A.F.O.
and Sue. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide (mn-jt)
1947
Carol Moseley Braun born,
is a Senator from Illinois; born in Chicago, Ill., August 16, 1947;
educated in Chicago public schools; graduated, University of Illinois
1969; graduated, University of Chicago School of Law 1972; admitted
to the Illinois bar in Chicago 1973; prosecutor, office of the United
States Attorney, Chicago 1973-1977; member and assistant majority
leader, Illinois house of representatives 1978-1988; recorder of
deeds, Cook County, Ill., 1988-1992; elected as a Democrat to the
United States Senate in 1992, and served from January 3, 1993, to
January 3, 1999; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1998;
ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, December 15, 1999-2001;
candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004;
entrepreneur; is a resident of Chicago, Ill., Atlanta, Ga., and Union
Springs, Ala. (tr-bl)
1962
Little Stevie Wonder released his debut single, I call it pretty
music but the old folks call it the blues. It was not a hit. (mn-jt)
1965 A
Troubled Weekend In Wolverhampton.. was the headline in The
Express & Star ... 4 Nights Worth of Forgetting 'Keep Cool' plea
by racial harmonists. The troubles were in the Low Hill estate. (mn)
1970
Federal warrant is issued for Angela Davis in connection with
George Jackson's attempted escape from San Quentin prison. (mn-jc)
1972
Rev. Philip A. Potter of Dominica named general secretary of
the World Council of Churches.
1953
James 'J.T.' Taylor singer
and Kool & The Gang member from '79, born today in Laurens,
South Carolina, USA. Taylor presided over the group's
commercial -- if not artistic -- peak of the early to mid-'80s, later
moving on to a solo career. Born August 16, 1953, Taylor joined Kool
the Gang at a point when the pioneering funk band was beginning to
lose steam amidst the rise of disco. Five years after their last hit,
the group enlisted both producer Eumir Deodato and Taylor and
re-entered the Top Ten in 1979 with the decidedly disco-slanted
"Ladies Night," a track which topped the RB charts. The
following year, Kool the Gang delivered its first number one hit on
the pop charts, "Celebration." Although Top Ten placements
were frequent from 1982 through 1987, Taylor left the band for a solo
career in 1988, thanks in large part to the success. (One monument to
his impact with Kool the Gang is that the group recruited three
people to replace him -- Skip Martin, Gary Brown, and Odeen Mays.)
After signing to Epic Records in 1988, Taylor found a hit on his
first at-bat: a duet with Regina Belle called "All I Want Is
Forever." The theme song to the Gregory Hines film Tap, it
reached number two on the RB charts, but was unable to cross over to
the pop charts. Taylor recorded three albums for MCA during the early
'90s, failing to trump the success of "All I Want Is
Forever," though "Long Hot Summer Night" made it to
the RB Top 20 in 1991. After a lengthy hiatus, he resurfaced in
mid-2000 with Brand New Me. (mn)
1982
Joleon Lescott,
Everton FC member and England player in 2007 born. Son of PCRL DJ
Mr. Merry. (mn)
2007
Max Roach,
jazz drummer dies in New York, U.S.A. Max Roach (Maxwell Lemuel
Roach) b. 10th January 1924, New Land, North Carolina, U.S.A. He died
in a New York hospital. He was 83. The cause of death has not yet
been provided, although he had suffered for years from a neurological
disorder. Max had three times married, fathering two sons and three
daughters. He led The Max Roach Double Quartet, and worked with Cecil
Taylor, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Anthony Braxton, Charlie
Parker, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy,
Stanley Turrentine, George Coleman, Donald Byrd, Oscar Brown Jr.,
Kenny Dorham and Booker Little. He was also the co-founder of Debut
Records. Born in North Carolina, Max was brought up in Brooklyn. His
mother was a gospel singer and he began studying piano at their local
Baptist church when he was eight. Later in 1949 he was pivotal in the
success of what became known as 'The Birth of the Cool', recording
sessions with a 10-piece band led by Miles Davis. Max had studied
composition at the Manhattan School of Music in his early years, and
in 1972 he became a faculty member at the University of
Massachusetts. Amongst his lifetime achievements were appointments as
a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and two awards of
the Grand Prix du Disque in France. He also had a park called after
him in the Lambeth borough of London, eight honorary degrees,
innumerable magazine poll victories and the title of Harvard
Jazz Master. (soulwalking)
17th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 087: HOWARD
THURMAN (17/11/1900-1981)
Independence
Day - Republic of Gabon.
1887
Marcus Garvey
born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, the youngest of 11 children born to
Marcus & Sarah Garvey. Marcus Garvey is best remembered as a
pivotal figure in the struggle for racial equality throughout the
world. He founded the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association)
and championed the 'back to Africa' movement of the 1920s. His legacy
makes him an inspirational figure for many civil rights leaders and
politicians today, and in his lifetime he was hailed as a prophet and
redeemer by black people everywhere. At the age of 14 he left school
and worked in a print-shop. In 1908 he participated in Jamaica's
first Printers' Union strike which came as a result of a major
earthquake in Kingston a year earlier. Around this time he also
published a small newspaper, called The Watchman. Seeking funding for
future projects, Marcus Garvey left Jamaica to work as a timekeeper
in Costa Rica. It was while working in Central America that he
experienced the harsh realities of racial discrimination, amassing
evidence that black people were victims of prejudice on a world-wide
scale. Garvey encouraged workers to form unions to negotiate for
better terms and started newspapers in Costa Rica and Panama
complaining about poor conditions. His activities were soon brought
to the attention of the Costa Rican government and he was promptly
expelled from the country. (d. 10/6/1940)
1897
Black Invention: the
electric railway switch, patented by W.B. Purvis (mn-jc)
1920
John Lee Hooker,
blues man born, Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA. When he made his
recording debut in 1948, scoring a nationwide hit with "Boogie
Chillen," John Lee Hooker was considered something of an
anachronism. Except for his thunderous electric guitar, Hooker's
one-chord and two-chord modal stylings sounded very much like those
of a Delta blues artist from the 1920s. But Hooker's music is
altogether more fierce and rhythmic than old Delta blues. Early in
his career, he played solo for the most part — his dark,
hypnotic voice and relentless foot-stomping his only accompaniment.
John Lee has cut records for seemingly every large and small blues
label that's ever existed (and doing so without having to vary his
approach). Hooker's music is raw, riveting, and almost doom-struck
Mississippi blues that demands much of a listener. His music provides
one of the great emotional listening experiences in the blues. John
Lee Hooker stands alone as a true creative original, often imitated,
but never equaled. Dies in his sleep 20/6/01. (mn-rs-dummies.com)
1939
Luther Allison,
blues guitarist born in Mayflower, Arkansas, USA. Eight-time Handy
Award Winner and Gibson Endorsee Luther Allison passed away August 12
during treatment for cancer. Having had the opportunity to experience
Allison's music in person on several occasions over the past year and
a half, it seems shocking that someone with so much energy on stage
could be deathly ill. Allsion's performances had more fire and
genuine enthusism than all of today's celebrated teenage blues
phenomenoms combined. The good part is that after a career that
spanned three decades, Allison (who actually moved to Europe seeking
an appreciative audience) was finally starting to garner the credit
he was due here in the States. A fund has been set up to help pay the
expenses of Luther's medical treatment and burial. If you would like
to make a donation to the fund, please visit Blue Sky Artist
Management's site for more information. (mn-rs)
1947 Buckwheat
Zydeco,
bandleader, dies, Layayette, La., USA. Contemporary zydeco's most
popular performer, accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural
was the natural successor to the throne vacated by the death of his
mentor Clifton Chenier; infusing his propulsive party music with
strains of rock and R&B, his urbanized sound -- complete with
touches of synthesizer and trumpet -- married traditional and
contemporary zydeco with uncommon flair, in the process reaching a
wider mainstream audience than any artist before him. Dural was born
in Lafayette, Louisiana on November 14, 1947; with his braided hair,
he soon acquired the nickname "Buckwheat" (an homage to the
Our Gang character), and by the age of four was already touted as a
piano prodigy. Although often exposed to traditional zydeco as a
child, he preferred R&B, and by the mid-1950s was playing
professionally with Lynn August; Dural's notoriety as a keyboardist
quickly spread, and he also backed notables including Joe Tex and
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. (mn-rs)
1969 Soul
Superstars Bid Curtis Farwell.
The funeral of saxophone genius Curtis Ousley (aka King Curtis) in
New York was conducted by the Revd. Jesse Jackson, who preached a
sermon to a congregation including Sissy Houston (Whitney's mother),
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Brook Benton & Others. Curtis had
been murdered outside his New York apartment. (mn-jt)
1969
Posdnous,
born Kelvin Mercer and sang with Del La Soul. At the time of its
1989 release, De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising was
hailed as the future of hip-hop. With its colorful, neo-psychedelic
collage of samples and styles, and the Long Island trio's low-key,
clever rhymes and their goofy humor, the album sounded like nothing
else in hip-hop. Where most of their contemporaries drew directly
from old school rap, funk, or Public Enemy's dense sonic barrage, De
La Soul was gentler and more eclectic, taking in not only funk and
soul, but also pop, jazz, reggae, and psychedelia. Though their style
earned them critical raves and strong sales intially, De La Soul
found it hard to sustain the momentum of their career in the '90s, as
their alternative rap was sidetracked by the popularity of the
considerably harder-edged gangsta rap. (mn-jt)
1973
Paul Williams singer
with the Temptations dies. He was an American second tenor/baritone
singer. Williams is noted for being one of the founding members and
original lead singer of the popular Motown group The Temptations.
Along with David Ruffin, Otis Williams (no relation), and fellow
Alabamians Eddie Kendricks and Melvin Franklin, Williams was a member
of The Temptations during their most successful years in the 1960s,
later dubbed the "Classic 5" period. Paul Williams himself
was a member of the group from its founding in 1960 until 1971, when
personal problems and failing health forced him to retire. Those same
problems would later cause Williams to commit suicide two years
later, at the age of thirty-four. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
2009
Usain Bolt sets a world record, 9.58 for 100 Meters Surpasses
Even His Own Lofty Expectations. Usain Bolt continues his streak of
making track and field history every time he steps to the starting
line in a global championship. Including his triple gold medal
haul at the Beijing Olympics, his 9.58 for 100 meters in Berlin on
Sunday at the World Championships makes four consecutive world
records in four such finals. "I made sure if I ran a good
perfect race, there was no worries, explained the stunningly relaxed
6'5" Jamaican, who concedes "I didn't think I could run a
tenth (of a second) faster than my world record (of 9.69), but for
me, anything is possible." There's no arguing with THAT. Bolt
has improved his start and also made sure he ran hard all the way
through the finish. You'll see headlines about him today in places
that usually don't have headlines about running; he's expanding the
sport's audience like no one else has in years. Tyson Gay, in taking
the silver medal behind Bolt, actually set a new American record of
9.71. "I put everything into it," he submitted. "But I
came in second. Bolt's teammate Asafa Powell took the bronze medal in
9.84. This same spectacular cast of characters will return to action
on Tuesday as heats of the men's 200 begin. Are we having fun yet?
You're darn tootin' we're having fun yet.
18th.
AUGUST
LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
STARTS
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 088: BENJAMIN"PAP"SINGLETON (1809-1892)
1859
Our Nig, by Harriet Wilson, is the first novel published by an
African American writer. Harriet E. Wilson (March 15, 1825 - June 28,
1900) was the first female African-American novelist as well as the
first African American of any gender to publish a novel on the North
American continent. Her autobiographical novel Our Nig; Or, Sketches
from the Life of a Free Black, In A Two-Story White House, North.
Showing That Slavery’s Shadows Fall Even There By “Our
Nig” (ISBN 1400031206) was published in 1859. Our Nig
illustrates the injustice of the indentured servitude system of the
antebellum northern United States. The novel fell into obscurity soon
after its publication, and only achieved national attention when it
was rediscovered by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in 1983. (tr-bl)
1925
Sonny Til soul
singer with the Orioles born. Led by Sonny Til, the Orioles were the
first black vocal group to sing music directly for a black audience.
Through their early recordings -- which were made in the late '40s
and early '50s -- the band laid the groundwork for R&B vocal
groups and doo wop. The Orioles fused traditional pop songs with
gospel sensibilities and arranged blues and gospel material with
smooth harmonies, designed to appeal to the broadest audience
possible. (mn-jt)
1945
Nona Hendryx
soul singer from Labelle born. From 1961 to 1977 this singer born in
Trenton, NJ was a member of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Bells and
LaBelle. Since going solo, she had such hits as "Keep It
Confidential" in 1988, "Transformation" in 1983 and
"Why Should I Cry" in 1987. Her music is best
described as high-energy metal soul. She is noted for her
unusual daring stage costumes. (mn-jt)
1945
Barbara Harris
soul singer with the Toys best remember for 'Lovers Concerto'
born. Barbara Ann Harris Barbara started singing in
her hometown churches at an early age, and moved to Queens, New York
at the age of eleven. In high school, Harris joined a group with four
other young singers: Barbara Parritt Toomer, June Montiero, Betty
Stokes and Betty Blocker. Stokes and Blocker eventually left the
group, while the Harris, Toomer and Montiero formed a trio. Bobby
Uri, a manager and friend, named the group "The Charlettes"
and got them work doing background vocals for several recording
artists. At a talent show in Brooklyn they met Eddy Chase, who in
turn introduced them to manager Vince Marc and songwriter/recording
executive Bob Crewe. The group became "The Toys" and landed
their first recording contract on Crewe's DynoVoice Records. The Toys
were teamed up with songwriter/producers Sandy Linzer and Denny
Randell. They took a piano exercise from Bach, put a Motown bassline
to it, and "A Lover's Concerto" was born; the song soon
rose to number two on the U.S. charts. The band followed that up with
another hit, "Attack", also written by Linzer and Randell,
which reached the Top 20. Barbara Harris continues to perform at
"Oldie Shows" as "The Toys featuring Barbara
Harris". She has also sung with Joe Rivers, known for Johnnie
& Joe's classic hit, "Over The Mountain". In 1998 she
produced and released her first solo CD entitled Barbara Now, for
which she wrote all but two of the songs.
1963
James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate
from the University of Mississippi, USA. (oikts)
2000 Secret
ceremony for UB40 Star and long-time love.
Read the headline in The Standard newspaper. Astro, real name
Terence Wilson marries Dawn Thomas, his white girlfriend of 18 years.
Astro who lives in Barnt Green, near Birmingham has four children
(including one from a previous marriage). (mn)
2007
Jon Lucian
dies from respiratory failure and other complications. Born 8th
January 1942, Tortola Island, Caribbean. Raised in St. Thomas by a
guitar-playing father and greatly inspired by Nat 'King' Cole. He
relocated to New York in the mid-60's, where he began his musical
career. In 1970, he released his debut album 'I Am Now'. 1973 saw the
release of the, much sought after, album 'Rashida', containing the
popular tunes 'Would You Believe In Me', Lady Love' and the title
track. For the follow up, 1974's 'Mind's Eye', Lucien collaborated
with veteran producer Dave Grusin. The album contained the rare
groove tunes 'Listen Love' and 'World Of Joy'. The following year,
Jon had moved to the CBS label for the album release 'Song For My
Lady', followed by 'Premonition', for the same label, in 1976. Only
one release spanned the years between the Seventies and Nineties,
which was 1982's, 'Romantico', for the Precision label. After a long
absence, Lucien returned in 1991 with a release that was very much
what he'd done in his peak '70's years. Further releases included
1993's 'Mother Nature's Son'. A few months after his 17 year-old
daughter Dalila was killed on Flight 800 in July of 1996, Jon went
into the studio and began recording 'Endless Is Love'. Jon reflected
'My daughter doesn't want me sitting around being unhappy. I look at
her and we communicate. We make music. The music is a special force.'
Having carved himself his own unique niche, within the jazz market,
Jon Lucien remains one of the most distinctive vocalists over the
last 30 years. A 'Best Of' compilation of his earlier work was
released in 2001. (soulwalking)
19th.
AUGUST
LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT:
089:
IDA B. WELLS (1862-1931)
1791 Benjamin
Banneker published his first Almanac.
Benjamin Banneker was educated by Quakers, however, most of his
education was self-taught. He quickly revealed to the world his
inventive nature and first achieved national acclaim for his
scientific work in the 1791 survey of the Federal Territory (now
Washington, D.C.). In 1753, he built the first watch made in America,
a wooden pocket watch. Twenty years later, Banneker began making
astronomical calculations that enabled him to successfully forecast a
1789 solar eclipse. His estimate made well in advance of the
celestial event, contradicted predictions of better-known
mathematicians and astronomers. (mn-jc)
1884
Black Inventions:
Lantern or Lamp, Michael C. Harney. (sc)
1940
Johnny Nash
reggae/soul singer born Houston, Texas, USA. He originally found fame
warbling Hava Maria and the Sunny Side Of The Street on national
T.V., this biggests hits was Cupid; Tears On My Pillow; There
are more Questions Than Answers. (mn-jt-tr)
1950
Edith Sampson becomes the first African American representative to
the United States. On this day Edith Sampson, noted Chicago lawyer
and judge, was appointed an alternate delegate to the United Nations
by President Harry S. Truman and became one of the first Black U.N.
delegates in United States history. Judge Sampson first made history
as the only woman of any ethnic background to graduate from Loyola
University in Chicago with a master of law degree. (tr-iokts)
1952
Ralph J. Bunche is named Under Secretary of the U.N.
1963
NAACP Youth Council begins sit-ins at lunch counters, Oklahoma
City, USA. (mn-jc)
1972 Supremes
Chart Farwell.
'Automaticly Sunshine' is to be the final big hit after a run of hits
from 1964. The group's line-up changed many times in later years. (mn-jt)
1989
Bishop Desmond Tutu defies apartheid laws by walking alone on a South
African beach.
20th.
AUGUST
LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT 090: WILLIAM
MONROE TROTTER (1872-1934)
1619
The first group of 20 Africans is brought to Jamestown, Va, USA. (tr- iokts)
1830
The first National Negro Convention held in Philadelphia with Richard
Allen as chairman.
1856
Wilberforce University established in Ohio, USA. (mn-jc)
1942
Isaac Hayes singer/songwriter/producer/pianist/actor
born this day in Covington, Tennessee, USA. (mn-cl) (other bio say's
20/8/38) Started as a studio musician for Stax records. Later
songwriter with David Porter for many of the labels early hits. He
then had album success's including the movie soundtrack for Shaft
which established him inter-nationally. Very visual; Bald headed with
African fur boots (mn-jf)
1955
Bo Diddley makes his first appearance at New York's Apollo Theatre. mn-jt)
1965
KRS-One, jack
of all raps, rapper from Brooklyn, Bronx, USA, real name Laurence
Krisna Parker, born today. KRS-One (born Lawrence Parker in
Brooklyn, New York) is an American hip hop MC. Over his career he has
been known by several pseudonyms, including Kris Parker, KRS One,
KRS-ONE, The Blastmaster and The Teacha. KRS-One is an acronym for
"'K'nowledge 'R'eigns 'S'upreme 'O'ver 'N'early 'E'veryone".
KRS One is a significant figure in the hip hop community and is
often referenced in works by other hip hop artists and critics as
being the 'essence' of an MC and one of the greatest rappers to hold
the mic. KRS-ONE, originally a member of the hip hop crew Boogie Down
Productions, is known for setting the path for both hardcore rap and
socially conscious political rap. (mn-ms-wickpedia)
1998
Trinada and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke leaves Aston Villa football
club after a deal is made with Manchester United for a record fee of
£12.5 million for a five year contract. (mn)
2006
Unstoppable
Tiger wins twelfth major.
Luke left trailing in his wake. Two major championship victories
inside a month have ensured this is a year that Tiger Woods will now
recall with joy as well as sadness. The 30-year-old won the U.S. PGA
Championship in exactly the same manner he won last month's Open
— by turning an eagerly anticipated final round into a one-sided
exhibition and winning by five shots from fellow American Shaun
Micheel. (daily mail)
21st.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT: LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
091:
COLONEL CHARLES YOUNG (1864-1922)
1831
Nat Turner leads revolt in Southampton, VA, USA, that kills 55
whites. (mn-jc)
1904 William
"Count" Basie,
orchestra leader, born in Red Bank, New Jersey, USA. Dies April 26,
1984. Count Basie was a pivotal figure in American popular music.
After studying piano with his mother, he went to New York where he
met James Johnson and Fats Waller, with whom he studied informally.
Before he was 20, he had toured extensively on vaudeville circuits as
a solo pianist and director for blues singers, dancers and comedians.
In 1927, he found himself stranded in Kansas City. He decided to
remain. He joined the Blue Devils and later Benny Moten's Kansas City
Orchestra with other famous performers, including Lester Young and
Jimmie Rushing. When Benny Moten died, Count Basie formed his own
orchestra called the Barons of Rhythm. They were heard on national
radio broadcasts by famed critic John Hammond and were picked
up by Decca Records in 1936. Their style differed from other bands in
the thirties in that others placed emphasis on melodies and ensemble
whereas the CBO stressed rhythm and solos. They moved to New York and
by the end of the thirties the band had acquired international fame.
Later in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, the Basie Orchestra served as
stepping stones for famous musicians. While the later bands were
arguably less satisfying musically, they never lost their popular
following. (mn-cl)
1924
Clara Ward
gospel singer born. Clara Ward (died - January 16, 1973) was a gospel
artist who achieved great success, both artistic and commercial, in
the 1940s and 1950s as leader of The Famous Ward Singers. A gifted
singer and arranger, Ward took the lead-switching style used by male
gospel quartets to new heights, leaving room for spontaneous
improvisation and vamping by each member of the group while giving
virtuouso singers such as Marion Williams the opportunity to step
forward in songs such as "Surely, God Is Able" and
"Packin' Up". Yet while Ward was willing to share the
spotlight with her talented co-singers, she was not so generous when
it came to money. Williams left the group in 1958 when her demand for
a raise and reimbursement for hotel expenses was rejected; she was
followed shortly thereafter by the rest of the group--Henrietta
Waddy, Frances Steadman and Kitty Parham--who formed a new group,
"The Stars of Faith". Their departure marked the end of the
glory days for the Ward Singers, who later alienated much of their
churchgoing audience by going into nightclubs and other secular
venues in the 1960s. Ward's poor health forced her to retire in the
early 1970s. (DUP 21 april) (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1957
Kim Sledge singer
with Sister Sledge born. Sister Sledge is an American musical group
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of
four singers, all of whom are sisters: Kim, Debbie, Joni, and Kathy
Sledge. Their biggest success came in 1979 with the popular disco
anthems "We Are Family" (#1 R&B, #2 Pop in the USA) and
"He's the Greatest Dancer" (#1 R&B, #9 Pop in the USA),
produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of CHIC. Both songs were
included on their 8-song 1979 album We Are Family. Their follow up
album was 1980's Love Somebody Today, which included the songs Got to
Love Somebody (#6 R&B and #64 Pop in the USA, #34 Pop in the UK)
and Pretty Baby. Switching to producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981,
they released the album All-American Girls, yielding two hits (the
title track, which reached #3 R&B and #79 Pop in the USA and #41
Pop in the UK, and "Next Time You'll Know", which reached
#28 R&B in the USA). The sisters continued singing new material
throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They achieved an international #1 hit
with Frankie in 1985 (#1 in the UK for 4 weeks); surprisingly the follow-up
single, Dancing on the Jagged Edge, failed to make the UK Top 40.
Their album African Eyes was released in 1998. In 2004 they headlined
the International Food and Wine Festival at the Epcot theme park.
Their biggest hits have charted several times in the UK, often
accompanied with fresh remixes. We Are Family reached number 7 in
1979, number 33 in 1984 and number 5 in 1993. Lost in Music reached
number 17 in 1979, number 4 in 1984 and number 14 in 1993. Thinking
of You reached number 11 in 1984 and number 17 in 1993. Originally
their biggest UK hit back in 1979, peaking at number 6, He's the
Greatest Dancer has not been a hit again in the UK as an updated
version, although Will Smith used sampled the backing music in his
top 3 UK hit Gettin' Jiggy Wit It. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1961
35 men, One Woman Face Boro' Court - Was the headline in
The Evening Gazette - An Array Of Bandages. Weekend violence and
hooliganism involving literally thousands of people - as Det., insp.
John Dennison described it - resulted in the appearance in
Middlesbrough Magistrates Court today of 35 men and one woman. (mn)
1971
Diana Ross topped the UK chart for the first time as a solo
artist with I'm still waiting. She had to wait 15 years
before Chain Reaction returns her to the top. (mn-jt)
1943
Clydie King
soul singer born in Dallas, USA. Started a a background singer for
Dean Martin, Crosby Stills & Nash, BB King, and even the Beatles.
She worked with Quincy Jones on Mel Carters's Wrong Side Of Town. She
also sang in church along with Billy Preston. Recoded a single with
Jimmy Holiday on Minit records, the Northern anthem 'Ready
Willing And Able', not much was heard after her Lizzard album in
1969. She apeared in the Barbara Streisand film 'A Star Is Born'. (mn)
1968
Dina Carroll (born
Geraldine Carroll, in Newmarket, Suffolk) is an English singer of
Scottish and African American descent.At age 16, she was signed to
the dance music record label Streetwave, located in London. Carroll
moved to West London and recorded two singles, "Set It Off"
and "One Nation", in the mid 1980s, credited to a
non-existent group, Masquerade. In 1989, Carroll secured a
recording contract with Jive/Zomba and released a number of singles
in 1989 and 1990. After a short time at Jive/Zomba, Carroll was
spotted by Dennis Ingoldsby, one half of First Avenue Management, a
small and newly founded management group. First Avenue were also
managing another unknown band called Quartz. Carroll provided vocals
for Quartz on their cover of Carole King's "It's Too Late".
A follow-up single, "Naked Love (Just Say You Want Me)" was
also released, reaching number 39. After two singles with Quartz,
First Avenue decided to relaunch Carroll as a solo artist. Carroll's
first solo single, "Ain't No Man" was released in June
1992. In order to capitalise on the momentum of "Ain't No
Man", Carroll and Lowis worked on future singles and her debut
album. Carroll was approached by Robert Clivillés and David
Cole of C&C Music Factory who invited her to New York to become
the first British artist to work with them. Carroll interrupted the
writing and recording of her album to record "Special Kind of
Love". Carroll released her first ballad single "So
Close" in December 1992, which was another top 20 hit. In
January 1993, the album So Close was released and entered the top 10
of the UK Albums Chart. Carroll was named Best Female Artist at the
BRIT Awards in February 1994. In 2000, First Avenue Management
entered into a crisis phase when most of their artists were dropped
by their labels. Dina Carroll was also caught up in this, and left
First Avenue at the end of 2000. 2001 briefly saw a revitalised Dina,
with a new single and a greatest hits compilation released in the
Spring and the Summer respectively. Carroll's cover version of Van
Morrison's "Someone Like You", featured in the "Bridget
Jones's Diary" soundtrack reached number 38. This wasn't helped
due to the fact that Van Morrison's version is actually heard in the
movie and Dina's cover tracklisted on the OST CD, which had already
been available for 2 months and topped the compilation album charts.
To fulfil her contractual obligations to Mercury, Carroll released
The Very Best of Dina Carroll in June 2001. It entered the UK charts
at No15, despite Dina only having released two studio albums to
date. (mn-discog.com)
2009
John E. Carter (the
Dells) dies. HARVEY, Ill. (AP) -- R&B lead tenor , a two-time
inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, has died. He
was 75. Susan Fine, a spokeswoman for Ingalls Memorial Hospital
in Carter's native Harvey, said Carter died there early Friday.
"We have lost an incredible voice that graced two of the most
significant vocal groups of all time," said Terry Stewart,
president and CEO of the hall of fame. "As a member of both the
Dells and the Flamingos, Johnny was one of a select few artists
inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Mr. Carter,
who was known for his falsetto, was the last surviving founding
member of the Flamingos. The classic doo-wop group gained fame with
such hits as "Golden Teardrops" and their reworking of the
pop classic "I Only Have Eyes for You." Mr. Carter left the
Flamingos the first time in 1957 to do military service, and left
permanently in 1960 to join the Dells, which had been formed in the
early 1950s by some of his high school friends from Harvey. Stewart
noted that the Dells were one of the longest-running R&B vocal
groups. The quintet had no personnel changes after Mr. Carter
replaced original lead tenor Johnny Funches. The Dells' 1954
breakout hit, "Oh What A Night," sold more than a million
records when it was reissued in 1969 with Mr. Carter on falsetto
lead. The Dells were also famous for "Stay in My Corner,"
one of the first R&B hits to run more than six minutes. The group
toured extensively with Dinah Washington, and later with Ray Charles.
The Dells also came to the attention of Quincy Jones, who coached
them into a more eclectic vocal style, incorporating jazz, soul and
Broadway sounds. The Dells, consisting of Mr. Carter, baritone lead
Marvin Junior, and backup singers Charles Barksdale, Michael McGill
and Verne Allison, served as technical advisers on Robert Townsend's
1991 movie, "The Five Heartbeats," which was loosely based
on their careers. The Dells performed publicly for one of the last
times in 2004, when they did an outdoor concert in downtown Chicago
to celebrate their induction into the hall of fame. The Flamingos
were inducted in 2000. Mr. Carter is survived by five daughters and
several grandchildren. (new york times)
22nd.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT: LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
092:
BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, SR. (1877-1970)
1867
Fisk University founded. (mn-jc)
1916
Sonny Thompson,
session musician born in Centreville, Tennessee, USA. Dies 11
August, 1989. (mn-cl)
1931
Roscoe Shelton,
soul singer born in Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA. Started singing with
the Fireside Gospel singers and The Fairfield Four before singing
blues on Excello records in the 50's. He had two minor hits in 1965
for Sound Stage-7 'Strain On My Heart' and 'Easy Going Fellow'. (mn-cl)
1944
Jamaica's hit by the worst hurricane ever.
It devastated the crop and left hundreds homeless. This coupled with
a massive recession convinced many their fortunes lay in Britain. (mn-ts)
1951
Barbara
Jean English soul
singer born in Sumter, South Carolina. Moved to New York at a young
age. She became a member of the New Jersey group Clickettes &
recorded many sides with them in the 50's & 60's. She joined
Alithea records (part of All-Platinium) in 1971. (mn)
1963
James Debarge member
of Debarge born. James DeBarge is arguably more famous for his
marriage to pop icon, Janet Jackson, in 1984. The marriage was
annulled in 1985, after Jackson said she could not deal with James'
drug abuse. As of 2000, DeBarge has worked with Compton
rapper/producer, DJ Quik on such tracks as "The Divorce
Song", and "Get Nekkid", by the slain rapper Mausberg.
In 2005 DeBarge made the headlines again, concerning his former
marriage to Janet Jackson. DeBarge's youngest brother, Darrell (who
goes by the name of Young) went to radio jocks with the claim that
James DeBarge and Jackson had an 18 year old daughter, named Renee.
However, Jackson has denied this claim. However, James does have 3
children. A daughter named 'Kristina', (she was born sometime in
1990) she was featured on the Fox T.V. special 'American Juniors',
which was a mini version of 'American Idol'. James Junior(born
sometime in 1997), and another girl named Tori(born sometime after
James Junior). James Debarge is currently touring with his brother
Chico DeBarge. (mn-jt-wickpedia)
1973
Beenie Man,
reggae artist, born Anthony Moses Davis, in Waterhouse, Kingston,
Jamaica, West Indies. Started toasting at the age of five. Won the
Teenie Talent Show at the age of eight and was introduced to Jammy's
sound system, Volcano, he was was soon established as a notoriety. In
1996 Beenie Man embarked on a highly acclaimed international tour
with the Shocking Vibes crew. Many Moods of Moses was another
acclaimed set with the single 'Who Am I' breaking into the UK Top 10. (mn-cl)
1978
Jomo Kenyatta,
president of Kenya, dies. Born to a Kikuyu peasant family about the
year 1897 and was educated at a mission school. He joined the Young
Kikuyu Association in 1922, became an official of the Kikulu Central
Association in 1925, took up full time political work three years
later. He was active in Britain in the 30's as a Pan-Africanise along
with Ras Makennen, George Padmore, C.L.R. James and I.T.A.
Wallace-Johnson did much to bring about the end of colonialism
in Africa and the West Indies. (mn-pf)
1997
Pride and Prejudices. Read the feature headline in the
London Evening Standard. Cee Jay (PCRL DJ) is pictured with five
Black personalities all speaking on racism - in Cee Jay's case over
being 'stopped & searched' over 34 times in 3 years. He believes
his only crime is being Black and driving a car! Cee Jay is taking
the chief constable of the West Midlands police to court.
2011 Nick Ashford
of Ashford & Simpson dies aged 70. Ashford, who had been
treated for cancer, died at a New York hospital with his family at
his side, publicist Liz Rosenberg told Reuters. A native of South
Carolina, Ashford met Simpson in the early 1960s at White Rock
Baptist Church in Harlem, after he moved to New York to pursue a
career in entertainment and found himself homeless. Simpson played
the piano and sang in a church choir, which Ashford soon joined. The
two began writing songs together and had their breakthrough hit in
1966 when Ray Charles released their composition "Let's Go Get
Stoned." It was the beginning of a partnership that saw the duo
marry in 1974 and write a string of hits. They were signed to Motown
Records, where they penned the 1967 classic Marvin Gaye and Tammi
Terrell duet "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Gaye and
Terrell also had hits with the couple's songs "Ain't Nothing
Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By."
Ashford and Simpson's other songs include "Send It,"
"Found a Cure," and "Don't Cost You Nothing."
Their composition "I'm Every Woman" was recorded by Chaka
Khan and later by Whitney Houston, and for a time was the opening
theme song for Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show. Ashford and Simpson were
inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Ashford is
survived by Simpson and their daughters Nicole and Asia, Rosenberg
said. (mn)
23rd.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
093:
BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, JR.
(1912- )
1755
Jean
Baptiste Lislet Geoffrey,
distinguished French geographer is born.
1892
Black Invention:
horseshoe, inventor C.E. Brown receives patent.
1900
Booker T. Washington forms the National Negro Business League in
Boston, Mass, USA. (tr-iokts)
1936 Rudy
Lewis singer
with The Drifters born. (mn-jt)
1939
Paul Robeson makes his first television debut in Britain for the BBC
in a ten-minute programme of songs broadcast live from Alexandra
Palace. He was accomanied by Laurence Brown at the piano. (mn-sb)
1941
Bunny Lee,
reggae artiste born, Edward O'Sullivan a.k.a. Bunny and Striker in
Jamaica, Indies. Lee was introduced into the music business by
Derrick Morgan in 1962. Morgan took Lee to Treasure Isle as a record
plugger. Lee along with Lee Perry and engineer King Tubby changed the
face of reggae music in the early '70. (mn-cl)
1955
Barry Isaacs,
reggae artiste born, Portland, Jamaica, West Indies. He initially
formed a band in the mid-70's known as Ras Isaacs and the
Rasses, prior to the emergence of the Royal Rasses. The band enjoyed
a strong following in north London and the Midlands where they
performed in a roots style. (mn-cl)
1973
James Brown records Papa Don't Take No Mess at International
Studios, Augusta, Georgia, USA. It reaches N0.1 on R&B chart. (mn)
1998
Sam Bowers a Klu Klux Klan member is jailed 30 years after he ordered
the fire-bombing of Vernon Darmer home a Black civil rights activist
in 1966. He had been tried 5 times! (mn)
2000
Freddie Waters,
'recently rediscovered' soul singer, died in Lebanon, Tennessee
after a short illness aged 57. (mn-i-t-b/20)
24th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
094:
JOHN HOPE (1868-1936)
1915
Wynonie Harris, blues shouter, born, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. (died
June 14, 1969, Los Angeles, USA. (mn-rs)
1939
Ernie Wright memeber
of Little Anthony & Imperials born. Their first record for End
Records was a double-sided ballad smash. The "A" side,
"Tears on My Pillow", instantly launched their career into
musical history. This would be one of their biggest-selling hits,
with over one million copies sold, and has been one of the most
enduring love ballads of the '50s. The flip side hit, "Two
People In The World" made this one of the most popular double-sided
ballad records in vocal group history. Anthony was sitting on a
Brooklyn park bench one evening, listening to WINS radio DJ Alan
Freed, coming over the radio. As he announced the next record,
Anthony heard, ... "and here's a new record that's making a lot
of noise ... Little Anthony & The Imperials...singing 'Tears On
My Pillow'...". The nickname Little Anthony stuck, and the new
group name was official. (mn-jt)
1942 Fontella
Bass born. She
co-wrote and recorded "Rescue Me" which was hailed as the
National Anthem of Soldiers returning from Vietnam. Soon after her
"Rescue Me" success, she disappeared for nearly three
decades. In 1995, she made a comeback and released a new album.
(DUPLICATE mn-jt)
1942
Jimmy Soul,
singer born James McClese in Weldon, North Carolina, USA. He
performed gospel as a teenager, later scouted by Frank Guida and
recruited to sing songs handpicked for one of Guida's other hit
artists, Gary U.S. Bonds. Soul only ever had two chart hits, both
which were Bond's cast-offs, "Twistin' Matilda", in 1962,
and the Billboard Hot 100 number one hit "If You Wanna Be
Happy" (based on the calypso, "Ugly Woman", by Roaring
Lion) in 1963. After unsuccessfully trying to follow up the success
of those songs with one more album, he gave up his career as a
musician and joined the United States Army. He died of a heart attack
on 25 June 1988, at the age of 45. (mn-cl-wickpedia)
1948
Edith Mae Irby becomes the University of Arkansas' first
African American student. (tr-iokts)
1950
Edith Sampson named first black alternate delegate to United Nations.
1952
Linton Kwesi-Johnson (singer/poet)
born. (nationmaster)
1967
Michael Thomas, football player born in Lambeth, England. Played
for Liverpool; Arsenal and Portsmouth. League appearances
191 (total). (tr)
1971
Black Invention:
Magnetic Computer Tape Reel, Larry T. Preston. (sc)
1979
B.B. King celebrates 30 years as an entertainer with a show at Sunset
Strip's Roxy Club in Los Angeles. (mn-jt)
2006
Former USA
Maryland
General Assembly Woman Dies At 100.
Lena Lee,
a teacher and attorney who was one of the first African American
women elected to the Maryland General Assembly, has died.
Friends and relatives say Lee died in her sleep at her home in east
Baltimore, where she had lived since 1940. Lee had celebrated
her 100th birthday last month. Lee taught in city schools,
earned a law degree in her 40s and wasn't elected to state office
until she was 60. When she gave up her seat in the House of Delegates
in 1982, Elijah Cummings -- now a congressman -- took her place.
Cummings says she told him to pursue service, not celebrity.
Colleagues in Annapolis referred to Lee as "The Killer"
because of her reputation for getting rid of bad bills. (ap)
25th.
AUGUST
BLACK
HEROES PAST & PRESENT: LEADERS/SPOKESMEN
095:
MARCUS A. GARVEY (1887-1940)
1901
Charlie Burse, guitarist, born, Decatur, Ala., USA. (Died December
20, 1965, Memphis, Tenn., USA. (mn-rs)
1908
National Association of Coloured Nurses, is founded. (mn-jc)
1925
A. Philip Randolph organizes the Sleeping Car Porter's Union, the
strongest labour group among Negroes. With the Pullman car porters as
a foundation, A. Philip Randolf rose to the topmost hierarchy of the
labour movement to become the only Negro vice-president of the
AFLCIO. He is the founder and organizer of the Negro American Labour
Council. (mn-ra)
1927
Althea Gibson, first African American to play tennis at Wimbledon, is
born in Silver, South Carolina, USA. She began playing tennis in the
40s but did not emerge on the national scene until she was a collage
student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. In 1957
and 1958 she won the British women's singles title at Wimbledon, as
well as the US national singles title. She retired in 1958 and went
on to play golf. Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971. (mn-ss-tr-iokts)
1942 Walter
Williams singer
with the O'Jays is born. (mn-jt)
1984
Michael Jackson's video for Thriller is shown on UK TV for the first
time. (mn-jt)
1995
R.B. Hudmon,
singer dies, in West Point, Georgia, USA, aged 41. Robert
B Hudmon Jr R&B
singer was born at West Point, Georgia and started his singing carer
at a very early age, I'm a roller (1966), five singles on
Atlantic/Cotillion & an album in 1978. Nice stepper track 'I
could paint a picture' (mn-da)
2001 Aaliyah,
(Aaliyah Dana Haughton), R&B singer dies aged 22. She was
on board a light aircraft in the Caribbean after filming a video
for her forth coming single. The plane crashed and bust into flames
at 6:50 p.m. killing all nine on board. Born 1979 in Detroit,
Michigan, USA. Her early carrier was fostered by R. Kelly, producer
Quincy Jones said: 'I'm devastated by the news, she was like one of
my daughters, one of the sweetest girls in the world''. Born January
16, 1979, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and
actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah
became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit
records from the songwriting/production team of Missy
"Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate
Steve "Static" Garrett. Notable for recording several hit
records, including eleven number one R&B hits, six number one pop
hit, and nine top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah sold
over 25 million records worldwide during her career. During her
career she also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in two motion
pictures (mn-cnn-wickpedia)
2007
Rev. Jesse Jackson
visits Cannon Street Memorial Baptist Church, 300 Soho Road
Handsworth. Talks for an hour about the anniversary of the abolition
of slavery & guns in the black community. He also does a
walkabout on the 27th. Local TV Media coverage of the event was non
existent. (mn)