May 26, 1968 William Edward John (Little Willie John), R&B singer, died in Washington State Prison, where he was serving time for a 1966 conviction of manslaughter. John was born November 15, 1937 in Cullendale, Arkansas but raised in Detroit, Michigan. John initially sang in his family’s gospel quintet, The United Four. As a teenager, […]
Archive | May 26, 2011
May 26th in African American History – Miles Dewey Davis III
May 26, 1926 Miles Dewey Davis III, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, was born in Alton, Illinois. By the age of 16, Davis was a member of the musical society and playing professionally. In 1944, he moved to New York City to study at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1945, he entered a recording […]