August 14, 2010 Abbey Lincoln, jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, died. Abbey Lincoln was born Anna Marie Wooldridge on August 6, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to California in 1951 to perform in nightclubs. In 1956, she began her recording career with “Abbey Lincoln’s Affair: A Story of a Girl in Love.” Other recordings […]
Archive | August, 2011
August 13th in African American History – Caterina Jarboro
August 13, 1986 Caterina Jarboro, the first black opera singer to sing on an opera stage in the United States, died. Jarboro was born Katherine Lee Yarborough in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the age of 13, she was sent to Brooklyn, New York to study music. Jarboro also studied in Paris and in 1929 made […]
August 13th in African American History – Shani Davis
August 13, 1982 Shani Davis, speed skater and the first black athlete to win a Gold Medal in an individual Olympic Winter Games sport, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Davis learned to roller skate at the age of two and at six years old was enrolled at the Evanston Speed Skating Club. At 16, Davis […]
August 12th in African American History – Jean-Michel Basquiat
August 12, 1988 Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first painter of African descent to become an international art star, died. Basquiat was born December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York. By the age of 11, he was fluent in French, Spanish, and English. Basquiat dropped out of high school and started as a graffiti artist. By 1982, […]
August 12th in African American History – Luther Allison
August 12, 1997 Luther Allison, blues guitarist, died. Allison was born August 17, 1939 in Widener, Arkansas but raised in Chicago, Illinois. Allison taught himself to play the guitar. During the 1950s and early 1960s, he worked the club circuit. He released his debut album, “Love Me Mama”, in 1968. In 1972, Allison was signed […]
August 11th in African American History – Viola Davis
August 11, 1965 Viola Davis, stage and film actress, was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Davis graduated from Rhode Island College with a major in theatre in 1988. She also attended the Juilliard School for the Performing Arts from 1990 to 1994. Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress […]
August 11th in African American History – Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic
August 11, 1929 The first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic was held in Chicago, Illinois “as a celebration of the unity in diversity for the children of Chicago.” The parade and picnic is held annually on the second Saturday in August and has grown into the oldest and largest African American parade in the United […]