Archive | December 12, 2011
Marie Dionne Warwick

December 12th in African American History – Marie Dionne Warwick

December 12, 1940 Marie Dionne Warwick, singer and activist, was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Warwick began singing gospel as a child and sang her first solo at the age of 6. In 1958, she and other members formed the Gospelaires which in their first performance together won the weekly amateur contest at the […]

Read full story · Comments { 0 }
Ike Wister Turner

December 12th in African American History – Ike Wister Turner

December 12, 2007 Ike Wister Turner, bandleader and record producer, died. Turner was born November 5, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. His music career began in the late 1940s when he formed a group called The Kings of Rhythm. In 1951, the band recorded “Rocket 88” which many historians recognize as the first rock and roll […]

Read full story · Comments { 0 }