December 13, 1939 Frank L. Mingo, advertising executive, was born in McComb, Mississippi. Mingo earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Roosevelt University and a Master of Science degree in advertising from Northwestern University. After graduating, Mingo went to work for J. Walter Thompson where he became their first black account executive with clients that […]
Archive | December, 2013
Joseph Goreed (Joe Williams) – December 12th in African American History
December 12, 1918 Joseph Goreed (Joe Williams), jazz singer, was born in Cordele, Georgia, but raised in Chicago, Illinois. By his early teens, Williams had taught himself to play the piano and formed his own gospel group. By 1939, he had started to tour with established bands and got his big break in 1954 when […]
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton – December 11th in African American History
December 11, 1926 Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, singer and songwriter, was born in Ariton, Alabama. Thornton began to sing at a very early age and at 14 she joined the Hot Harlem Revue and toured with them for seven years. Thornton began her recording career in 1951 and the next year recorded “Hound Dog.”