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Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.

August 9th in African American History – Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.

August 9, 2008 Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr., musician, songwriter, singer and actor, died. Hayes was born August 20, 1942 in Covington, Tennessee. He began his career in the early 1960s as a session player, songwriter, and producer at Stax Records. Along with his partner David Porter, Hayes wrote a string of hits for the artists […]

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Forest Steven Whitaker

July 15th in African American History – Forest Steven Whitaker

July 15, 1961 Forest Steven Whitaker, actor, producer and director, was born in Longview, Texas. Whitaker’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1965 due to racism. While in high school, Whitaker took voice lessons, performed in musicals, and caught the “acting bug.” Whitaker was accepted into the Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California […]

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Lionel Brockman Richie

June 20th in African American History – Lionel Brockman Richie

June 20, 1949 Lionel Brockman Richie, singer, songwriter and record producer, was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. Richie went to Tuskegee Institute on a tennis scholarship and graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores who became popular with albums such as “Natural High” […]

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Tupac Amaru Shakur

June 16th in African American History – Tupac Amaru Shakur

June 16, 1971 Tupac Amaru Shakur, hip hop rapper and actor, was born in New York City. Shakur was named after Tupac Amaru II, a Peruvian revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and was subsequently executed. In 1986, his family moved to Baltimore where Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and […]

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Ray Charles

June 10th in African American History – Ray Charles

June 10, 2004 Ray Charles, pioneering R&B, gospel, blues and country musician, died. Born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, Charles began to lose his sight at the age of five and was completely blind by the age of seven. In 1943, he began to perform around Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida. […]

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Prince Rogers Nelson

June 7th in African American History –  Prince Rogers Nelson (Prince)

June 7, 1958 Prince Rogers Nelson (Prince), singer, songwriter, and musician, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prince’s first album, “For You,” was released in 1978. He composed, produced, arranged, and played all 27 instruments on the recording. In 1979, he had his first major hit album, “Prince,” which contained the single “I Wanna Be Your […]

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Dexter Keith Gordon

Dexter Keith Gordon – April 25th in African American History

April 25, 1990 Dexter Keith Gordon, jazz tenor saxophonist and actor, died. Gordon was born February 27, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. He played the clarinet from the age of 13 before switching to the saxophone at 15. Between 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of the Lionel Hampton Band and in 1943 he […]

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