August 29, 1920 Charles “Bird” Parker, Jr., jazz saxophonist and composer, was born in Kansas City, Kansas. Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11 and by 1938 was touring nightclubs and other venues in the southwest. In 1939, Parker moved to New York City where on November 26, 1945 he led a recording session […]
"Grammy lifetime achievement award"
Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. – March 14th in African American History
March 14, 1933 Quincy Delight Jones, Jr., trumpeter, music conductor and arranger, record producer, and film composer, was born in Chicago, Illinois. In 1951, Jones won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, but abandoned his studies when he received an offer to play in the band of Lionel Hampton.
February 18th in African American History – Chloe Ardelia Wofford (Toni Morrison)
February 18, 1931 Chloe Ardelia Wofford (Toni Morrison), author, editor, and professor, was born in Lorain, Ohio. Morrison earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Howard University in 1953 and her Master of Arts degree in English from Cornell University in 1955.
December 23rd in African American History – Oscar Emmanuel Peterson
December 23, 2007 Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, jazz pianist and composer, died. Peterson was born August 15, 1925 in Montreal, Canada and at the age of five began honing his skills with the trumpet and piano. At the age of 14, he won the national music competition sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. After that, he […]
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” […]
June 3rd in African American History – Koko Taylor
June 3, 2009 Koko Taylor, blues singer popularly known as the “Queen of the Blues,” died. Born Cora Walton on September 28, 1928 in Shelby County, Tennessee, Taylor moved to Chicago in 1952. During the late 1950s, she began singing in Chicago blues clubs. In 1966, Taylor recorded “Wang Dang Doodle” which became a hit […]
Sarah Lois Vaughan – April 3rd in African American History
April 3, 1990 Sarah Lois Vaughan, jazz singer known as “The Divine One,” died. Vaughan was born March 27, 1924 in Newark, New Jersey. She began piano lessons at the age of seven and sang in the church choir. By her mid-teens, she was singing in local nightclubs. In 1942, Vaughan sang “Body and Soul” […]