April 5, 1970 Otis J. Rene, songwriter and record producer, died. Rene was born October 2, 1898 in New Orleans, Louisiana. With his younger brother Leon, in the 1930s they founded Exclusive Records and Excelsior Records, becoming the leading producers of recording artists such as Nat King Cole, Johnny Otis, and Joe Liggins and His […]
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Colin Luther Powell – April 5th in African American History
April 5, 1937 Colin Luther Powell, the first African American United States Secretary of State, was born in Harlem, New York. Powell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University in 1971. While at City […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1948. He then earned a Bachelor […]
Jill Scott – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1972 Jill Scott, singer, songwriter, poet and actress, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Scott began her performing career as a spoken word artist, appearing at live poetry readings to perform her work. Her debut album, “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1,” was released in 2000. She followed that with “Beautifully […]
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” […]
Edward Gay Robinson – April 3rd in African American History
April 3, 2007 Edward Gay Robinson, hall of fame college football coach, died. Robinson was born February 13, 1919 in Jackson, Louisiana. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Leland College in 1941 and in 1954 earned his Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. Robinson began coaching at the historically black […]
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. – April 2nd in African American History
April 2, 1939 Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (Marvin Gaye), instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, was born in Washington, D. C. Gaye started as a member of The Moonglows in 1958 and after they disbanded in 1960, he moved to Detroit, Michigan and signed with Motown Records. Gaye experienced his first significant success in 1962 as co-writer […]