December 23, 1935 Esther Mae Jones Phillips, R&B vocalist, was born in Galveston, Texas. In 1949, she won the amateur talent contest and began touring as “Little Esther Phillips.” In 1950, she recorded her first hit record, “Double Crossing Blues,” and that was followed by other hits such as “Mistrusting Blues,” “Misery,” and “Wedding Boogie.”
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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 […]
December 22nd in African American History – Jean-Michael Basquiat
December 22, 1960 Jean-Michael Basquiat, the first painter of African descent to become an international art star, was born in Brooklyn, New York. By the age of eleven, Basquiat was fluent in French and Spanish. He dropped out of high school and started as a graffiti artist. By 1982, he had become part of the […]
December 22nd in African American History – Angela James
December 22, 1964 Angela James, the first superstar of modern women’s hockey, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. James attended Seneca College where she won numerous titles in ice hockey and had her jersey number retired. From the late 1970s through the 1980s, she played in the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League where she dominated […]
December 21st in African American History – Florence Delorez “Flo-Jo” Griffith-Joyner
December 21, 1959 Florence Delorez “Flo-Jo” Griffith-Joyner, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Los Angeles, California. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Griffith-Joyner won the Silver medal in the 200 meter race and at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games she won the Gold medal in the 100 and 200 meter […]
December 20th in African American History – Madge Dorita Walters Sinclair
December 20, 1995 Madge Dorita Walters Sinclair, actress, died. Sinclair was born April 28, 1938 in Kingston, Jamaica. She was a teacher in Jamaica until 1968, when she moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. In 1977, she appeared in the television mini-series “Roots,” a role which earned her an Emmy nomination […]