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 […]
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December 19th in African American History – Milton John Hinton
December 19, 2000 Milton John Hinton, the dean of jazz bass players, died. Hinton was born June 23, 1910 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. While attending high school, he learned to play the bass horn, tuba, cello, and the double bass. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he worked as a freelance musician in Chicago, Illinois, […]
December 19th in African American History – Roebuck “Pops” Staples
December 19, 2000 Roebuck “Pops” Staples, gospel and R&B musician, died. Staples was born December 28, 1914 on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade. In 1935, he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he sang with the Trumpet Jubilees. In 1948, he formed The Staple Singers with […]
December 13th in African American History – Eric Marlon Bishop (Jamie Foxx)
December 13, 1967 Eric Marlon Bishop (Jamie Foxx), stand-up comedian, actor and singer, was born in Terrell, Texas. Foxx began performing stand-up in 1989 and changed his name to Jamie Foxx, choosing the surname as a tribute to Redd Foxx. In 1991, he joined the cast of the television show “In Living Color” and from […]
December 12th in African American History – Marie Dionne Warwick
December 12, 1940 Marie Dionne Warwick, singer and activist, was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Warwick began singing gospel as a child and sang her first solo at the age of 6. In 1958, she and other members formed the Gospelaires which in their first performance together won the weekly amateur contest at the […]
December 12th in African American History – Ike Wister Turner
December 12, 2007 Ike Wister Turner, bandleader and record producer, died. Turner was born November 5, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. His music career began in the late 1940s when he formed a group called The Kings of Rhythm. In 1951, the band recorded “Rocket 88” which many historians recognize as the first rock and roll […]
December 11th in African American History – Samuel Cooke
December 11, 1964 Samuel Cooke, singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, was killed. Cooke was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He began his career singing gospel. In 1950, he became the lead singer for The Soul Stirrers and recorded hits such as “Peace in the Valley” (1951) and “One More River” (1955). In 1957, Cooke […]