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 […]
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June 2nd in African American History – Bo Diddley
June 2, 2008 Bo Diddley, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, died. Diddley was born Elias Otha Bates on December 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi. In 1934, his family moved to Chicago where in the early 1940s he began to perform. In 1954, he recorded “Bo Diddley” which became a number one R&B hit in 1955. Diddley […]
June 1st in African American History – Davis Eli “David” Ruffin
June 1, 1991 Davis Eli “David” Ruffin, former lead singer of The Temptations, died. Ruffin was born January 18, 1941 in Whynot, Mississippi. He began singing as a young child with his siblings, father, and stepmother in a family gospel group. In 1957, he moved to Detroit and recorded his first single, “You and I” […]
May 31st in African American History – Johnnie Harrison Taylor
May 31, 2000 Johnnie Harrison Taylor, gospel, blues and soul singer, died. Taylor was born May 5, 1937 in Crawfordsville, Arkansas. In 1957, he was hired to replace Sam Cooke in the gospel group the Soul Stirrers and in 1962 he recorded his first solo, “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day.” In 1966, Taylor moved […]
May 28th in African American History – Mary Lou Williams
May 28, 1981 Mary Lou Williams, jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, died. Born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs on May 8, 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams taught herself to play the piano at a young age and became a professional musician in her teens. In 1925, she played with Duke Ellington and his band the Washingtonians. In […]
May 26th in African American History – William Edward John (Little Willie John)
May 26, 1968 William Edward John (Little Willie John), R&B singer, died in Washington State Prison, where he was serving time for a 1966 conviction of manslaughter. John was born November 15, 1937 in Cullendale, Arkansas but raised in Detroit, Michigan. John initially sang in his family’s gospel quintet, The United Four. As a teenager, […]
May 26th in African American History – Miles Dewey Davis III
May 26, 1926 Miles Dewey Davis III, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, was born in Alton, Illinois. By the age of 16, Davis was a member of the musical society and playing professionally. In 1944, he moved to New York City to study at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1945, he entered a recording […]