October 31, 1939 Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Toure, guitarist, singer and one of Africa’s most internationally renowned musicians, was born in Timbuktu, Mali. Toure was the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity in Africa and was often called “the African John Lee Hooker.” He appeared in the 2003 documentary “Feel Like Going Home” which traced […]
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October 31st in African American History – Earl Francis “Big Cat” Lloyd
October 31, 1950 Earl Francis “Big Cat” Lloyd became the first African American to play in a National Basketball Association game. Lloyd was born April 3, 1928 in Alexandria, Virginia. He played collegiate basketball at West Virginia State College where he was a two-time All-American and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education […]
October 30th in African American History – Clifford Brown
October 30, 1930 Clifford Brown, jazz trumpeter, was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Brown started playing professionally after briefly attending college. He performed with Lionel Hampton and Art Blakey, among others, before forming his own group with Max Roach. Brown won the Down Beat critic’s poll for the New Star of the Year in 1954. Albums […]
October 30th in African American History – Wallace Delaney Muhammad (Warith Deen Mohammed)
October 30, 1933 Wallace Delaney Muhammad (Warith Deen Mohammed), Muslim leader and author, was born in Hamtramck, Michigan. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mohammed served as a minister under his father, Elijah Muhammed, in Philadelphia before being excommunicated for denying the divinity of Wallace Ford Muhammad. In 1961, he was sent to federal […]
October 29th in African American History – Beatrice Melba Smith (Melba Moore)
October 29, 1945 Beatrice Melba Smith (Melba Moore), R&B singer and actress, was born in New York City. Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in musical education from Montclair State Teacher’s College and taught music for a year in the Newark Public School System. She began her performing career in 1967 in the cast of “Hair.”
October 29th in African American History – George Murphy “Pops” Foster
October 29, 1969 George Murphy “Pops” Foster, jazz string bassist, died. Foster was born May 19, 1892 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. By 1907, Foster was playing professionally, working in bands such as King Oliver’s and Kid Ory’s. In 1929, he moved to New York City where he played with various bands, including Louis Armstrong’s.
October 28th in African American History – Simon Vengai Muzenda
October 28, 1922 Simon Vengai Muzenda, Zimbabwean politician, was born In the Gutu District of what was then Rhodesia. After completing his carpentry courses, Muzenda started his own carpentry business and became active in politics, eventually becoming administrative secretary of the Zimbabwe African National Union. His political activity led to him being imprisoned several times […]