October 13, 1926 Raymond Mathew Brown, jazz double bassist, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of eight, Brown started piano lessons but switched to the bass in high school. After graduating from high school he moved to New York City and in 1946 joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band. He played with Gillespie until 1951 […]
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October 13th in African American History – Jerry Lee Rice
October 13, 1962 Jerry Lee Rice, hall of fame football player, was born in Starkville, Mississippi. Rice played football for Mississippi Valley State University and in 1984 was named to every All-American team. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 NFL Draft and in his first year was named Offensive Rookie […]
October 12th in African American History – Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker
October 12, 2005 Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker died. Tucker was born October 4, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School. Tucker had a long history in the Civil Rights Movement, including participating in the 1965 march to Selma, Alabama.
October 12th in African American History – Wilton Norman Chamberlain
October 12, 1999 Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain, hall of fame professional basketball player, died. Chamberlain was born August 21, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was 6 feet 11 inches when he entered high school and used that advantage as a prolific scorer throughout his high school and college career. After his junior year of college, […]
October 11th in African American History – Malvin Greston Mal Whitfield
October 11, 1924 Malvin Greston “Mal” Whitfield, track athlete and diplomat, was born in Bay City, Texas. In 1943, Whitfield joined the United States Army Air Force and became a member of the Tuskegee Airmen with whom he flew 27 combat missions during the Korean War. After World War II he enrolled at Ohio State […]
October 11th in African American History – Redd Foxx
October 11, 1991 Redd Foxx, comedian and actor, died. Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. He moved to New York City in the early 1940s where he was an associate of Malcolm X. In Malcolm’s autobiography Foxx is referred to as “Chicago Red, the funniest dishwasher on […]
October 10th in African American History – Thelonious Monk
October 10, 1917 Thelonious Sphere Monk, Jr., jazz pianist and composer, was born in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. Monk started playing the piano at age six and although he had some formal training, he was essentially self-taught. In the early to mid-1940s, Monk served as the house pianist at Minton’s Playhouse which featured most of […]