September 26, 1937 Bessie Smith, blues singer, died. Smith was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1912, she was hired as a dancer with the Moses Stokes troupe which included Ma Rainey. By the early 1920s, Smith had starred with Sidney Bechet in “How Come?,” a musical that made its way to […]
September 26th in African American History – Bessie Smith
Tags: blues, Broadway, Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Library of Congress, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, singer
September 20th in African American History – Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (Jelly Roll Morton)
Tags: Broadway, Grammy Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Library of Congress, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
September 20, 1885 Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (Jelly Roll Morton), ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader and composer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. The date of his birth is not confirmed because no birth certificate has ever been found, but it is generally believed to be this date. At the age of 14, Morton began playing […]
September 9th in African American History – Otis Ray Redding, Jr.
Tags: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, singer, songwriter, Songwriters Hall of Fame
September 9, 1941 Otis Ray Redding, Jr., singer and songwriter, was born in Dawson, Georgia. Redding grew up in Macon, Georgia where he sang in the church choir and won the local talent show 15 weeks in a row. In 1960, Redding began to tour the South and in 1962 recorded “These Arms of Mine”, […]
September 7th in African American History – Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins
Tags: composer, Grammy Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, jazz, National Endowment for the Arts, National Medal of Arts, NEA Jazz Master
September 7, 1930 Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins, jazz tenor saxophonist and composer, was born in New York City. Rollins received his first saxophone at 13 and first recorded in 1949. By 1954, Rollins had recorded with such jazz giants as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. By 1956, Rollins was leading his own groups […]
August 29th in African American History – Michael Joseph Jackson
Tags: Grammy Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Guinness World Record, Motown Records
August 29, 1958 Michael Joseph Jackson, the “King of Pop,” was born in Gary, Indiana. Jackson made his professional debut in 1964 as a member of the Jackson 5. In 1968, they signed with Motown Records and their first four singles, “I Want You Back” (1969), “ABC” (1970), “The Love You Save” (1970), and “I’ll […]
August 16th in African American History – Maxwell Lemuel Roach
Tags: composer, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Manhattan School of Music, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA Jazz Master
August 16, 2007 Maxwell Lemuel Roach, jazz percussionist, drummer and composer, died. Maxwell Roach was born January 10, 1924 in Newland, North Carolina. At the age of 10, Roach was playing drums in gospel bands and by 18 he was playing in jazz clubs. Roach’s most significant innovations came in the 1940s when he devised […]
July 17th in African American History – John William Coltrane
Tags: composer, Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame, Grammy Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, jazz, Navy
July 17, 1967 John William Coltrane, jazz saxophonist and composer, died. Coltrane was born September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. In 1945, he enlisted in the United States Navy and played in the Navy jazz band. After returning to civilian life, Coltrane began freelancing around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From October, 1955 to April, 1957, Coltrane […]
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Previous Days in African American History
Other African American History Posts
- September 20th in African American History – Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (Jelly Roll Morton)
- November 30th in African American History – James Arthur Baldwin
- Varnette Patricia Honeywood – December 27th in African American History
- October 24th in African American History – Frizzell Gerald Gray (Kweisi Mfume)
- Jackie Robinson Remembered – January 31st in African American History
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