December 31, 1948 LaDonna Adrian Gaines (Donna Summer), the Queen of Disco, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. At 18, she left home for New York City and landed on the European Tour of the musical “Hair.” Her first solo single, “Sally Go Round the Roses,” was released in Europe in 1971. In 1975, “Love to [...]
Tag Archives | actress
December 28th in African American History – Grace Nichols (Nichelle Nichols)
December 28, 1932 Grace Nichols (Nichelle Nichols), actress, dancer and singer, was born in Robbins, Illinois. Nichols danced in Chicago, Illinois with the College Inn Revue around 1947 and toured the United States, Canada, and Europe as a singer with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands in 1950 and 1951. In 1966, Nichols was [...]
July 25th in African American History – Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid
July 25, 1955 Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid, super model, actress and entrepreneur, was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. Iman attended high school in Egypt and later lived in Kenya where she studied political science at Nairobi University. She is fluent in five languages, Somali, Arabic, Italian, French, and English. Iman moved to the United States in 1975 [...]
January 30th in African American History – Ruth Alston Weston (Ruth Brown)
January 30, 1928 Ruth Alston Weston (Ruth Brown), R&B singer and actress, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Brown recorded her first hit, “So Long,” in 1949 and from that time to 1955 was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks with 16 top 10 blues records, including five number ones. Those hits were “Teardrops From [...]
January 25th in African American History – Alicia Augello Cook (Alicia Keys)
January 25, 1981 Alicia Augello Cook (Alicia Keys), recording artist, musician, and actress, was born in New York City. At the age of seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career.
January 16th in African American History – Deborrah Kaye Allen
January 16, 1950 Deborrah Kaye Allen, actress, choreographer, director, and producer, was born in Houston, Texas. Allen earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater in 1971 from Howard University and made her Broadway debut in the chorus of “Purlie” in 1972. In 1980, her appearance in the Broadway [...]
January 16th in African American History – Aaliyah Dana Houghton
January 16, 1979 Aaliyah Dana Houghton, recording artist, actress, and model, was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of nine, Aaliyah appeared on the television show “Star Search” and at the age of eleven she performed in concert with Gladys Knight. Her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But [...]