April 30, 1983 McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters), blues musician and “the father of Chicago Blues,” died. Waters was born April 4, 1913 in Issaquena County, Mississippi. He started out playing the harmonica but by age 17 he was playing the guitar at parties. In 1943, Waters moved to Chicago and drove a truck and worked […]
Tag Archives | April 4
Colin Luther Powell – April 5th in African American History
April 5, 1937 Colin Luther Powell, the first African American United States Secretary of State, was born in Harlem, New York. Powell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University in 1971. While at City […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1948. He then earned a Bachelor […]
Jill Scott – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1972 Jill Scott, singer, songwriter, poet and actress, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Scott began her performing career as a spoken word artist, appearing at live poetry readings to perform her work. Her debut album, “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1,” was released in 2000. She followed that with “Beautifully […]