February 14, 1946 Gregory Oliver Hines, dancer, choreographer and actor, was born in New York City. Hines started dancing at an early age and together with his brother and father eventually became known as Hines, Hines and Dad.
Tag Archives | Broadway
February 7th in African American History – James Herbert “Eubie” Blake
February 7, 1887 James Herbert “Eubie” Blake, composer, lyricist, and pianist, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Blake began taking music lessons at the age of 7 and at 15 was playing piano in a bordello. In 1912, he began playing in vaudeville and shortly after World War I joined forces with Noble Sissle as the […]
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 20th in African American History – Eva Jessye
January 20, 1895 Eva Jessye, the first black woman to receive international distinction as a professional choral conductor, was born in Coffeyville, Kansas. Jessye studied choral music and music theory at Western University, a now defunct historically black college, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Langston University in 1919. In 1926, she formed […]
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 12th in African American History – Lorraine Hansberry
January 12, 1965 Lorraine Hansberry, African-American playwright and author, died. Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to New York City in 1950 to pursue a career as a writer. In 1959, her play, “A Raisin in the Sun” debuted on Broadway. It was the first play written by an African […]
October 15th in African American History – Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (Fela Kuti)
October 15, 1938 Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (Fela Kuti), multi-instrumentalist, composer, and human rights activist, was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria. In 1958, Fela was sent to London, England to study medicine, but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. In 1963, he moved back to Nigeria and formed a band. In […]