October 19, 1960 Jennifer-Yvette Holliday, singer and actress, was born in Riverside, Texas. At the age of 19, Holliday earned a role in the Broadway production of “Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God”.
Tag Archives | Broadway
October 2nd in African American History – Frederick August Wilson
October 2, 2005 Frederick August Wilson, playwright, died. Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel on April 27, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He dropped out of high school in the tenth grade and used the Carnegie Library to educate himself. He made such extensive use of the library that they later awarded him a degree, the […]
September 28th in African American History – Richard Berry Harrison
September 28, 1864 Richard Berry Harrison, actor, teacher and lecturer, was born in London, Ontario, Canada, the son of formerly enslaved parents who had escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. As a young man, Harrison moved to Detroit and began dramatic studies at the Detroit Training School of Dramatic Arts. From 1892 to 1896, […]
September 14th in African American History – Beau Richards
September 14, 2000 Beau Richards, stage, film and television actress died. Born Beulah Richardson on July 12, 1920 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Richards graduated from Dillard University in 1948 and two years later moved to New York. Her career started to take off in 1955 with her appearance in the off-Broadway production of “Take a Giant […]
September 13th in African American History – Nell Ruth Hardy (Nell Carter)
September 13, 1948 Nell Ruth Hardy (Nell Carter), singer and film, stage and television actress, was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Carter broke into stardom with her stage performance in “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, for which she won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also won a 1982 Emmy Award for Outstanding […]
September 11th in African American History – Loletha Elaine Lola Falana
September 11, 1942 Loletha Elaine “Lola” Falana, dancer, singer and actress, was born in Camden, New Jersey. Falana was dancing by the age of 3, singing in the church choir at 5, and dancing in nightclubs while she was still in junior high school. She made her Broadway debut in the 1964 musical “Golden Boy” […]
Ethel Waters – September 1st in African American History
a href=”http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Ethel-Waters.jpg” target=”_blank”> September 1, 1977 Ethel Waters, blues and jazz vocalist and actress, died. Waters was born on October 31, 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania. She began to sing professionally in 1913 in Baltimore, Maryland. For several years she toured on the Black vaudeville circuit. In 1921, Waters became the fifth Black woman to make […]