May 25, 1981 Roy James Brown, pioneering R&B singer, songwriter, and musician, died. Brown was born September 10, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started singing gospel music in the church choir. In 1947, he wrote and recorded “Good Rocking Tonight” which was a hit, reaching number 13 on the Billboard R&B charts. That song […]
Tag Archives | R&B
May 13th in African American History – Mary Esther Wells
May 13, 1943 Mary Esther Wells, singer and The Queen of Motown, was born in Detroit, Michigan. By the age of 10 Wells had moved from singing in church choirs to performing in nightclubs around Detroit. In 1960 she was signed to Tamla Records, a subsidiary of Motown, and wrote and recorded “Bye Bye Baby” […]
May 12th in African American History – Alwyn Lopez “Al” Jarreau
May 12, 1940 Alwyn Lopez “Al” Jarreau, vocalist, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jarreau earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Ripon College in 1962 and a Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa in 1964. In 1968, he decided to make music his primary occupation and began playing in […]
May 7th in African American History – Thelma Jackson Houston
May 7, 1946 Thelma Jackson Houston, singer, actress, and songwriter, was born in Leland, Mississippi. In 1969 Houston released her debut album, “Sunshower,” and in 1971 she signed with Motown Records. Houston’s first successful single was “You’ve Been Doing Wrong for So Long” (1974) which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal […]
Jesse Stone – April 1st in African American History
April 1, 1999 Jesse Stone, rhythm and blues musician and songwriter, died. Stone was born November 16, 1901 in Atchison, Kansas. By 1926, Stone had formed a group, the Blue Serenaders, and cut his first record, “Starvation Blues.” Beginning in 1936, he worked as the bandleader at the Apollo Theater for a few years and […]
March 10th in African American History – LaVern Baker
March 10, 1997 LaVern Baker, rhythm and blues singer, died. Born Delores LaVern Baker on November 11, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. She began singing in Chicago clubs under various names around 1946 before settling on LaVern Baker in 1952. Baker had her first hit, “Tweedlee Dee,” in 1955 and had a succession of hits over […]
March 2nd in African American History – Hank Ballard
March 2, 2003 Hank Ballard, Rhythm and Blues singer and songwriter, died. Ballard was born John Henry Kendricks on November 18, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan but raised in Bessemer, Alabama. At 15, Ballard moved back to Detroit where he began his singing career. In 1951, he formed a group which eventually became known as the […]