December 31, 1930 Odetta Holmes, singer, actress, songwriter, and human rights activist, was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Odetta’s first professional experience was in musical theater in 1944 and in 1949 she joined the “Finian’s Rainbow” touring company. She began her solo career in 1956 with “Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues” and followed with “At the […]
Tag Archives | singer
December 26th in African American History – Curtis Lee Mayfield
December 26, 1999 Curtis Lee Mayfield, singer, songwriter and record producer, died. Mayfield was born June 3, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1954, Mayfield dropped out of school and joined The Roosters who two years later became The Impressions. When Jerry Butler left the group, Mayfield became the lead singer. The Impressions were successful with […]
December 13th in African American History – Eric Marlon Bishop (Jamie Foxx)
December 13, 1967 Eric Marlon Bishop (Jamie Foxx), stand-up comedian, actor and singer, was born in Terrell, Texas. Foxx began performing stand-up in 1989 and changed his name to Jamie Foxx, choosing the surname as a tribute to Redd Foxx. In 1991, he joined the cast of the television show “In Living Color” and from […]
December 12th in African American History – Marie Dionne Warwick
December 12, 1940 Marie Dionne Warwick, singer and activist, was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Warwick began singing gospel as a child and sang her first solo at the age of 6. In 1958, she and other members formed the Gospelaires which in their first performance together won the weekly amateur contest at the […]
December 11th in African American History – Samuel Cooke
December 11, 1964 Samuel Cooke, singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, was killed. Cooke was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He began his career singing gospel. In 1950, he became the lead singer for The Soul Stirrers and recorded hits such as “Peace in the Valley” (1951) and “One More River” (1955). In 1957, Cooke […]
December 10th in African American History – Otis Ray Redding, Jr.
December 10, 1967 Otis Ray Redding, Jr., singer and songwriter, died in a plane crash. Redding was born September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia. He grew up in Macon, Georgia where he sang in the church choir and won the local talent show 15 weeks in a row. In 1960, Redding began touring the south […]
December 2nd in African American History – Odetta Holmes
December 2, 2008 Odetta Holmes, singer, actress, songwriter, and human rights activist, died. Odetta was born December 31, 1930 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her first professional experience was in musical theater in 1944 and in 1949 she joined the “Finian’s Rainbow” touring company. She began her solo career in 1956 with “Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues” […]