June 1st marked 10 years since the passing of David Eli Ruffin, former lead singer of The Temptations. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was ranked among the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine only three years ago. Ruffin was raised in Whynot, Mississippi with a strict […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)CBS 30th Street Studio 270 E 30th Street, New York, NY 10001 When: April 1970 What: Miles Davis’ first certified gold record sold more than half a million copies, later being recognized as one of jazz’s greatest albums and a progenitor of the jazz rock genre. « PREVIOUS NEXT » […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)Okeh Records 25 W 45th Street When: August 10, 1920 What: Written by African-American songwriter Perry Bradford, Smith’s rendition is the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist, selling a million copies in less than a year. « PREVIOUS NEXT » In celebration of Black Music Month, […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) 1540 Brewster Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45207 When: September 1943 What: King Records was found by Syd Nathan in 1943 and released music from a wide breadth of genres. King’s legacy includes hiring a racially integrated staff, and the signing of James Brown and his Famous Flames to […]
The majority of Oakland’s libraries are in danger of having their doors shut, as Mayor Jean Quan tackles with budget proposals to handle the city’s $58 million deficit. One of them is the African American Museum And Library, which is home to rare books, papers and memorabilia documenting black life in the Bay Area since […]
Tea Party historian David Barton claims to be an expert on African American history. Internal Revenue Service records show that Barton’s nonprofit, Wallbuilder Presentations Inc., used a video project about the moral heritage and political history of African Americans to claim its non-profit status. A favorite among right wing conservatives, Barton’s controversial editing has posited […]
As a noted surgeon and scientist, Charles Drew was responsible for creating the technology to store blood for long periods of time. His lifelong concern for the necessary transport and storage of blood and plasma made him a pioneer in his field and a valued scientist in world history. Drew saved thousands of soldiers’ lives […]
If there is one person from history whose impact on the Black woman’s self-image rivals that of Oprah Winfrey, it is the hair mogul Madame C.J. Walker. Walker was the first successful Black female entrepreneur. Her insistence on involvement in both the business world and civic affairs predates Oprah’s story, and to the extent that […]
American music has always been, at base, African-American music. Gospel, minstrelsy, vaudeville, jazz, blues, rhythm & blues and rock n’ roll — it’s all basically Black, no matter the color of the artist who performs it. But until the 1960s, Black people did not much control their culture, much less profit from it. That all […]
Led Zeppelin is considered by many to be one of the greatest bands in the history of rock music, but their roots clearly lie in the tradition of the blues. Their blues influences got the best of them on a few occasions during their run in the late 60s and 70s. In 1972, the band […]
In 1940, one Black novelist dared to show America what white supremacy did to one Black man. When “Native Son” appeared on America’s bookshelves, it became an instant bestseller, the first title by an African-American author selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club. It also introduced the world to the complicated protagonist of “Native Son,” Chicago’s Bigger […]
A woman who believes “luck is preparation meeting opportunity,” Oprah Gail Winfrey has continuously shattered gender and racial barriers in America. Winfrey is the most successful talk show host in American TV history — male or female, Black or white — and the first female African-American billionaire. As one of the most influential women in […]
