George Washington Johnson
The Forgotten Pioneer of Black Recording Artists George Washington Johnson stands as a remarkable yet largely overlooked figure in the history of recorded music. Widely...
Author : joe bodego
Mamie Smith
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Mamie Smith, born on May 26, 1883, made an indelible mark on the music industry as an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. Widely recognized...
How ‘Race Records’ Turned Black Music Into Big Business
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In 1926, a self-taught musician named Big Bill Broonzy found his way to Chicago. A sharecropper turned soldier, he had left Mississippi and headed north...
Carl Van Vechten
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Carl Van Vechten was born on June 17, 1880, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At an early age, he developed an interest in music and theater,...
The Spingarn Medal
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The Spingarn Medal is the highest honor of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Since 1915, it has been awarded annually...
Joel Elias Spingarn
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Joel Elias Spingarn (May 17, 1875 – July 26, 1939) was an American educator, literary critic, and civil rights, activist. Spingarn was born in New...
The Kerner Commission
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In 1967 amidst a surge of riots in American cities, President Lyndon B. Johnson organized a commission chaired by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. to...