Camilla Ella Williams
Ella Williams was born on this date in 1919. She was a Black operatic soprano. Camilla Ella Williams was born in Danville, Virginia, to Fannie...
Category : Performance
Maria P. Williams
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Maria P. Williams, who, like Tressie Souders, also lived in Kansas City, Missouri, produced, distributed, and acted in her own film, The Flames of Wrath...
Queen Sylvia Embry
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For a period of time in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it appeared that Queen Sylvia Embry was going to emerge as one of Chicago’s leading...
The True Story of Erroll Garner, the First Artist to Sue a Major Label and Win
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It’s not at all unusual for artists to engage in creative or financial differences with their record labels, but only a few end up in...
Memphis Minnie
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Memphis Minnie, known as the “Queen of the Blues,” was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her title stems from her legacy of successfully recording music...
William Edmondson
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William Edmondson was the first black artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York in 1937. He grew...
White Supremacy Tried to Kill Jazz. The Music Triumphed.
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Dodging violent attacks by racist and drunken “fans,” resisting pressure from drug-peddling bosses and inhaling smoke for hours in dank clubs comprised the “common plight”...
Ernest “Ernie” Eugene Barnes, Jr
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Ernest “Ernie” Eugene Barnes, Jr. (July 15, 1938 – April 27, 2009) was an African-American painter, well known for his unique style of elongation and...
Dick Gregory
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Dick Gregory, a comedian, actor, and civil rights activist, was born Richard Claxton Gregory in 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. Gregory’s father left the family...
Sophia Stewart
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The writer of the Terminator and Matrix movies Child prodigy, prolific writer, poet, and creative genius are just a few of the terms used to...