Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick sang in a gospel trio before recording her first hit songs, including “Walk on By” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” After a...
Category : Performance
Ashford and Simpson
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Nick Ashford (born May 4, 1942, Fairfield, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born Aug 26, 1946, New York City, New York) have two careers, as...
Patti LaBelle
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Actress and singer Patti LaBelle is widely regarded as the queen of rock and soul music. She has received acclaim for many of her songs,...
B.B. King
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After serving in World War II, Riley B. King, better known as B.B. King, became a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was dubbed...
George Washington Johnson
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George Washington Johnson is one of the most fascinating unsung heroes in recording history. Possibly the first African-American to record, and certainly the first to...
Mamie Smith
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Mamie Smith (May 26, 1883 – September 16, 1946) was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter, widely regarded as the first African American woman...
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,...
Oscar Peterson
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The word “virtuoso” can sometimes be bandied about too freely, but in the case of pianist Oscar Peterson, it is perfectly descriptive yet it’s been...