Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith, in full Elizabeth Smith, (born April 15, 1898?, Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.—died September 26, 1937, Clarksdale, Mississippi), American singer, one of the greatest blues...
Category : Performance
Ma Rainey
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Ma Rainey, byname of Gertrude Malissa Nix Rainey, née Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett, (born April 26, 1886, Columbus, Ga., U.S.—died Dec. 22, 1939, Rome, Ga.),...
W.C. Handy
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William Christopher Handy was born on November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. He grew up in a log cabin that his grandfather had built on...
Paul Robeson
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Paul Robeson was a stellar athlete and performing artist. He starred in both stage and film versions of Emperor Jones and Show Boat and established...
Spike Lee
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Spike Lee, byname of Shelton Jackson Lee, (born March 20, 1957, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.), is an American filmmaker known for his uncompromising provocative approach to...
Maya Angelou
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Maya Angelou, original name Marguerite Annie Johnson, (born April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.—died May 28, 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina), American poet, memoirist, and...
Ntozake Shange
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Ntozake Shange, original name Paulette Linda Williams, (born October 18, 1948, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. Shange attended Barnard College (B.A., 1970) and the University of...