BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT : AFRO-POP: 255: MLIMANI PARK ORCHESTRA AND REMMY ONGALA
 1902 Langston Hughes, writer/poet, born in Joplin, Mo, USA. The theme of is work was the common man, more specifically the Negro and his pleasures, joys and sorrows. His works include: Weary Blues, Fine Clothes to the Jew, The Dream Keeper, Dear Lovely Death, Shakespeare in Harlem, Fields of Wonder, One Way Ticket and Ask Your Mama. His novels were Not Without Laughter and Tambourines to Glory. For the theatre he wrote Scottsbro Limited and Mulatto; the later work he also staged as an opra, the Berries. He also wrote the biographies: Famous American Negroes and Famous Negro Music Makers. (hear BHPAP 133) (mn-ra)
1939 Joe Sample, member of jazz group The Crusaders born. (mn-jt)
1948 Rick James singer/guitar player born James Johnson in Buffalo, New York, USA (mn)
1956 Dennis Brown, reggae singer born. This Jamaican singer entered the music business while still a child, working for a time with Kingston's well known, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, by this time he was out of his teens, he had performed extensively around the West Indies. His first big hit was 1979's Money In My Pocket. He recorded prolifically in the 1980's. Dies from heart failure 1/7/99 (mn)
1960 First Major sit-in to protest racial segregation, F.W. Woolworth store Greenbro, N.C., USA. (tr-bl)
1971 Michelle Gayle born (singer & actor: eastenders and grange hill). (nationmaster)
1972 Franklin Albert Rose, right-hand bad, right-arm fast bowler for Northamptonshire born in St. Anns Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. County debut: 1998; Test debut: 1996-7; Tests: 10; One-Day Internationals: 13; 50 wickets in one season: 1. (cm-mn)
1991 (In February) In memory of Roland Adams, 15, from Grenwich, south London, attacked by 12-strong gang shouting 'nigger'. Stabbed in throat. Recorded as racially motivated after initial prevarication. Mark Thornborrow given life sentence for murder, 7 others charged with violent disorder (later reduced to minor public offences and given community service orders.) (mn)
1999 C.J. a.k.a. Carl Josephs looses the court case that he brought against the West Midlands Police. The jury of eight, including two black members, voted in favour of the police on nine counts, with four undecided and one in CJ's favour. He receives £1000 compensation for wrongful arrest, with the police paying £600 towards his court costs. The West Midlands Police also asked CJ if they could meet with him at a later date to talk about improving police relations within the black community. CJ was stopped again by police a week later. (mn-cj)
2006 Bobby Moore singer dies, Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.A. R & B singer Bobby Moore has passed away at the age of 75 from kidney failure, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. The Orleans native had Top 40 hits in the mid-1960's with 'Searching For My Love' and 'Try My Love Again'. His son, Bobby Moore Jr., has been playing with his father's group for 40 years and told the newspaper he would continue to keep the name Bobby Moore alive. 'My father didn't just play R & B, he said. He played jazz, rock, country, and I plan to carry on that legacy'. The younger Moore said one of his father's final performances was opening for country music's Alabama at a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Services were scheduled on Wednesday in Montgomery. (soulwalking)
2012 Don Cornelius dies. (6:00 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF) Commits Suicide! Don Cornelius -- who famously created "Soul Train" was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, CA home this morning ... and law enforcement sources tell us it appears he committed suicide. We're told cops discovered the body at around 4 AM PT. Law enforcement sources tell us ... Cornelius died from a gunshot wound to the head and officials believe the wound was self-inflicted. We're told Cornelius was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. "Soul Train" changed the landscape of television when it debuted in 1971 and ran until 2006. Officials have notified Don's family. Cornelius was 75. During Don's bitter divorce proceedings in 2009, he told an L.A. judge he was suffering from "significant health issues" and wanted to "finalize this divorce before I die." Cornelius was arrested in 2008 for beating up his wife. He pled no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence and was placed on 3 years probation. His probation just terminated. The divorce was granted in 2010. Sources close to Don tell us ... the TV icon was plagued with health issues for years ... including a stroke and a condition that required brain surgery. 8:10 AM PST -- Shawn Holley -- Don's lawyer and good friend -- tells TMZ, "This is devastating news. Don was a kind, funny and brilliant man. Even though his many health battles had left him frail, he remained vibrant, courtly and always sharp as a tack." (TMZ/BR)
2012 David Peaston Dies at 54. Peaston, a former schoolteacher, born in St. Louis, won several competitions on the Showtime at the Apollo television show, winning over the audience with a powerful rendition of “God Bless the Child.” Peaston was diagnosed with diabetes and had his legs amputated, forcing him to use prosthesis. (mn/br)
2013 Cecil Womack dies. b. Cecil Dale Womack, (a.k.a. Zekuumba Zekkariyas), 25th September 1947, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. fd. 1st February 2013, Johannesburg, South Africa. The songwriter and performer, Cecil Womack, has died. He was 65.
Cecil passed away in Johannesburg, South Africa. The causes relate to an ongoing complication to a spinal injury he suffered in 2010. His injury was caused whilst the family were in transit in the South of France at the time. Another vehicle, allegedly, intentionally crashed into the rear of their car, with the intention of forcing the vehicle from the road. Cecil had recently returned to Johannesburg for treatment to the worsening injury, which proved to be fatal in time. Along with his brothers (Bobby, Harry, Friendly and Curtis), Cecil was a featured vocalist in the family group the Valentino’s, during the early Sixties. He became a hugely respected songwriter in the following decade, forming his own group (with his wife Linda, the daughter of Sam Cooke) in the Eighties, under the family name Womack and Womack. Cecil was the husband, at one time, of the former Motown Records artist, Mary Wells. With Womack and Womack, Cecil and Linda released ‘Love Wars’, their debut release in 1983. (soulwalking)
2nd. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT: MUSIC OF CENTRAL/EAST AFRICA
256: EAST AFRICAN TAARAD END
Nyahbinghi Iladays. Battle of Adawa (Victory of Good over evil). (tr)
1892 Black Invention: Canopy Frame, Carter Williams. (sc)
1897 Black Invention: Ice Cream Mould and disher, Alfred L. Cralle. (sc)
1915 Ernest E. Just, biologist receives Spingarn Medal for his pioneering research on fertilization and cell division. (tr-iokts)
 1942 James 'Blood' Ulmer, free-funk jazzman, born in St. Matthews, SC, USA. Although taking up the guitar in childhood, between the ages of seven and 13 Ulmer's primary musical activity was as a singer in a gospel group, the Southern Sons. He later recorded with Art Blakey, Larry Young, Joe Henderson and studied with Ornette Coleman from 1974 & '77, and later played in Colman's sextet; Prime Time. (mn-lg)
1956 The Coasters R&B act signed to Atlantic Records. They would score 17 US hits before the end of 1961. (mn-jt)
1956 Aurtherine J. Lucy becomes the first black student to attend the University of Alabama.
1961 Joseph Emmanuel Benjamamin, 6'2", 12.7 Surrey cricketer born. County debut: 1988 (Warwickshire), 1992 (Surrey); County cap: 1993 (Surrey); Test debut: 1994; Tests: 1. (cm-mn)
1971 Chilli in the soul group T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care) born.(mn-tx)
2007 Joe Hunter (a.k.a. Joseph E. Hunter) b. 19th November 1927, Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.A. d. 2nd February 2007, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. Joe Hunter of the Motown house band, the Funk Brothers, has died. He was 79 years old. Born 1927 in Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.A. the pianist died whilst he was trying to take some medicine. Although the cause of death was unknown at press time, Joe was found dead in his Detroit apartment. (soulwalking)
2007 Billy Henderson (Detroit Spinners - b. 8th September 1939, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. d. 2nd February 2007, Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.A.) (complications caused by diabetes)
3rd. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT : SOUL LEGENDS STARTS:
257: GEORGE BENSON (B.2/3/43)
1810 Antonio Ruiz (El Negro Falucho), national hero of Buenos Aires, Argentina, dies for his country.
1870 15th amendment ratified, giving blacks the right to vote. (tr-bl)
1935 Johnny Guitar Watson, singer born in Houston, Texas, USA. (Dies May 17, 1996). (mn-cl)
 1939 Johnny Bristol, soul singer/producer born in Morgantown, North Carolina, USA. Died March 21, 2004 in Howell, Brighton Township, MI. He recorded a one hour programme for PCRL in 1992. (ref: Tape 023) (mn-br-cl)
1943 Dennis Edwards, soul singer/Temptation/keyboards player born today in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Died on Feb. 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. His single on International Soulsville, Johnny On The Spot changes hands for £3,000 (see Record Collector No.145). He also recorded a two-hour programme for PCRL in 1998. (ref Md 926/927 mn-br)
1948 Laura Wheeler Waring, portraitist/illustrator dies. (tr-iokts)
1976 Black Invention: Supercharger, Joseph Gamell receives patent for it's use in the internal combustion engine.
1999 Gwen Guthrie, singer/songwriter dies from cancer, in Orange, New Jersey, she was 48. (mn-echoes) 2024 Aston Francis Barrett, bassist for Bob Marley & Wailers (b22 November 1946 ), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, was a Jamaican musician and Rastafarian. 2007 in an interview he said: “When I’m playing the bass, it’s like I’m singing. I compose a melodic line and see myself like I’m singing baritone.”(mn-tr)
4th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 258: BOBBY 'BLUE' BLAND (27/1/30- )
1822 Free U.S. blacks settle in Liberia, West Africa.
1913 Rosa Parks Mother of Civil Rights , initiator of the Montgomery Alabama bus boycott is born. In 1955 she refuses to give up her seat which sparks a 384 day boycott. Dies 2005.
1944 Florence La Rue, soul singer with the Fifth Dimension born. (mn-jt)
1956 James Brown makes his first professional recording session, Please, please, Please, eventually becomes his first million seller. (mn-cw)
1970 Kevin Campbell, 13 St. 8lbs., 6'1" tall football player for Arsenal and loaned to Leyton Orient/Leicester born, Lambeth, England. (tr)
 1975 Louis Jordan, singer/saxophonist/bandleader dies in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was the dean of the jump blues in the late 1940s and one of the most popular R&B artists of the post-World War II period. Taking a cue from jazz bandleader Cab Calloway, Jordan was much a showman as he was a saxophone player, bandleader, and songwriter. He was blessed with a warm sense humour and the ability to reach beyond traditionally imposed racial barriers in pop music. (mn-rs)
2000 Doris Kenner Jackson, soul singer with the Shirelles, dies from breast cancer in Sacramento, aged 58. (mn-ac)
2007 Barbara McNair dies, b. 4th March 1934, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. d. 4th February 2007, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. The songstress, Barbara McNair has died. She was 72. Barbara made many advances, previously unavailable to Black People during the Sixties, in several area's of the performing arts (soulwalking)
2013 Donald Byrd, Muscian dies . (b. Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, 9th December 1932, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.) d. 4th February 2013, Dover, Delaware, U.S.A. The Jazz trumpeter, band leader and songwriter, was 80 years old. Donald passed away in Delaware on the 4th of February. (soulwalking)
5th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 259: JAMES BROWN (3/5/28- )
1884 Black Invention: Egg-Beater, Willis Jordan. (sc)
1933 Claude King, soul singer born. (mn-jt)
1934 Hank Aaron, major league baseball home-run king, is born. (tr-iokts)
 1941 Barrett Strong singer/writer/producer born in Westpoint, Mis, USA. Died Jan28/2023. He was instrumental in the success of Motown Records, a close friend of Berry Gordy, he wrote, played piano and sang on many of the early singles released by the company. Berry also wrote with Jamie Bradford "Money" for him to record, later a hit for the Beatles. In 1996 he recorded a two hour programme for PCRL, high lighting his career thus far. (ref: MD-918). (mn-br-rt)
1950 Ann Sexton, soul singer born in Greenville, S. Carolina, USA. Married to sax player/singer Melvin Burton. Cousin of Chuck Jackson. (mn-cl)
1969 Bobby Brown, soul singer born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA. A former member of New Edition, Brown emerged in the late 80's as the king of New Jack Swing. Like many of the Genre's stars, Brown is not gifted with either huge ability or personality, yet he has stamped his authority on the dance scene via a series of immaculately presented crossover singles. (mn-cl)
1972 Bob Douglas, owner and coach of the Harlem Renaissance Five football team, elected to the Hall of Fame.
6th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 260: DON BRYANT (1942- )
1916 Bill Doggett, musician born. (mn-jt)
1933 Walter E. Fauntroy, U.S. congressman for the district of Columbia, civil rights leader, and minister, is born in Washington, D.C., USA.(tr-iokts)
1944 Willie Tee, soul singer born Wilson Turbinton in New Orleans. (mn-cl)
 1945 Robert Nester Marley, reggae singer, songwriter, guitarist, percussionist, born in St. Anns, Rhoden Hall, Jamaica.(although his mother records his birth date as 5th April 1945, his passport says 6th April). The son of a British service-man and a local woman. His father left the scene before he was born. Marley released his first single Judge Not at the age of 16 in 1961. He was a devout follower of the Rastafarian religion and the leading light in Caribbean music, he included many religious lyrics in his later recordings.(Dies at age of 35 from cancer in May 1981). (mn)
1950 Natalie Cole singer/pianist and daughter of Nat King Cole born in L.A., USA. Professional debut at the age of 11. Married to her producer Marvin Yancey Jr. She had five No.1's on the R&B charts in the mid-70's. Her father had 6!! (mn)
1960 Jesse Belvin, composer/bandleader/blues balladeer, dies with his wife in car accident, aged 26 in Little Rock, Ark., USA. He wrote 'Earth Angel' for the Penguins one of the biggest doo-wop hits. (mn-rs)
1981 Hugo Montenegro, bandleader/musician dies. He scored the music for the Man From U.N.C.L.E film soundtrack and had a No. 1 UK hit single with, 'The Good The Bad And The Ugly' in 1968. (mn-jt)
1975 Alison Hammond born (uk presenter) (nationmaster)
1989 King Tubby reggae producer, engineer, dub innovator, shot dead outside his house in St. Andrews, far away from the Kingston streets. Nobody was ever caught and nobody's quite sure why it happened. Born Osbourne Ruddock, 1941; Kingston Jamaica. Tubby invented dub, initially it was used for specials or dub plates - custom acetates made exclusively for sound system use. The spaces left in the mix a allowed sound system dj's to rap on, predating US rappers by some years. (mn-lb-tr-cl)
1993 Arthur Ashe, tennis player, humanitarian and activist, dies. First African-American to break into the world of international tennis; but by the time he died of AIDS in 1993 he was equally admired for his humanitarian work. In 1975 he defeated Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon (6- 1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4), becoming the first African-American male to win there. In 1981, after quadruple bypass heart surgery the previus year had ended his tennis career he captained the US Davis Cup Team. His books include A Hard Road To Travel, Portrait in Motion, Off The Court, Illustrated History of African-American in Sports and Advantage Ashe. (tr-iokts-mm-ss)
7th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 261: JERRY BUTLER (1939- )
Independence day - Grenada (from Great Britain)
1817 Fredrick Douglass born. In 1845 he published the autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass a American Slave; its elegant prose astonished readers who knew that he was self taught. The book received enormous attention. (d.1895) (tr-bl)
 1887 Eubie Blake, ragtime pianist James Herbert Blake was born in Baktimore, MD. He learned to play ragtime piano by listening to the music played in the gambling dens. By the time he was 16 years old he wrote his first piano rag called "The Charlton Rag". He met Nobel Sissle and began writing for top nightclub acts. In 1921 they landed in New York with the first Black Broadway musical called "Shuffle Along". James performed until he reached the age of 100. (wikipedia)
1926 Negro History Week, originated by Carter G. Woodson, is observed for the first time. (tr-iokts)
1934 King Curtis, soul saxophonist born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. First established himself after moving to New York where he made a series of jazz albums for Status and Prestige labels. To supplement his income he also recorded sessions with artists including the Coasters, Aretha Franklin, and Sam Cooke. Died 13 Aug/71. (mn)
1943 Harvey Herskowitz of the group The Quotations is born. (mn-jt)
1959 Guitar Slim, blues-man real name Eddie Jones dies. Although he died aged thirty-two, his place in blues history is well assured. Aside from recording The Things I Used To Do, a million-selling hit in 1954, he was an invigorating performer and guitarist whose slashing, volume-heavy sound contained all the essentials that rock guitarists would later employ. (mn-rs)
1966 Chris Rock, comedian born in Andrew, South Carolina, USA (wickpedia)
1987 Simon Defends South African Recording. Singer Paul Simon breaks boycott and aroused the ire of anti-apartheid activists.
1997 Lennox Lewis wins the vacant WBC heavyweight title with a fifth round TKO of Oliver McCall in Las Vegas. Referee Mills Lane stops the fight 55 seconds into the round because of McCall's bizarre behaviour. Instead of throwing punches or defending himself, McCall walked around the ring with his arms at his side, refused to return to to his corner following the end of the third round, and also appeared to be weeping. McCall was in drug rehab while training for the bout. (mn-round)
2006 4 U.S. Presidents At Coretta King Funeral & Some 25,000 mourners, including President Bush and three former U.S. presidents, attended the funeral Tuesday of Coretta Scott King at an Atlanta-area church. People began shuttling to the site at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithona, Ga., 15-minutes outside Atlanta before dawn. King's daughter, Bernice, is a minister at the suburban mega-church. The 78-year-old widow of civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. died Jan. 30 at an alternative medicine clinic in Mexico, where she had sought treatment for ovarian cancer. U.S. President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush and former presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter attended the emotional service. "I have two sets of memories. I have the memories of our personal contacts which were many and interesting when I was president and afterward," said Clinton who was aboard Air Force One with the Bushes and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. "And then of course I have the memories of her when I was a very young man and Dr. King was living and then as she immediately made a decision to carry on his legacy and that work after he was killed." (mn)
2024 Henry Fambrough, Detroit Spinners member dies. (b.10th May 1935, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.) d. 7th February 2024, Sterling, Virginia, U.S.A.
He was the last surviving original member of the (Detroit) The Spinners, has died Henry was 85. He died peacefully of natural causes in his northern Virginia home, said Tanisha Jackson in a statement. The Detroit Spinners was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2023. (mn)
8th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 262: RAY CHARLES (23/9/30- 2004)
1898 Black Invention: Overshoe, Alvin L. Rickman. (sc)
 1928 Eddie Burns, guitar/harmonica player, born, Belzoni, Miss., USA. Died 13 December 2012. A member of the post World War II blues scene in Detroit. He helped John Lee Hooker shape his biting, Delta-influenced blues in the late 1940's and early 1950's with his expressive harp playing and toughened-up guitar accompaniments. (mn-rs)
1941 Otis Leavill, soul singer born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Brought up in Chicago's west side, Leavill came to music through his family's gospel group, the Cobb Quartet. He later formed the short-lived Floats with a childhood friend, Major Lance, and Barbara Tyson. Best remembered for his hit single Love Uprising. (mn-cl)
1944 Harry S. Mc Alpin is the first African American to be accredited to attend the White House press conferences. (tr-iokts)
1965 Joseph B. Danquah, Ghanaian political leader, dies.
1972 Adrian Stewart Rollins, 6'5", 16.10 Derbyshire cricketer is born in Barking, Essex. County debut: 1993; County cap: 1995; 1000 runs in a season: 3. (cm-mn)
1992 U.K. Black Pages 100,000 copies printed and distributed around London, first directory of it's kind in the U.K.
2021 Mary Wilson dies. American vocalist best known as one of the founding members of The Supremes, and its predecessor The Primettes, being in the former group throughout its 63-year history. Born March 6, 1944, Greenville, MS
Died February 8, 2021, Henderson, NV. (dr)V.
9th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 263: THE COMMODORES
1836 James Wharton boxer from London, (born in Morocco), beat Tom Brittan after 4 hours and 4 minute, 200 round, hand-fisted fight! (mn-pf)
1917 Arbee Stidham blues singer born. Hit the road at the age of 13 singing with Bessie Smith. Saved the States label from collapse along with Earl Hooker in 1957 when he joined them. He had a R&B #1 in 1948 with 'My Heart Belongs To You' on Victor 2572. (mn-bd)
1937 Johnny Sayles soul singer born in Winnsboro, Texas, USA. (mn)
 1943 Barbara Lewis, a soul singer who is also multi-instrumentalist and song writer since the age of 9 from south Lyon, Michigan was born on this day. She was discovered by producer Ollie McLaughlin. Her first top 10 pop and soul hit came in 1963 with "Hello Stranger." She followed up with "Puppy Love" in 1964, "Baby I'm Yours" in 1965 and "Make Me Your Baby" also in 1965. In the late 60's she retired from the music business. (wbls.com)
1944 Alice Walker is born. A prominent novelist and poet, Walker was born in Eatonton, Georgia, and attended both Spellman College and Sarah Lawrence, where she received her A.B. in 1965. Before settling in San Francisco she registered voters in Georgia, worked for Head Start program in Mississippi, and worked with the Welfare Dept. in New York. Her early poetry and fiction drew on both her family's history and her own work and travels and already revealed her special concern for the African-American woman's experience. The Color Purple was made into a film staring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldburg and Danny Glover. (ss-tr-iokts)
1947 Major Harris soul singer with Jarmels and Delfonics, later sang solo, born on this day in Richmond, Virginia, USA. (mn)
1951 Dennis Dee Tee Thomas, with soul/jazz group Kool & Gang born. (mn-jt)
1964 Arthur Ashe, Jr. becomes first black on U.S. Davis Cup Team.
1998 Kenneth 'Bam Bam' Weeks, cricketer dies aged 86. (jah-b)
2012 Camilla Williams opera singer dies in Indiana (1919-2012) First black singer to secure US opera company contract dies aged 92. The lyric soprano is best known for being the first black woman to secure a contract with an American opera company, in May 1946. She made her debut at the New York City Opera as Cio-Cio-San, the doomed heroine of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly, and performed other high-profile roles throughout the decade, including Mimi in Puccini’s La bohème and the title role in Verdi’s Aida. On top of her opera career, Williams was an advocate for civil rights – she sang the national anthem at the 1963 civil rights march in Washington before Martin Luther King’s famous 'I Have a Dream&ldots;' speech. She left the opera stage in 1971 and taught at Brooklyn College, Bronx College and Queens College, and later became the first African-American professor of voice at Indiana University. She retired in 1997. Her husband, civil rights lawyer Charles Beavers, died in 1969. From 2002 she lived in companionship with Boris Bazala, her former accompanist, who died last year at the age of 100. She died at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, after suffering from cancer. (Mel Spencer-Music)
10th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 264: SAM COOKE (22/1/31-11/12/64)
1927 Leontyre Price, internationally famous opera singer, born in Laurel, Ms, USA.
 1931 James Edward West, modern microphone inventer (electret type) born in Prince Edward County, Virginia . He attended Temple University and interned at Bell Labs during his summer breaks. Upon his graduation in 1957, he joined Bell Labs and began work in electroacoustics, physical acoustics, and architectural acoustics. James Edward West (along with Gerhard Sessler) patented (#3,118,022) the electret microphone in 1964 while working at Bell Laboratories. (mn)
1934 Manu Dibango, saxophonist, born in Douala, Cameroon, Africa. He settled in Europe as a teenager and was given his first saxophone as a gift from a group of Africans he worked with. He recorded a mixture of jazz and African music since the early '50's, but is best remembered for 'Soul Makosa', originally released in 1973 and popular on the UK jazz funk scene when revamped as a reissue in 1978. (mn-tt/gg-rt)
1937 Roberta Flack soul singer/pianist born in Ashville, North Carolina, USA. She grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where she took piano lessons from the age of nine. Aged fifteen she studied music at Howard University where she began experimenting with her voice and joined a vocal quartet. In 1968 she was overheard by an Atlantic executive and signed to that label that year. Many hit records followed. (mn-rt)
1986 A Glimmer Of Hope For Radio Pirates. Was the headline in The Evening Telegraph. It talks about Cecil Morris and PCRL presenters taking to the airwaves to calm the listeners in the wake of the Handsworth Riots. Read original news clip (mn-et)20
2006 J Dilla dies. Real name, James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer and rapper who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists", working with big-name acts including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, MF Doom, The Pharcyde and Common. Yancey died of the blood disease thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. (wiki)
11th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 265: DON COVEY (3/1938- )
1889 John Mills, singer with The Mills Brothers born. (mn-jt)
 1914 Josh White, folk-blues singer/guitarist, born, Greenville, S.C., USA. (Dies September 5, 1969, Manhasset, N.Y., USA. (mn-rs)
1940 Big Bad Smitty, guitarist/singer, born, John Henry Smith, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. (mn-rs)
1942 Otis Clay soul singer born in Warshaw, Mississippi, USA. (mn) 1942 Leon Haywood born. In the early 60's he played with Big Jay and Sam Cooke. His first hit on the R&B charts was in 1965 "She's With The Other Love". Other chart success are "It's Got To Mellow, "I Want To Do Something Freaky With You", and "Push It Don't Force It." (wbls.com-mn)
1943 Little Johnny Taylor, soul singer born in Memphis, Tennessee. (mn-cl)
1946 Ray Lake of the soul group Real Thing born. (mn-jt)
1950 Rochelle Fleming, soul singer with The First Choice born. (mn-jt)
1958 Ruth Carol Taylor, first Negro airline stewardess in U.S. commercial aviation, makes her first flight for Mohawk Airlines. (tr-bl)
1990 Nelson Mandela released from South African prison after being detained 27 years as a political prisoner. PCRL broadcast it live on Kenny B's program. Many PCRL presenters gathered in the City and phoned-in live. (tape exists)
1979 Brandy, soul singer was born Brandy Norwood in Mc Comb, Mississippi, USA, on this day. (mn-cl)
1981 Destany’s Child’s Kelly Rowland born. (mn)
1997 William Duffus taken very ill. Bill is part of the Birmingham black help group, The Black Family Coalition and writer of the poem Wake up Black Man - Wake Up!, he sometimes helps PCRL's Talk-Back team. (mn)
2001 Motorist Take Police To Court. PCRL's C.J. has hit the headlines again today in the Sunday Mercury. He tell’s the press that he has been stopped by the police another 10 times since his previous court episode when he took the police to court for stopping him 34 times. He his now using the new European Rights Act which came into force last October and is hoping for a better result. (mn-sm)
2009 Estelle Bennet dies. b. Estelle Dong, 22nd July 1941, New York, New York State, U.S.A. d. 11th February 2009, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A. Estelle Bennett, of the female singing group the Ronettes, has passed away. She was 67. Estelle died at her home in Englewood, N.J. Her brother-in-law, Jonathan Greenfield, said police found her dead in her apartment after relatives had been unable to contact her. The details have not yet been determined. Mr. Greenfield is the manager and husband of Bennett's sister, Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector. (soulwalking)
2012 Whitney Elizabeth Houston dies. Born 9th August 1963, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A., Found in the bath at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A. The singer was 48. Whitney died in her hotel room at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in California, following an evening out. There are no causes of death posted at this time. Her mother is the singer Cissy Houston. Her cousins are Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother is Aretha Franklin. (soulwalking)
12th. FEBRUARY
>BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 266: SAM DEES (1945- )
Tony Deadly - PCRL Radio presenter born on this day.
1896 Isaac Burns Murphy, greatest jockey of all time, dies. (tr-iokts)
1900 Pink Anderson, songster & early bluesman, born in Laurens, South Carolina, USA. Died October 12, 1974, Spartanburg, S.C. (mn-sr)
1909 NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), is founded in New York. (tr-bl-mn)
1923 Baby Face Leroy, drummer/guitarist/singer, born, Algoma, Miss. (sr)
1935 Gene Mc Daniels soul singer born in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Died on 29 July 2011 at his house in Maine. (mn)
 1963 Ed Lover, MTV host, from Hollis, Queens, USA, real name Ed Roberts born. Ed Lover is an African American radio personality and former MTV VJ. He is best known for being the co-host of MTV's hip hop music specialty program Yo! MTV Raps with partner Doctor Dre. He had is own dance called the Ed Lover dance that became popular in the 90's. (mn-ms)
1944 Jackie Torrence born. (tr-bl)
1955 South Africa: 2,000 armed police and army re-enforcements forcibly move the first 100 African families from Sophiatown to Meadowland's 'match-box' houses. The best musicians, educationalist's, doctors, lawyers, clergymen and politicians came from Sophiatown (by November 1959 it had been bulldozed to the ground).(mn-drum)
1956 Screaming Jay Hawkins records his seminal I Put A Spell On You in New York for Okeh Records. Dies on the same day 44 years on! (mn-jt)
1964 Cutty Ranks, reggae DJ born, Philip Thomas in Kingston, Jamaic, West Indies. (mn-cl)
1970 Ishman Bracey, blues singer/guitarist, dies, Jackson, Miss, USA. (mn-rs)
1995 A peace agreement ended 19 years of war in Angola, Southern Africa. (mn-tx)
2000 Screaming Jay Hawkins, soul singer/entertainer dies in Paris, France, from multiple organ failure aged 70. The biographer of his book arranged for all of his 57 children to meet on the first anniversary of his death, but only 5 turned up. (Channel 4 programme shown 15/5/01.) (mn-ac)
13th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 267: LAMONT DOZIER (16/6/41- )
1746 Absalom Jones, first black Protestant minister, born.
 1818 Absalom Jones, first African American Episcopal priest to be ordained in the United States, dies. The Negro Church as an institution did not develop until Richard Allen united a scattered group of Methodist churches to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816. Shortly after this, Allen's associate Absolom Jones, organized the first Episcopal Church among Negroes, and James Varick laid the foundation of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. (mn-ss)
1891 Black Invention: Churn, Albert C. Richardson.
1914 ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, was formed in New York City. (nfo.net))
1923 Renaissance, the first black professional basketball team, is organised. (nfo.net)
1941 Blind Boy Fuller né: Fulton Allen, guitar, died in Durham, NC, USA. Age: 33 (nfo.net)
1945 King Floyd, soul singer born, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. First started performing at the age of 11, but his reputation was established by several mid-60s recordings produced by Harold Battiste. Floyd's first major hit came in 1970 with Groove me. Dies 6th March 2006. (mn-jt-cl)
1945 Black Invention: Airplane Mail Loading and Unloading Device, Gus Burton. (sc)
19-- Linda Griner, aka Lyn Roman born. Best remembered for 'Goodby Cruel Love' and early Motown track written/produced by Smokey Robinson. Linda also recorded for Dot & Brunswick in the late 60's. Linda, Mickey Nold & Bill Randal made two programmes for PCRL in the Mid 90's. ( Ref: MD 179). Lin has her own web space at: myspace.com/lindagriner (mn-lg)
1966 Freedom Williams, rapper, b. New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA. Member group: 'C+C Music Factory' (nfo.net)
14th. FEBRUARY
VALENTINE'S DAY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 268: THE DRIFTERS
1893 [Perry Bradford, composer/arranger/producer/pianist, born Montgomery, Alabama, USA. (Died April 20, 1970, New York, NY, USA). (mn-rs)]
1943 Maceo Parker, tenor saxophone player born, Kinston, NC, USA. Best remembered for his work with the JB's, James Brown's studio and touring band for a while. (mn-cl)
 1946 Gregory Hines singer/dancer/actor born on this day. Gregory Oliver Hines (d. August 9, 2003) was an American actor, singer, and dancer, regarded by many as the greatest tap dancer of his generation, and one who transcended the stage. Born in New York City, Hines learned tap dancing as a toddler from his older brother Maurice. When Hines was five years old, he and his brother began dancing professionally, most notably at the Apollo Theater, in Harlem. Hines appeared in such movies as The Cotton Club, White Nights, Running Scared, and Tap. On television, he starred in his own series in 1997 called The Gregory Hines Show, as well as in a recurring role as Ben Doucette on Will & Grace. He earned Tony Award nominations for Eubie, Comin' Uptown and Sophisticated Ladies. Hines won a 1992 Tony for the musical Jelly's Last Jam. He also sang a memorable duet with the late Luther Vandross titled "There's Nothing Better Than Love" in 1986. Hines died of liver cancer at the age of 57 in Los Angeles, California. At the time of his death, he was engaged to bodybuilder Negrita Jayde. In 1990, Hines was with an idol of his, Sammy Davis, as the great entertainer lay dying of throat cancer, unable to speak. After Davis died, a choked-up Hines told the press of how Sammy had made a gesture to him, "as if passing a basketball... and I caught it." It is not known if Hines was able to pass the ball on to anyone, though some people consider Savion Glover, who studied under Hines, may be a suitable contender. (mn-txx-wickpedia)
1961 Platters Sue Mercury Over Lead Singer Row. US vocal group The Platters sued Mercury Records, the label for which they had recorded over 30 hit singles. (mn-jt)
1963 Dwayne Wiggins soul singer with Tony Toni Tone', born in Oakland, Califoria, USA. (mn-cl)
1965 Nana Konadu WBA Bantamweight World Champion Boxer born. Record: 37-3-1 (30). Best wins: Victor Rabonales; Veerapol Sahaprom and Daorung Chuwatana. He lives in Sunyani, Ghana. (mn-ring)
1968 Christopher Clairmonte Lewis, 6'2", 13st Leicestershire cricketer born in Georgetown, Ghana. County debut: 1987 (liecs), 1994 (Notts), 1996 (Surrey); County cap: 1990 (Liecs), 1994 (Notts), 1996 (Surrey); Test debut: 1990; Tests: 32; One-Day Internationals: 53; 50 wickets in one season: 2. (cm-mn)
1989 A petition of 23,800 signatures in support of PCRL legalisation was handed to Birmingham City Council. (mn)
1997 The Daily Mail named five men as the racist killers of Stephen Laurence. (mn-ttx)
1998 Sadam Hassain invites U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to talks to try to avert the out break of war with the Gulf. (mn)
2006 Lyndon David Hall, UK soul singer dies. Tragically passed away at the age of just 31. He passed away due to Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is a form of cancer that affects children and young people in their 20's. Lynden was discovered by the manager of U.K. soul group Loose Ends and was signed to Cooltempo Records. It was there he recorded his debut album 'Medicine 4 My Pain'. He won the 1998 MOBO (Music of Black Origin) for 'Best Newcomer'. In 1999, he was the first U.K. artist ever voted 'Best Male Artist' by the readers of Britain's Blues & Soul magazine. In 2005 he released his third studio album 'In Between Jobs' on the independent label Random Records. For the last 2 years he had been battling this rare form of cancer. Far too young. (mn-soulwalking)
15th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 269: THE FOUR TOPS
1901 Kokomo Arnold a.k.a. Gitfiddle Jim, blues guitarist, born in Lovejoy, Ga,; died November 8, 1968 Chicago, Ill, USA. (mn-sr)
 1941 Brian Holland singer/writer/pianist sang with the Satintones later became part of Motown's biggest production team Holland/Dozier/Holland born today in Detroit, USA.(mn)
1954 Joe Turner records the original and best version of Shake, Rattle, and Roll, which was a big hit for Bill Haley & The Comets. (mn-jt)
1961 U.S. and African nationalists protesting the slaying of Congo Premier Patrice Lumumba disrupt U.N. sessions.
1964 Louis Armstrong's first and only No.1 'Hello Dolly' tops American's Billboard.
1965 Nat King Cole, singer dies of cancer. Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, USA. Highly influential jazz pianist, Cole was the first negro male to attain mainstream acceptance as a popular singer and the first negro to host his own TV show. Since 1955 he had amassed over 50 US hit singles. His daughter Natalie is also a successful singer. (mn-jt)
1968 Henry Lewis is the first African American to lead a symphony orchestra in U.S. (iokst)
1968 Little Walter, harmonica player, dies, Chicago, Ill., USA. Walter suffered a rapid decline during the sixties because of alcoholism, and his resulting decline in popularity only made his habit worse. His life finally ended when he died from injuries sustained in a drunken brawl. (grw-mn)
1984 Britain's First Pirate TV Station. Was the front page headline in the West Indian World newspaper. It tells of Music Master who runs the pirate radio station Radio Star (a foreigner to PCRL) is now broadcasting TV pictures to the south Birmingham area on BBC2's frequency after it closes down at midnight. View original article (mn-wiw)
1998 Audrey Allen from Northfield wins an essay competition set by R.A.C.E (Re-educating Africans after Colonial Education) and reads it live on air on PCRL's 'Talk-back' programme, hosted by Pilot. (mn)
16th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 270: ARETHA FRANKLIN (25/3/42- )
1852 William Scarborough (1852-1926), U.S. lecturer/scholar/linguist born on this day. (mn)
 1916 Bill Doggett, soul singer born. (d.13 November 1996) (mn-jt) DUPLICATE
1923 Bessie Smith makes her first recording, Down Hearted Blues, sells 800,000 for Columbia Records. (tr-iokts)
1934 Ted Taylor soul singer born Austin Taylor in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, USA. (Dies in October 23, 1987, Lake Charles, La., USA. (mn-rs)
1940 Leon Ware, singer/writer/producer born in Detroit. Initially established himself as a songwriter, early success coming his way in 1965 with Got To Have You Back for the Isley Brothers, later for Marvin Gaye with I Want You in 1976. He recorded a 1 hour programme for PCRL in 1996 (ref: MD-907/908). (mn-br)
1956 James Ingram, singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, born in Akron, Ohio, USA. (mn-cl)
1998 Colleen Harris is the first black member of staff to be taken on as press secretary to Prince Charles's household at £35,000 P.A. wage. (mn)
17TH. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 271: MARVIN GAYE (1939-1984)
 1902 Marian Anderson, internationally acclaimed opera singer born in Philadelphia, Pa, USA.
1922 Tommy Edwards, singer born. His big 50's hit was It's All In The Game (mn-jt)
1933 Bobby Lewis, soul singer born. Big 60's hit with Tossin' and Turnin’. (mn-jt)
1938 Mary Francis Berry, first woman to serve as chancellor of a major research university, is born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. (tr-iokts)
1942 Huey P. Newton co-founder of the Black Panther Party born. He was killed in a drug-related shoot-out in 1989. (mn)
1952 Bruce Ruffin, reggae singer born, Bernardo Constantine Balderamus, St. Catherine, Jamaica, West Indies. Ruffin served his vocal apprenticeship in 1968 alongside Pat Kelly, Winston Riley and Junior Menns as the Techniques. He also sang with Morvin Brooks on Travellin' Man, credited to the same group. Biggest hit was Mad About You in 1972. (mn-cl)
1954 Lou Ann Barton, blues singer, born, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. (mn-rs)
1963 Michael Jeicffrey Jordan, basket-ball superstar born. Seven-time scoring leader of The National Basketball Association, Jordan was the most visable and popular African-American athlete of the early 1990's. Erning more than $60 million per year. (mn)
1970 Joe Frazier knocks out Jimmy Ellis to become heavyweight boxing champion. (mn)
1972 Juilian Golding, athlete with Blackheath Club, born in London. Honours: World Bronze 1997 (4x100m); World Junior Gold 1994 (4x100m); European Junior Gold 1993 (4x100m); European U/23 Gold 1997 (200m & 4x100m). Personal best 100m in 10.29 (1997) (mn)
1982 Thelonious Monk, jazz musician dies. Internationally honored for his unique musical voice and enduring compositions - he was a key innovator of modern jazz, and a legend among musicians. (mn-jt-ss)
2001 Khalid Muhammad, leader of the New Black Panthers dies aged 53. Ex-member of the Nation Of Islam. He spoke out about Colonel Gadafi's involvement in the Nation. He visited and spoke the UK in 1996. He organized the Million-Youth March in 1998, he also was a strong influence on the rap-youth. (ac-mn)
2006 Ray Barreto dies in Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.A.. b. 29th April 1929, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. , Percussionist and bandleader Ray Barretto has died. He was 76. Ray worked with many artists including Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Tito Puente, Art Blake, Cannonball Adderley, Red Garland, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard and Cal Tjader. He recorded, 'El Watusi' and 'Los Cueros', although Soul folks will remember fondly his dancer 'Can You Feel It', recorded for the Atlantic imprint in 1978. The parent album featured, Prince Phillip Mitchell and Cissy Houston, with Prince Phillip penning 'What Part Of Heaven Do You Come From?' for the set. Ray was, also, a music director for The Fania All-Stars. (soulwalking) 2021 Ewart Beckford dies (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting. U-Roy is noted for a melodic style of toasting applied with a highly developed sense of timing. (mn)
18th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 272: BERRY GORDY (28/11/29- )
National Independence Day in Gambia.
1931 Toni Morrison Pulitzer Prize-winning author, is born in Lorain, Ohio, USA. (tr-iokts)
 1941 Irma Thomas soul singer born Irma Lee on this day in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, USA. The song Ruler of My Heart is still found on New Orleans juke boxes although it wasn't a commercial hit. (mn)
1934 Bobby Taylor, soul singer born. He discovered Michael Jackson. Taylor made a 1 hour program for PCRL in late 90s. He died in Hong Kong July22/2017 (mn-bt)
1952 Randy Crawford soul singer born Veronica Crawford in Macon, Georgia, USA. Initial success came when she was featured on the Crusaders album Street Life singing the title track in 1979, their biggest hit. Later success as solo artist came only in the UK. (mn)
1965 Doctor Dre, rapper, born Andre Romel Young in Los Angeles, CA, now known as Andre Brown, fromWestbury, Long Island, USA. Dre was offered football scholarships at the University of Southern California, Syracuse and Wagner but chose a local college instead when his father was diagnosed with cancer. (also b. 5/12/63 ref ms) (mn-jf)
1966 Philip Anthony Jason Defreitas, 6', 13.7 Derbyshire cricketer born Scotts Head, Dominica. County debut: 1985 (leics), 1989 (Lancs), 1994 (Derbys); Test debut: 1986-87; Tests: 44; One-day internationals: 103; 50 wickets in one season: 11. (cm-mn)
1977 Damiel Graeme Wilson, right-hand bat, right-arm medium-fast bowler for Essex is born in Paddington, London. County debut: 1996 (one-day), 1997 first class). (cm-mn)
1998 Amistad the Steven Spielberg film about slavery opens in Jamaica where parts of the opening scene are censored due to it being 'too graphic'. (mn)
2009 Snooks Eaglin dies. b. Fird Eaglin Jnr, 21st January 1936, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. d. 18th February 2009, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. Snooks Eaglin (Fird Eaglin Jr.) (aka the human jukebox) passed away on the 18th of February 2009, following treatment for prostate cancer. Born in New Orleans, guitarist and singer, worked with James 'Sugar Boy' Crawford, The Flamingoes, The Wild Magnolias, James Booker, Henry Butler, Earl King, Tommy Ridgley, Ellis Marsalis, Professor Longhair and Smokey Johnson. (soulwalking)2017 2013 Damon Harris singer dies aged 62. (b. Otis Robert Harris Jnr., 17th July 1950, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.) The former Temptations member had been suffering from prostate cancer since the late-90's. Damon took the place of Eddie Kendricks, one of the original lead singers of the Temptations group. He contributed to several albums including 'All Directions' (in 1972), which featured 'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone'. Damon was the lead singer between the years 1971 to 1975. He was only 20-years-old when he joined the group in 1971. Damon, later, formed a Temptations tribute band called The Young Tempts (who were also known as The Young Vandals). He was also a member of the group Impact. As a solo artist, Damon released the album ‘Damon Harris: Silk’ in 1978 for the Fantasy Records imprint. He re-released the album in 1995. He was diagnosed for cancer whilst making a comeback, and in 1997 the Motown Alumni Association started working with Damon on the creation of the Damon Harris Prostate Cancer Foundation in Canton, Michigan. Damon appeared on PCRL playing his Top-Ten favorite songs. He also recorded a life story program with Bill Randle for the station. (mn)
19th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 273: AL GREEN (1946- )
1919 First Pan-African Congress, held in Paris. Organised by W.E.B. Du Bois.
 1940 William Smokey Robinson, singer/producer/writer, born. Best remembered for his 1981 U.K. No.1 hit song Being With You, on Motown Records. Robinson wrote countless hit songs for this label. (mn) 1940 Robert Edward "Bobby" Rogers born (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013) was an American musician and tenor singer, best known as a member of Motown vocal group the Miracles from 1956 until his death on March 3, 2013, in Southfield, Michigan. (mn)
1951 Horace Andy reggae singer, born Horace Keith Hinds in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. He was affectionately renamed Andy as a tribute to Bob Andy, in respect of their mutual song writing abilities, by Coxone Dodd. Horace, also known as Sleepy, has always been a favoured vocalist among reggae fans and his eerie, haunting style has been imitated endlessly by scores of lesser talents over the years.(tr-cl)
1960 Prince Mark D. singer with The Fat Boys born. Busting out of New York's neighbourhood as Disco 3, the group entered the CocaCola/Tin Pan Apple rap contest at Radio City Music Hall in 1983 and blew away the competition, with a recording contract as a prize. (mn-jt-Amcg)
1963 Seal soul singer born Sealhenry Samuel, Paddington, London, England. Seal strikes an imposing figure - six-foot-plus, shaved head, odd facial scars, swathed in black leather. His music is only slightly less imposing. (mn-av)
20th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 274: ISAAC HAYES (1942- )
 1860 George Polgreen Bridgetower professional violinist dies at Peckham in humble circumstances. George Polgreen Augustus Bridgetower was the son of a West-Indian servant of the Hungarian Prince Esterházy (Joseph Haydn's patron) and of a Polish domestic servant. He exhibited considerable talent in his childhood; giving successful concerts in England in 1789. In 1791 the British Prince Regent (later George IV) took an interest in him, and oversaw his continuing musical education. In 1803 Bridgetower went on a concert tour to Vienna, where he performed with Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was impressed, and dedicated his great Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major to Bridgetower, with the goodheartedly mocking dedication Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico. After the two had given the piece's first public performance Beethoven and Bridgetower quarrelled, Bridgetower having insulted a woman who turned out to be Beethoven's friend; Beethoven broke off all relations with Bridgetower and changed the dedication of the new violin sonata to the violin virtuoso Rudolphe Kreutzer — the piece is now known as the Kreutzer Sonata. Bridgetower stayed in Austria for a period, before returning to England. There he married and continued his musical career, teaching and performing. He performed with the Royal Philharmonic Society orchestra. Bridgetower's own compositions include Diatonica armonica for piano, published in London in 1812 and Henry: A ballad, for medium voice and piano, also published in London. A list of his compositions may be found in Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 1990, in an article by Dominique-Rene de Lerma. (mn-pf)
1895 Frederick Douglas, editor of the North Star, dies in Washington, D.C. In 1847 Frederick Douglas and Martin R. Delaney start the Nort Star, an anti-slavery paper. In 1845 Frederick Douglas published the autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave; its elegant prose astonished readers who knew that Douglas was self-taught. The book received enormous attention and, fearing that a bounty hunter might capture him and return him to his master, Douglas sailed for England, where he lectured widely and earned enough money to purchase his freedom when he returned to the US in 1847. Settling in New York, Douglas embarked on a career as an editor of the North Star, from 1847-1851, when he changed its name to Frederick Douglas Paper. (mn-ss)
1900 Black Invention: airship J.F. Pickering patents it.
1927 Sidney Poitier, Oscar-winning dramatic star was born of West Indian parents in Miami, Florida, USA. He has been hailed as a breakthrough star whose acclaimed performances, which consciously defied previous racial stereotyping, gave a new dramatic credibility for Black actors to mainstream film audiences in the Western world. He was born in Miami, Florida to Bahamian parents and grew up in poverty on Cat Island in the Bahamas. His breakout role was that of one of a classroom of incorrigible high school students in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. Remarkably, nobody seemed to notice Poitier was 27 at the time of filming. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1963 film Lilies of the Field and was the first actor of African descent to win this award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II (by right and recommendation of his Bahamian citizenship) in 1974. In 2000 he received the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and in 2002 he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (mn-wicki)
1937 Nancy Wilson, soul/jazz singer born in Chillicothe, Ohio, USA. First hit record was 'Save your love for Me' with Cannonball Adderley in 1962. She put 33 albums on the chart between 1962-77. (mn-jt)
2014 Floyd Taylor dies in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.(b. Floyd Singletary, 25th January 1954, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. He's the son of the Soul singer Johnnie Taylor aged sixty. The news was passed on by a family friend. Floyd had recently been touring, and was due to play in Merrillville, Indiana next month. He was one of four brothers and two sisters, and also had a family of his own (consisting of two boys and two girls). Born in Chicago in 1954 to Mildred Singletary, Floyd was once a member of a rock group called the Peace Band in 1973. The group remained together until 1976, after which he toured with his fathers group. During the 80’s Floyd submitted some of his own songs to various record companies. Some of the companies turned him down, as he sounded too much like the singer, Johnnie Taylor! After he landed a deal with Malaco Records, Floyd, subsequently
toured with many major artists including Natalie Cole, Tavares' The
O'Jays, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Johnnie Guitar Watson, Bobby
Womack, Bobby Bland, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, Buddy Guy, Otis Clay,
and Bobby Rush. Floyd released 4 albums during his career, two for Malaco, one
for CDS Records, along with his final album for Aistia Records, entitled
’Shut Um Down’. The latter album featuring Floyd’s own take on his fathers evergreen song ‘What About My Love?’. (soultracks)
21st. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 275: HOLLAND/DOZIER/HOLLAND
Former PCRL presenter 'F.X.' born today. (Premier & Fx)
1896 The first fee-paying cinema show takes place at the Polytechnic in Regent Street in London. Exactly one-hundred years later on this same day a screening takes place at the National Film Theatre in London that included a short film 'The Wandering Negro Minstrels' filmed in 1896, it shows a half dozen black-face minstrels busking on a London street. For just 45 seconds they sing, dance and play banjos, tambourines and bones to the delight of a group of working-class men. (mn-sb)
1903 Scapper Blackwell, urban blues guitarist, born, Francis Blackwell, Syracuse, S.C., USA. (Dies October 7, 1962, Indianapolis, Ind, USA.)
 1933 Nina Simone singer/songwriter born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North Carolina, USA. Famous for her 1959 recording of I loves You Porgy, Simone took up the cause of civil rights and expatriated herself in angry protest over the treatment of African-Americans in the U.S. Simone wrote the songs Young Gifted and Black and Four Women. Dies 2003. (mn-ss)
1936 Barbara Jordan, born. (tr-bl)
1960 Isaac Julian, UK film director born. A key figure in the film and video workshop movement of the early 1980s, Isaac Julien is now a leading international film and video artist, producing work for cinema, television and art galleries. He was born in London's East End on 21 February 1960, one of five children of parents who migrated to Britain from St Lucia: his mother was a nurse, his father a welder. He attended local schools, and in his teens was involved with Four Corners Films, the Newsreel Collective, and the London Youth Dance Theatre. In 1983, while studying fine art and film at St Martin's School of Art, he co-founded Sankofa, a film and video collective dedicated to developing an independent black film culture in the areas of production, exhibition and audience. Under the aegis of the ACTT Workshop Declaration, Sankofa was funded by, among others, the Greater London Council and the British Film Institute. Julien co-directed Sankofa's highest-profile production, The Passion of Remembrance (co-d. Martina Attille/Robert Crusz/Nadine Marsh-Edwards, 1986), a film inspired by the idea of reconstructing a black political history which recognises the difficulty of reclaiming a past based upon unproblematic notions of identity. At this point, he was already stressing the importance of addressing questions of sexuality and gender in tandem with issues of race and class; and in his next film, Looking for Langston (1989), a meditation on the Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, he explores black masculinity alongside questions of pleasure and sexuality. Julien has said that music is the only space for a discourse that simultaneously addresses black sexuality, desire and pleasure; and the BFI-funded feature Young Soul Rebels (1991) both explores the tensions between politics and pleasure for his generation of British-born blacks and celebrates that generation's contribution to an interracial youth culture, and the centrality of soul music to that moment. In the early 1990s, Julien worked mainly in television and music video: productions from this period include a four-part series for US television, The Question of Equality (1995) and a music video for Des'ree, Feel So High (1991). More recently he has moved into gallery and museum-based work, with installation pieces including Trussed (1996); The Conservator's Dream (1999); Vagabondia (2000); and the triple-screen version of The Long Road to Mazatlan (1999), which was shortlisted for the 2001 Turner Prize. Alongside his work as a filmmaker, he holds visiting professor and research posts at Harvard University and Goldsmiths College, London. Running through all Isaac Julien's work is a commitment to examining the politics of sexuality, masculinity and blackness through the distinctive pleasures of the moving image. Informed as it is by a complex multilayering of ideas, his work is always aesthetically pleasing as well as intellectually and emotionally challenging. (bfi-brit film inst)
1965 Al Haji Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X) shot dead in Harlem (at the age of 39), New York (best known for his teachings of self determination for black people) He was a longtime spokesman for the Nation of Islam. He was also founder of the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. During his life, Malcolm went from being a street-wise Boston hoodlum to one of the most prominent black nationalist leaders in the United States. As a militant leader, Malcolm X advocated black pride, economic self-reliance, and identity politics. He ultimately rose to become a world renowned African American/Pan-Africanist and human rights activist. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City on February 21, 1965 on the first day of National Brotherhood Week. (wickpedia/mn)
1965 Shirley Slaughter, soul singer born in Philadelphia, USA. (mn)
1972 Buccaneer reggae DJ, real name Andrew Bradford born in Kingston Jamaica, West Indies. In the days of slavery Jamaica was considered to be a pirates' haven, and the notorious smuggler Henry Morgan was elevated to Governor General in the then Capital, Port Royal. The island's dubious past was acknowledged by the DJ known as Buccaneer, whose appearance was enhanced with an eye-patch and bizarre hairstyle featuring a bleach ring. (tr-rr-cl)
1999 In memory of Sheldon Anton Bobb, 21, from Lewisham, south London, found suffering from head injuries outside his home; died in Lewisham hospital of shock and haemorrhaging. Racist attack not ruled our by police. (mn)
2001 Bob Marley and Sammy Davis, Jr. receive Prestigious Lifetime Achievement awards, posthumously at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. (mn-voice1/2/01)
2013 Cleotha Staples, singer dies aged 78. (b. Cleotha ‘Cleedi’ Staples, b. 11th April 1934, Drew, Mississippi, U.S.A.) (d. 21st February 2013, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.) The Staples Singers vocalist Cleotha ‘Cleedi’ Staples has died. One of the founding members of the gospel group, Cleotha had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for the last decade. She passed away at home on the 21st of February 2013. The Staples Singers played a large role in brining the Gospel message into the mainstream of music across the previous 5 decades. Cleotha was the oldest child of Staple Singers leader Roebuck 'Pops' Staples and Oceola Staples. She was enrolled into the family group, initially with her sister Mavis and brother Pervis. Following a successful period during the 1950's, the Staples Singers played a large part in the Civil Rights Movement during the Sixties, performing alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on many occasions. In 1968, Cleotha’s sister, Yvonne, replaced Pervis in the group, whilst the group moved into a more secular musical environment. The Staples released eight top-20 singles, including 'I’ll Take You There' (in 1972) and, the Curtis Mayfield penned, 'Let’s Do It Again' (in 1975). In 1999, Cleotha was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Staple Singers. The group continued to play concerts until 2000, when Pops Staples died at the age of 85. Mavis still pursue's a solo career. (soulwalking)
22nd. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 276: WHITNEY HOUSTON (1963- )
1841 Grafton Tyler Brown, one of California's first African American painters, is born. (tr-iokts)
1950 Julius "Dr. J. Erving", USA basketball star born.
 1936 Ernie K-Doe, soul singer born Ernest Kaydor Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Died .Ernie K-Doe scored one of the biggest hits (possibly the biggest) in the history of New Orleans R&B with "Mother-in-Law," a humorous lament that struck a chord with listeners of all stripes on its way to the top of both the pop and R&B charts in 1961. The song proved to be K-Doe's only major success, despite several more minor hits that were equally infectious, yet he remained one of New Orleans' most inimitable personalities. (mn-jt-cl)
1938 Bobby Hendricks, singer with The Drifters born. (mn-jt
1943 Loise Lopez, singer with Odyssey born. First formed as the Lopez Sisters (Carmen, Lillian, and Louise) in 1968, Carmen dropped out and Tony Reynolds (a Manilla native) joined to form Odyssey. After performances in New York clubs, they hit it big in 1977 with the soft disco cuts "Native New Yorker" and "Easy Come, Easy Go." Their music had a subtle Caribbean feel, and while their U.S. hits soon dried up, they had a few more hits in the U.K. before the group fell apart. (mn-jt)
1963 Devon Eugene Malcolm 6', 2", 15st Northamptonshire cricketer born in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. County debut: 1984: (Derb), 1998 (Northps); County cap: 1989 (Derbys); Test debut: 1987; Tests: 40; One-Day Internationals: 10; 50 wickets in one season: 6. (cm-mn)
1976 Original Supreme Flo Dies In Poverty. The death of Florence Ballard, the original lead singer of Motown's hugely successful female vocal trio, The Supremes, was a tragedy. Since her forced departure from the group in 1967 in her search of a solo career, Ballard had reached rock bottom. (mn-jt)
1995 PCRL's Cee Jay appears on Here & Now, a BBC1 documentary programme broadcasted at 7.30 pm, investigating the alarming statistics that people from the ethnic minorities are five time more likely to be stopped-and-searched by the police than "whites". (mn-cj)
1997 Isabelle Lucas dies aged 69. Probably the most well known Black British actress. Known a Pearl in 70's T.V. show The Fosters and later stared in Desmonds. (mn)
23rd. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 277: THE IMPRESSIONS
1868 Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois born in Gt. Barrington, Mas, USA. He was an author/historian/sociologist/philosopher/poet/leader/radical/apostle of peace and a prophet. (dies 11:40 pm 27.9.1963). (mn)
1949 Larry Demps, singer with the Dramatics born. (mn-cl)
 1953 Big Maceo, blues pianist, dies, Chicago, Ill, USA. Big Maceo Merriweather was a rising star whose time was dramatically taken from him much too early. His legacy continues though and may be heard in the playing of most Blues pianists today. "Worried Life Blues" also keeps his flame alive; artists such as Eric Clapton, have made the song a staple of their live repertoires. It as become one of those standards that almost every band worth a lick must know, and has been forever immortalized by The Blues Foundation as an entry within its Hall of Fame. (mn-rs)
1991 Whitney Neck and Neck with Madonna. Nine U.S. No.1's in under six years for Whitney Houston. (mn-jt)
1995 Melvin Franklin singer and original member of soul group the Temptations dies. Born on the 12, October 1942 in Montgomery Alabama. He joined the Distants in 1959 who 3 years later would merge with the Primes to become the Elgins, who then became the Temptations when joining Berry Gordy's Motown label. His was regarded by many as the greatest bass singer of all time. He remained with the Temptations until his untimely death after serious health problems. Melvin was the heart and soul of the Temps and has left a void that can never be filled. Fellow Temptation member Ron Tyson said of Melvin "It's not just the Temps that will never be the same, the world will never be the same". (br)
1999 'No Charges to Follow Death Of Black Remand Inmate' Read the headline in the Guardian newspaper. No charges are to be brought against seven prison officers. No one will give evidence in support of Alton Manning who was murdered by one or all seven prison officers. His family have issued a high court rit against the Home Office and UKDS claiming damages. (mn-gaurd)
1999 Kenya G does her first programme on PCRL, playing soca music. When she returned to the West Indies PCRL held a on air party for her. (mn)
24th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 278: THE ISLEY BROTHERS
[BILL RANDLE - MEMBER OF MICKEY NOLD'S CONSORTIUM BORN]
1811 Daniel A. Payne, clergyman, historian, and first African American college president, is born. (tr-iokts)
 1933 David Fathead Newman, tenor/baritone/soprano saxophone player and flutist, born Dallas, Texas, USA. In the early 50's he toured with Texan blues guitarist T-Bone Walker and recorded the classic Reconsider Baby with Lowell Fulson in 1954. For the next 10 years he was part of the Ray Charles Orchestra. (mn-cl)
1966 Military Leaders oust Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana while on a peace mission to stop the Vietnam War.
1988 Memphis Slim, important blues pianist, aka Peter Chapman, dies, Paris, France. Chapman was an important blues pianist and composer whose recordings in the 1940's helped connect the Chicago "Bluebird" sound of the 1930's with that of the early post-World War II period. His piano style was influenced by other great blues pianists such as Roosevelt Sykes and Speckled Red and included elements of boogie-woogie and traditional blues. Among Slim's most popular songs was the classic Everyday I Have The Blues, which was a big hit for Joe Williams and the Count Bassie Band in 1955. (mn-rs)
1999 And The Racist Killings Go On Read the front page headline of the Guardian newspaper. They remembered 25 other racist murders since 1991 along with Stephen Laurence that hadn't registered so loud. 14 of these had been in the London era; one in Birmingham and of the total 13, had been Asian men. (mn)
25th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 279: GEORGE JACKSON (1946- )
1870 Hiram Revels becomes first black U.S. Senator. He was born of free parents in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He studied at a number of collages and seminaries and became an ordained minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore in 1845.
 1937 Andrew Brown, blues guitarist, born, Jackson, Miss, USA. He was an underrated and under appreciated blues guitarist and singer whose small body of recorded work shows flashes of brilliance, as well as inspiration from the likes of Freddie King, Magic Sam, and Little Milton. Although he cut a small batch of singles in the early 60's, most notably "You Better Stop", Can't Let You Go and You Ought to Be Ashamed for the Four Brothers Label he could not ern a living from it, and after a heart attack/back injury he retired from his steel mill job. (Dies December 11, 1985, Harvey, Ill, USA). (mn-rs)
1964 Muhammad Ali defeats Sonny Liston to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.
1973 Peter Ndlovu, 5'8", 10.2 footballer born Buluwayo, Zimbabwe. International Honours: Zimbabwe: 20. (bh-mn)
1978 Daniel "Chappie" James, first African American four-star general, dies in Colorado Spings, Colorado, USA. (tr-iokts)
1994 "Jersey" Joe Walcott, welterweight boxing champion dies in Ohio, USA. (tr-iokts)
1997 [William "Hoss" Allen dies in Nashville, Tennesse, USA] He introduced 'The Beat' show on TV] He was a music publisher/producer/drummer/radio DJ/presenter. Born Gallatin, Tenn, Feb 25, 1922. His radio career started at WHIN in 1948, the WLAC in 1949. He was instramental in the careers of James Brown and Otis Redding. WLAC transmitter was 50,000 watts and was heard from Jamaica to Asaska. (mn)
1999 The Stephen Laurence memorial plaque is vandalized for the second year running. (mn)
1999 Cynthia Schloss, reggae singer dies. A product of the Merritone Amateur Talent series, Cynthia “Cyndi” Schloss burst on the music scene in 1972. She gave us hits like: ‘Surround Me With Love’, ‘You Look Like Love’, Love Forever’, and earned the title: “Songbird”. In this creative tribute, Errol Dale Bean grapples with Schloss’ sudden death, presents her as an embodiment of love, and argues convincingly that she is worthy of emulation. Illustrated with splendid photographs and loaded with glowing tributes from Winston Blake, Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffith, Pam Hall, Freddie McGregor, Norma Brown – Bell, Bunny Goodison, Ernie Smith, Dr. Olive Lewin and The Jamaican Folk Singers, Richard “Richie B” Burgess, Deon Mattis and many others, this book is a collector’s item. But there is much more. There are love bytes, nuggets for loving, specials for Cyndi, slices of friendship, plus philosophical, poetic and plain talk about love and friendship. So, to the fountain of love&ldots; Bean is a fellow artiste. He has released his first album entitled 'Beyond the Rhythm' late last year. (jah-b/reggaetimes)
26th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT: JAMAICAN HERO
280: SAMUAL SHARPE
 1887 Fard Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam, is born. Wallace Fard Muhammad (1877-1893? – after 1934) was a preacher and founder of the black nationalist movement the Nation of Islam (NOI), establishing its first mosque in Detroit. He preached his distinctive version of Islam there for three years before mysteriously disappearing in 1934. Alternative names on record are numerous: Wali Farad, Farrad Mohammed, W.D. Fard, and F. Mohammed Ali. Within the NOI he is generally known as Master Fard Muhammad. (wickpedia)
1926 Theodore "Georgia Deacon" Flowers becomes the first black middleweight boxing champion of the world.
1928 Fats Domino born Antoine Domino, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. A classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. He was the best-selling African-American singer of the 1950s and early 1960s. Domino is also a pianist with an individualistic bluesy style showing stride and boogie-woogie influences. His congenial personality and rich accent have added to his appeal. He was air-lifted from his home after the New Orleans flood/Hurracane Katrina of 2005. (mn-jt)
1966 Andrew Brimmer becomes the first African American governor of the Federal Reserve Board. (tr-iokts)
1967 Vuyani Bungu IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion Boxer is born. Record: 32-2 (18). Best wins: Kennedy McKinney; Felix Camanacho and Jesus Salud. He lives in East London, South Africa. (mn-ring)
1970 Fitzroy Simpson, 5'7", 10.7 footballer born in Bradford on Avon. International Honours: Jamaica: 21. (cm-mn)
1971 Erykah Badu, soul singer born, Erica Wright, Dallas, Texas, USA.American R&B/hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. She is best known for her singles "You Got Me," her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs "Tyrone", "Next Lifetime", "On & On", and "Clevah." Her lyrics are highly personal urban philosophy which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound. Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul, nouvelle-soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holliday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with Maxwell and D'Angelo in musical genre. Badu dropped her "slave name" "Erica Wright" in favor of "Badu", which she reports is Arabic for "to manifest truth." She has performed with roots rock reggae musician and singer Burning Spear. Badu has a son named Seven with actor and ex-boyfriend, Andre 3000 of Outkast fame. On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma, in her Dallas home; the father is reportedly rapper The D.O.C.. Badu appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. (dd-wickpedia)
1977 Bukka White, traditional Delta blues man, dies. Bukka White (or Booker T. Washington White, probably born November 12, 1909, near Houston, Mississippi died February 26, 1977) was a delta blues guitarist and singer. He gave his more famous cousin B.B. King his first guitar, a Stella. Bukka himself is remembered as a player of National Steel guitars. He first recorded for the Victor label in 1930, and nine years later recorded for folklorist Alan Lomax. Bob Dylan covered his song "Fixin' to Die Blues", which aided his 'rediscovery' and propelled him onto the folk revival scene of the 1960s. (rs-wickpedia)
1983 Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Rewrites Record Book. The most successful album of all time by it reached the No.1 spot in every Weston country and received 12 Grammy nominations, winning a total of seven. (mn-jt)
1990 Cornell Gunter, soul singer with The Coasters dies.The Coasters were an American doo wop and early rock and roll group, evolving from The Robins, a Los Angeles based doo wop group. After The Robins signed with Atlantic Records (1955, after the chart success of "Smokey Joe's Cafe"), the group split up. Carl Gardner (tenor) and Bobby Nunn (bass) formed The Coasters. (mn-jt)
1998 Oprah Winfrey wins £10 million battle over mad cow disease claims. A jury decided not to believe the U.S. beef industry when she vowed "never to eat another burger" during a show about Britain's BSE problems. (mn-sun)2014
2014 Frank Reed dies. (b. Frank Kevin Reed, 16th September 1954, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A. - d. 26th February 2014, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.) The recent lead vocalist for the group, the Chi-Lites, Frank Reed, has died. He was 59. His death was announced on Facebook by his brother Myles Reed, Jr. on the 26th of February 2014. Frank joined the Chi-Lites in 1988. He was brought in to succeed the late Eugene Record in the group. Frank joined Marshall Thompson, Robert "Squirrel" Lester, and Anthony Watson Tto continue the classic group’s legacy. Anthony Thompson had previously replaced Frank in the past. Frank sang lead on the album ‘Help Wanted (Heroes Are In Short Supply)’ in 1998. Previously, Frank had sung lead vocals in the local Chicago based group Michigan Avenue. (soulwalking)
27th. FEBRUARY
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 281: GLADY'S KNIGHT & PIPS
1844 Dominican Republic regains its independence, this time from the Haitians.
1883 Black Invention: Hand Stamp, William B. Purvis receives patent. (sc)
1902 Marian Anderson, world renowned opera singer and civil rights advocate, is born in Philadelphia, Pa, USA. She was an African-American contralto (same range as alto), best remembered for her performance on Easter Sunday, 1939 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The concert, which commenced with a dignified and stirring rendition of "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)", was arranged by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes after the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) banned Marian from singing in Constitution Hall because of her race. As a result of the furor over the DAR's refusal to allow Anderson to sing there, thousands of DAR members, including Eleanor Roosevelt resigned, and just four years later the DAR invited Anderson to sing at a benefit for the American Red Cross. (tr-iokts)
1923 Dexter Gordon, jazz musician is born in Los Angeles, USA (d. April 25, 1990) . Nominated for his part in Around Midnight as a alcoholic saxophonist. One of the outstanding tenor sax's in jazz, Gordon's early influences gave him a deeply felt appreciation of swing. His widow Maxine donated all his things (7,000 items) to the Library Of Congress in 1999. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. From 1940 to 1980, Gordon played with such jazz greats as Lionel Hampton, Tadd Dameron, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong and Billy Eckstine. He also played with the Fletcher Henderson band in Los Angeles for a few weeks in 1947. A famous photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon smoking a cigarette during a set at the Royal Roost in New York City in 1948 is one of the more iconic images in the history of jazz. (wickpedia)
1942 Charlayne Hunter-Gault journalist born. Career began in 1961 when she observed the journalists covering a story as she and Hamilton Holmes became the first African-American students to integrate the University of Georgia (A.B. 1963). Read: In My Life (1992).(tr-bl-ss)
1980 Bobby Valentino, soul singer born Robert Wilson in Los Angeles, USA. He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Valentino first entered the music scene in 1996 with the now-defunct youth quartet Mista. Some years after Mista disbanded, he enrolled in Clark Atlanta University where he majored in Mass Communications, graduating in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is currently signed with Island Def Jam music imprint and is a member of Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace label. His first single, 2005's "Slow Down", from his self-titled debut album became a top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, receiving a huge amount radio and TV airplay. In 2005, he also joined other R&B/hip-hop acts including Bow Wow and Omarion on the Scream 4 Tour. Valentino released a second single from his debut album titled "Tell Me". Rumour has it that Bobby will shortly have to change his name, following threats of legal action from the UK violinist of the same name, whose 25+ year career includes credits with the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Mike Oldfield, Nick Lowe, Billy Bragg and many, many more. (wickpedia)
1983 Una Winifred Atwell, pianist, dies from heart attack in Sydney, Australia. Guardian obituary read: Miss Atwell, always more extrovert on stage than off, had lived as a virtual recluse except for playing the organ at the local church every Sunday, occasionally appearing at working men's clubs and very rarely doing a concert at Sydney Opera House. Though never a black activist, Miss Atwell made her anti-congregational views known on a memorable tour of Australia in 1961 - when she said she was infuriated by the exclusion of aborigines from her concerts. She asked the management of one theatre to leave th doors open so the aborigines could at least listen from the street. (mn-sb)
1988 Debi Thomas, figure skater, becomes the first black to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.
1991 Godfather of soul James Brown was paroled after spending over two years in Prison of a six year sentence imposed for resisting arrest after a car chase across two states, carrying a gun and persistent drug abuse. He immediately announced plans for a new album. (mn-jt)
2006 John La Rose veteran political and cultural activist , 78, who died of a heart attack . The writer and publisher, born in Trinidad in 1928 was the founder – in 1966 – of New Beacon Bookshop in Finsbury Park, London. New Beacon Books have provided a service to individuals, libraries, schools and colleges and universities ever since. His partner had taken him to Whittington Hospital in Highgate after he had complained of chest pains. La Rose was also an influential poet and cultural critic for over 50 years, both in the Caribbean and in England. He had been General Secretary of the West Indian Independence Party in Trinidad prior to immigrating to England. During the 1960s and 1970s he co-founded the Caribbean Artist Movement, the Caribbean Education and Community Workers Association, the Black Parents Movement and the George Padmore Institute. Prof. Norman Girdman paid tribute to the writer and publisher, who he described as ‘a radical who was dedicated to the West Indies and to West Indian regionalism’. Phyllis Knight, who studied Caribbean Studies at the University of North London and knew La Rose said that he had ‘lived his beliefs’ and had made a ‘tremendous contribution to the West Indies and to its Diaspora’. She said that the New Beacon Bookshop had ‘greatly influenced and assisted students and academics interested in the Caribbean and that the Bookshop’s Archives were an invaluable resource’.She added: ‘Although his death was a great loss he has left a solid legacy’. Professor Jean Stubbs, Director of the Caribbean Studies Centre, who knew the anti-colonialist and supporter of Caribbean unity since 1981 acknowledged that New Beacon Bookshop had been and continued to be ‘the backbone of Caribbean Studies’. Isaac Saney a Canada-based Trinidadian academic and writer said that John La Rose was known in Canada to anti-racists and to those interested in Pan-Caribbean issues, where his activities in publishing, community activity and aspirations for the unity of the region - were seen as a model. Dr Les Henry a lecturer at Goldsmiths College in south London paid tribute to the role La Rose had played over decades in the emergence of black academics in Britain and described his death as a ‘big loss’, but added that his ‘light was still shining on us all’. (new nation)2013 Richard Street Dies. b. Richard Allen Street, 5th October 1942, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
2013 Richard Street dies at 70. (d. 27th February 2013, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.) of the groups, the Monitors and the Temptations. He had suffered a pulmonary embolism whilst in hospital. Richard was was married to The Velvelettes' lead singer Carolyn Gill between 1969 and 1983. As a youngster, he aspired to become a professional athlete. In 1955, Richard joined the group the Distants, a group whose line up also included the Temptation members, Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. He also vocally coached the Supremes in their early days. Richard later moved on to sing i the group, the Monitors. When the Monitors went their separate ways, Richard began working in the quality control group at the Motown label. He became a key figure in the line up of the Temptations throughout the Seventies and Eighties, leaving the group in 1993. Richard contributed to many of the Temptations most famous recordings, including 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone', 'Heavenly', 'Aiming At Your Heart' and 'Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)'. He also toured on occasion with the recently departed Damon Harris and worked with Damon in bringing awareness to cancer diagnosis and treatment. (soulwalking)
28th. FEBRUARY
PCRL PRESENTER 'RAS TEE' BORN
BLACK HEROES PAST & PRESENT 282: MARTHA & VANDELLAS
 1943/4 Barbara Acklin, soul singer/songwriter born in Chicago, USA. Her cousin, Monk Higgins got her a job at St. Lawrence Records initially as a secretary and she later made records. Her most popular song was Love Makes A Woman on Brunswick records 1968. (d. Jan, 1999) (mn)
1945 General Crook, soul singer born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, USA. Raised in Chicago from 1963 he was one of the many artists of the late 60's and early 70's who, in the footsteps of James Brown, began forging the new funk style of soul music. He recorded a nice album on for Wand Records in 1974, since then he has mainly produced music.(mn-cl)
1948 Sergeant Cornielius Adjetey becomes the first martyr for national independence in Ghana.
1957 Ainsley Harriot (celeb chef) born (nationmaster)
1977 Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, actor and comedian dies. (tr-iokts)
1984 Michael Jackson wins seven Grammy Awards. (mn-jt)
1984 [Joe Vann, of group The Duprees dies]. [Italian/US group] (mn-jt)
1995 Scientific research to commence on Dounne Alexander's 'Gramma's' miracle cancer cure.
2004 Versle Eugene Allison singer dies, GENE ALLISON wisely shortened and simplified his name as he took up singing. He was born in Pegram, TN on 29 August 1934, and like so many of his contemporaries cut his musical teeth in the churches in Nashville where he and his brother LEVERT were brought up. His vocal abilities were such that he started performing with gospel groups like the Fairfield Four and the Skylarks before local record man Ted Jarrett took him to Bradley’s Barn studios to cut the uplifting and enduring “You Can Make It If You Try” in 1957. Rather than put it out himself, Jarrett leased this compelling side to Vee Jay for national distribution and it went top 5 R & B. This wasn’t Allison’s first record by any means – he’d already had 6 R & B singles on various Jarrett concerns like Calvert, Champion and Cherokee, it wasn’t the first disc that Jarrett had leased to a bigger concern either – “You’re My Baby”/ “Somebody Somewhere” had also appeared on Decca – but it was to prove his biggest seller by far. The similarly styled follow ups like “Have Faith” and “Everything Will Be Alright” did make the charts however and it’s a sign of how many copies Vee Jay were selling that an LP named after the big hit was also released. In the 60s after he left Vee Jay, his releases appeared on a variety of labels, and although his gospel phrasing and timing were ideally suited to the emerging southern soul styles he never really made it as a soul singer. Some of these later 45s, like most of the ones he cut reprising earlier material for Jarrett’s Ref-O-Ree are not really worth looking out, but “Almost Sundown” from ’65 is a quite superb blues ballad, and the recut “I Understand” is listenable. Probably the pick of his later work is the spare, stark “If I Ever Needed Your Love” which features a pleading, tortured vocal, his most intense performance on wax, only accompanied by a small rhythm section. This side originally appeared on the Ohio based S & H 205 but is more readily available on Del Neita. A very fine deep soul record indeed. (sir shambling)
2007 Beverley Knight receives MBE honour at Buckingham Palace. The 33-year-old from Wolverhampton, who started singing in school and church choirs, will be honoured by the Queen. She receives this for her charity work and help against gun crime. (mn)
29th FEBRUARY
(Only on a leap year, last one 2016,next one the year 2020)
BLACK HEROES PAST AND PRESENT 366:
1976 Jah Rule, rapper born Jeffrey Atkins in 1976), American rapper, singer, and actor from Queens, New York. Born in Hollis, Queens, he debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla". From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had several hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You" with Christina Milian, "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and Ain't It Funny with Jennifer Lopez, which both topped the US Billboard Hot 100, the Grammy-nominated #1 hit, "Always on Time" with Ashanti, "Mesmerize" also with Ashanti, and "Wonderful" with R. Kelly and Ashanti. During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to The Inc. Records, which was formerly known as Murder Inc. and was led by Irv Gotti. Due to his hits with his collaborators, Ja Rule has earned four Grammy nominations, and has earned six top-ten albums, two of which Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001), topped the US Billboard 200. He is also known for some well-publicized feuds with other rappers, in particular 50 Cent and Eminem. recorded history - possibly all moved forward or back a day.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment