Black History Arts/Entertainment Nuggets
December 21st, 1959
Motown Records established by Berry Gordy, Jr.
November 25th, 1941
Singer, Anna Mae Bullock (Tina Turner) born.
November 24th, 1868
Scott Joplin, composer, born.
October 27th, 1924
Ruby Dee (born Ruby Ann Wallace) was born.
October 24th, 1935
First black authored play to become a long-running Broadway hit "Mullatto" by Langsten Hughes opens.
September 30th, 1935
Singer, Johnny Mathis was born.
September 16th, 1925
Blues singer Ripley "B.B." King was born in Itta Benna, MS.
August 29th, 1958
Musician, Michael Jackson was born.
July 19th, 1925
Entertainer and singer, Josephine Baker, makes her Paris debut.
July 3rd, 1941
Cab Calloway and his orchestra recorded the Standard, St. James Infirmary for Okey Records.
July 14th, 1939
The Ethel Waters Show, a variety special, appears on NBC. It is the first time an African American appears on TV.
May 28th, 1944
Singer, Gladys Knight was born in Atlanta, GA.
May 20th, 1952
Actor and entertainer, Lawrence Tero (Mr. T.) born in Chicago, IL.
May 13th, 1950
Singer Stevie Wonder, born Steveland Judkins in Saginaw, MI.
April 4th, 1928
Mya Angelou, author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright and dancer born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, MO.
March 29th, 1918
Singer, Pearl Bailey was born.
March 27th, 1969
Black Academy of Arts and Letter founded.
February 21th, 1917
Thelonious Monk, jazz great born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
February 13th, 1892
The first African American performers - the World's Fair Colored Opera Company, appears at Carnegie Hall.
January 27th, 1961
Soprano, Leontyne Price - Metropolitan Opera Debut.
Arts/Entertainment
Imagine a world without aesthetics. Music, poetry, literature and beauty are the gifts that make the world a better place. In spite of having to learn a language not native to the African, African Americans/Blacks have risen to the occasion and not only learned the English language, but have made notable contributions in arts and entertainment. As a culture African Americans/Blacks have emerged as actors and actresses, songwriters, dancers, comediennes, musicians, lyricists and filmmakers. Entertainers and musicians such as Bessie Griffin, Alvin Haley, Dizzy Gillespie, Chubby Checker (Ernest Evans), Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horn, just to name a few were pioneers in the entertainment industry.
Who has not enjoyed the soulful sounds of Diana Ross, James Brown, Smoky Robinson and Aretha Franklin? Had it not been for the genius of Berry Gordy, creator of Motown Records, the world would not have experienced a music icon in the person of Michael Jackson.
The African American/Black presence has threads woven throughout the tapestry of America. From B.B. King to Baby Face, the African American/Black voice has composed symphonies for the entire world to enjoy.
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