“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Bertha Lee Pate Patton was an African American blues singer from the Mississippi Delta who came to prominence during the 1920s and 1930s. She was born to Ella Johnson and Nels Pate on June 17, 1902, in Flora, Madison County, Mississippi, … Read MoreBertha Lee Pate Patton Joiner (1902–1975)
“Image Ownership: Benjamin Baker” Charles Decatur (C.D.) Brooks, field secretary for the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on July 24, 1930, the tenth child of Marvin and Mattie Brooks. Brooks was raised on a 40-acre farm outside of Greensboro where … Read MoreCharles Decatur Brooks (1930–2016)
Rhythm and blues artist Sharon Lafaye Jones was born in Augusta, Georgia, on May 4, 1956. She was the youngest of six children born to Ella Mae Price Jones and Charlie Jones. The family moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 1960. … Read MoreSharon Lafaye Jones (1956–2016)
“Image Ownership: VO Buzz Weekly” Cree Summer Francks is an American-Canadian voice actress, actress, and singer. Summer was born in Los Angles, California, on July 7, 1969, and grew up on the Red Pheasant (Indian) Reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada. Summer is the daughter of Don … Read MoreCree Summer Francks (1969– )
“Image Ownership: Luke Ford” American actor Sherman Alexander Hemsley was an Air Force veteran and postal worker before becoming a television actor. He is best known for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and as … Read MoreSherman Alexander Hemsley (1938-2012)
Rhythm and Blues singer Carla Thomas is best known for a series of hit records in the 1960s which garnered for her the title, the Queen of Memphis Soul. Carla Venita Thomas was born on December 1, 1942, in the Foote Homes Housing Project in … Read MoreCarla Thomas (1942- )
Canzetta Maria Staton was born on March 13, 1940, in Hanceville, Alabama. Her father worked as a farmer and a coal miner and her mother was a homemaker. At age eight, Staton was already singing in a gospel group, the Four Golden Echoes, with her … Read MoreCandi Staton (1940 – )
Sir Mix-A-Lot, pioneering Pacific Northwest rapper and producer, was born Anthony Ray in Seattle, Washington on August 12, 1963. He grew up in Seattle’s Central District and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1981. Early on, Mix-A-Lot had an ear and a passion for music. … Read MoreAnthony “Sir Mix-A-Lot” Ray (1963- )
Concert pianist Natalie Hinderas was born Natalie Leota Henderson on June 15, 1927, to parents Abram Henderson and Leota Palmer Henderson in Oberlin, Ohio. Hinderas came from a family of accomplished musicians. Her great-grandfather had been a bandleader and teacher, her father was a jazz … Read MoreNatalie Leota Hinderas (1927-1987)
Paul Dusenbury was a multi-talented visual artist, musician, teacher, and proponent of the synthesis of many art expressions. His explorations, infectious inspiration, and originality were well appreciated throughout the Seattle, Washington area where he taught and worked. He expressed caring relationships, and art that combined … Read MorePaul R. Dusenbury (1935-1998)
