Rock and Roll and R&B singer and songwriter Bobby Day was best known for his only major hit “Rockin’ Robin” recorded in 1957 on the Classic Label. In 1958, the single, written by Leon Rene under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, reached no. 1 on the … Read MoreBobby Day/Robert James Byrd (1930-1990)
The Del-Vikings were the first successful racially integrated Doo-Wop rock and roll ensemble formed in the United States and specifically in the United States Air Force during the Jim Crow era. The group, organized in 1955 at the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Air Force Base, comprised six … Read MoreThe Del-Vikings (1955-1973)
The Chambers Brothers, comprising four brothers, were reared in rural Lee County, Mississippi. Their parents were George Chambers Sr., a farmer, and Victoria Chambers, a seamstress, although both were sharecroppers. There were 13 children. The ensemble members were brothers George Jr., who played the washtub … Read MoreThe Chambers Brothers (1954-1975)
Rock artist, lyricist, actor Leonard Albert Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964, in Manhattan, New York, to Roxie Albertha Roker, an actress from Miami, Florida, and Sy Kravitz, a filmmaker from Brooklyn. At three he began exhibiting music talents by creating syncopated rhythms beating … Read MoreLenny Kravitz (1964 – )
Opera composer, librettist, composer, violinist, pedagogic, and activist Daniel Bernard Roumain was born on May 3, 1971 in Skokie, Illinois. He was reared, however, in Margate, Florida, His parents are Haitians, and he has one son, Zachary. Roumain began playing the violin at the age … Read MoreDaniel Bernard Roumain (1971- )
Sly and The Family Stone is band from San Francisco, California that was active from 1966 to 1983. The band consisted of brothers Sylvester and Freddie and sister Rose Stewart along with Greg Errico, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, and Larry Graham and was the first … Read MoreSly and The Family Stone (1966-1983)
The Platters was one of the most successful rhythm and blues vocal groups during the rock and roll era. They began in Los Angeles, California and were initially managed by Ralph Bass at Federal Records. The original band consisted of Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David … Read MoreThe Platters (1953- )
Born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina, he and his family moved to Harlem, New York, when he was nine years old. There, he worked in his father’s luncheonette, sang in church, and formed a doo-wop group called “The Four B’s.” The band … Read MoreBen E. King (1938-2015)
Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers both had experience with music coming out of Stuyvesant High School in New York City, New York as trained jazz musicians. They met in 1970 and in 1972 they created the jazz/ rock group, The Big Apple Band. They performed first in New York City but finally became … Read MoreChic (1977- )
Pioneering black journalist Louis Lomax was born in Valdosta, Georgia on August 16, 1922 to parents Emanuel C. Smith and Sarah Louise Lomax. He attended Paine College in Augusta, Georiga where he was editor of the student newspaper. He graduated from Paine in 1942 at the age of 19. Lomax then entered graduate … Read MoreLouis Emanuel Lomax (1922-1970)
