R&B bass guitarist and 6’ 9” professional basketball player Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was born on June 9, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas, the youngest of six children of Louis Tisdale, a minister, and Deborah “Momma Tiz” Mathias Tisdale. He was reared, however, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, … Read MoreWayman Lawrence Tisdale (1964-2009)
Lamont Dozier was born Lamont Herbert Dozier on June 16, 1941, in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Poe Elementary School on the city’s west side and wrote his first lyrics, “A Song,” and composed the piano accompaniment in 1953 at 12. He then attended Hutchins Junior … Read MoreLamont Dozier (1941- )
The Capitols, an R&B doo-wop trio, originally known as the Three Caps, was formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 with a lineup that included principal vocalist and percussionist Samuel George Jr. (born January 23, 1942), guitarist/percussionist Don Storball, whose birth name was Don Norman and … Read MoreThe Capitols (1962-1969)
Rhythm & Blues musician Robert Parker, Jr. was born on October 14, 1930, in Mobile, Alabama, to Robert Parker, Sr., and Leana Parker. However, he was reared on Melpomene (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played in the Booker T. … Read MoreRobert Parker, Jr. (1930-2020)
Rapper, emcee Positive K, was born on August 9, 1967, in the Bronx, New York, as Darryl Gibson. He was originally a member of the rap group, Five-Percent Nation and then he joined the rap group Almighty God Committee from Queens, rapping under pseudonym Positive … Read MorePositive K (1967- )
Composer, pianist/ singer Ivory Joe Hunter was born on October 10, 1914, in Kirbyville, Texas to Dave Hunter, a blues guitarist, and Anna Smith Hunter, a pianist/ gospel singer. Ivory began piano lessons at age 5 with his mother. After his mother died when he … Read MoreIvory Joe Hunter (1914-1974)
R&B composers, lyricists James Samuel “Jimmy Jam” Harris III (born June 6, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956, in Omaha, Nebraska), were one of the most successful songwriting teams of the late 20th Century. Harris was a senior, and … Read MoreJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (1981- )
R&B singer Oran “Juice” Jones was born on March 28, 1957, in Houston, Texas. However, he was reared in Harlem, New York. He is the father of seven children. Jones graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981, receiving U.S. Marines Corps’ Scout Snipers, … Read MoreOran “Juice” Jones (1957- )
The Philadelphia Sound was created by Kenneth (Kenny) Gamble and Leon A. Huff. Gamble, a composer, lyricist, and vocalist, was born on August 11, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Huff, a pianist, composer, vocalist, and percussionist, was born in the neighboring city of Camden, New Jersey … Read MoreGamble and Huff for Philadelphia International (1967-1984)
The musical trio known from Detroit, Michigan known as Holland-Dozier-Holland were the biological brothers Edward Holland, Jr., a lyricist born on October 30, 1939, and Brian Holland, a vocalist/composer/producer, born on February 15, 1941; and composer Lamont Dozier, born on June 16, 1941). These musicians, … Read MoreHolland-Dozier-Holland (1962-1970)
