Sultry soulful vocalist, lyricist, composer, actor, and activist Oleta Adams was born on May 4, 1953 in Seattle, Washington, and began piano lessons at seven. When she was 11, her family moved to Yakima where she sang in the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church choir, where … Read MoreOleta Adams (1953- )
Toni Michele Braxton is an R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Braxton was born on October 7, 1967, to Michael Conrad Braxton Sr, a Methodist clergyman, and Evelyn Jackson Braxton, opera singer, and cosmetologist, in Severn, Maryland. Braxton is the eldest of six siblings. Growing up, … Read MoreToni Michele Braxton (1967- )
Percy Tyrone Sledge was an American R&B, soul, and gospel singer best known for his 1966 single “When a Men Loves a Woman.” Sledge was born on November 25, 1940, to Fannie Sledge Woods and an unnamed father in Leighton, Alabama. Growing up, Sledge worked … Read MorePercy Tyrone Sledge (1940-2015)
R&B singer, lyricist Ciara was born Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985, in Austin, Texas, to Carlton Clay Harris of the US Army and Jackie Smith-Harris, a member of the US Air Force. Because of the demands of the military, however, the Harris family … Read MoreCiara/Ciara Princess Wilson (1985- )
Rhythm & Blues vocalist, lyricist, and actor Tyrese Darnell Gibson was born on December 30, 1978, in the Watts community of Los Angeles, California, to Tyrone Richardo Gibson, Sr., and Priscilla Murray Durham Gibson, who died from COVID-19 complications and pneumonia on February 14, 2022. … Read MoreTyrese/Tyrese Darnell Gibson (1978- )
R&B composer, singer, model Betty Mabry Davis, dubbed the Queen of Funk, was born on July 16, 1945, in Durham, North Carolina. However, she was reared in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 12, she composed the song “I’m Going to Bake That Cake of Love.” Upon graduating … Read MoreBetty Davis (1945-2022)
Rhythm and Blues singer Eddie Holman was born on June 3, 1946 in Norfolk, Virginia and introduced to the piano and guitar at the age of 2. In 1954, his family relocated to New York City and two years later Holman won first prize at … Read MoreEddie Holman (1946- )
Composer, conductor, and lyricist Van Allen Clinton McCoy was born on January 6, 1940, in Washington, D.C., to Norman S. McCoy Sr. and Lillian Ray. Van had one brother, Norman S. McCoy Jr., and a sister Mattie McCoy Taylor. Van began piano studies at four … Read MoreVan McCoy (1940-1979)
R&B tenor singer Jimmy J. Hughes was born February 3, 1938, in Leighton, Alabama. At the age of 5, he listened to Radio WLAY, a country music station in Littleton, Alabama. He sang country because that was the only radio station he heard until he … Read MoreJimmy J. Hughes (1938- )
Robert Knight was born Robert Henry Peebles on April 24, 1945 in Franklin, Tennessee. Knight made his professional vocal debut with the Paramounts, a racially integrated doo-wop quintet during the Civil Rights era comprised of friends at the all-black Natchez High School and all-white Franklin … Read MoreRobert Knight (1945-2017)
