Pop singer, disco lyricist Carlton George “Carl,” Douglas was born on October 10, 1942, in Kingston, Jamaica. After the death of his grandmother, his family migrated to Tottenham in North London, England, when he was seven. There his youth was filled with playing soccer and … Read MoreCarl Douglas (1942 – )
American singer Gloria Fowles is best known by her stage name Gloria Gaynor. She was born on September 7, 1943 to Daniel Fowles and Queenie Mae Proctor in Newark, New Jersey. Fowles grew up with music in her home, as her father played the guitar, … Read MoreGloria Fowles/Gloria Gaynor (1943- )
Sonny Charles Hemphill, arranger, tenor, and director, was born in Blytheville, Arkansas, on September 4, 1940, to sharecroppers. However, at the age of 10, he, his six sisters, and parents moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. At 14 Hemphill, a tenor and harmonica player, sang in … Read MoreSonny Charles and the Checkmates (1969-2008)
Robert Kyagulanyi “Bobi Wine” Ssentamu is a Ugandan politician, singer, actor, and businessman. Ssentamu was born on February 12, 1982, in Nkozi, Uganda, and grew up in the Kamwekya slums in the northeast part of Kampala, Uganda. He attended Kitante Hill Senior Secondary School, located … Read MoreRobert Kyagulanyi “Bobi Wine” Ssentamu (1982- )
Salome Bey was an American-born, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and actress who, after emigrating to Toronto, became known as “Canada’s first lady of the blues.” Salome Wideman was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 10, 1933, to Andrew and Victoria Wideman. Her father was a … Read MoreSalome Bey (1933-2020)
Emmanuel Lewis is an actor and singer, best known for his role in the 1980s sitcom Webster. Lewis was born on March 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he and his siblings were raised by … Read MoreEmmanuel Lewis (1971- )
Actor Rudy Ray Moore was born on March 19, 1927 in Fort Smith, Arkansas as Rudolph Frank Moore. He moved to Cleveland at the age of fifteen and began singing in various nightclubs. At the age of seventeen he got a job in Cleveland’s Blue … Read MoreRudy Ray Moore (1927-2008)
Loletha Elayne Falana, famously known as actress, singer, dancer and model Lola Falana, was born on September 11, 1942 in Camden, New Jersey. Falana’s mother and father are of African-American and Afro-Cuban heritage respectively. Falana was born the third of six children and got her … Read MoreLola Falana (1942- )
Nia Franklin is the 2018 Miss New York, the 2019 Miss America titleholder, and an American composer. Franklin was born on July 27, 1993, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is the oldest of James and Kristy Franklin’s three children. In her youth, Franklin took classical … Read MoreNia Imani Franklin (1993- )
Lou Rawls was an award-winning singer and songwriter famous for his luxurious baritone singing voice and four-octave vocal range. He is most well-known for his hit song “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” and experienced the height of his musical career throughout the 1960s … Read MoreLou Rawls (1933-2006)
