Singer and entertainer Luther Vandross was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York on April 20, 1951. As a child he was influenced to seek a music career like his older sister, Patricia Van Dross, who was a member of an all-girl R&B group, The Crests, … Read MoreLuther Vandross (1951-2005)
Singer and musician William Harrison Withers Jr., known to the world as Bill Withers, was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938, to William and Mattie (Galloway) Withers. Born with a stutter, Withers had a difficult time fitting in. His father, a coal … Read MoreBill Withers (1938-2020)
Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born May 16, 1966 to Katherine Jackson (née Scruse) and Joseph Jackson in Gary, Indiana. Janet, youngest of ten, was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. Her oldest brothers lived in Los Angeles with her father performing as the Jackson 5, while she stayed … Read MoreJanet Jackson (1966- )
“Image Ownership: Myles Kalus Anak Jihem” Janelle Monae Robinson, known professionally as Janelle Monae, is an African American singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Born on December 1, 1985, in Kansas City, Kansas, she is the daughter of a woman (whose name is unknown) who worked … Read MoreJanelle Monae Robinson (1985– )
“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)
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)
Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, known popularly as “La Lupe,” was a Cuban and Cuban American singer and dancer. She was born in San Pedrito, a locality within Santiago de Cuba, Oriente Province, Cuba on December 23, 1936. Yolí grew up in an impoverished family. Her … Read MoreGuadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond (1936-1992)
Reri Grist is an internationally acclaimed lyric and coloratura soprano noted for her “silvery tone, flawless technique and stupendous acting.” Beginning her singing career as Consuelo in Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story” in 1957, she introduced the song “Somewhere” to the public. After that … Read MoreReri Grist (1932- )
Whitney Houston, singer and actress, sold close to 100 million albums worldwide during her lifetime. Her recognitions include two Emmy Awards, five Grammy Awards, 19 American Music Awards, five People’s Choice Awards, five Soul Train Awards, and seven NAACP Image Awards. Houston was born in … Read MoreWhitney Houston (1964-2012)
Louis Abdul Farrakhan was born on May 11, 1933 in Bronx, New York as Louis Eugene Walcott. Walcott, who grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, excelled as a musician, singer and track star. He attended a Boston-area school for gifted children and was given national exposure … Read MoreLouis Abdul Farrakhan (1933- )
