Melissa “Missy” Arnette Elliott, songwriter, rapper, and music producer, was born on July 1, 1971 to power company dispatcher Patricia Elliott and U.S. Marine Ronnie Elliott at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia. Elliott had a troubled childhood while the family lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina. … Read MoreMissy Elliott (1971- )
Alfre Ette Woodard, an American actress, producer, and political activist, was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer/ wildcat oil driller and Constance “Connie” B. Robinson Woodard, a homemaker. Woodard’s parents once operated a nursing home. She … Read MoreAlfre Woodard (1952- )
John Leerdam is an Afro-Dutch politician and theater director. Leerdam was born to African-descended parents on July 23, 1961 in the capital city of Willemstad, Curacao, an island dependency of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean Sea. His father, John Arnold Walther Julius Leerdam was … Read MoreJohn Leerdam (1961- )
Barry Eugene Carter, commonly known as Barry White, was a three-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger. His music focused primarily on funk, rhythm and blues, soul, and disco. Throughout his career, he generated 106 gold and 41 platinum albums, 20 gold and ten platinum records, and … Read MoreBarry White/Barry Eugene Carter (1944-2003)
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)
Aubrey “Drake” Graham is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, and songwriter. Drake was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Sandi Graham, a Jewish Canadian, and Dennis Graham, a black drummer from Memphis, Tennessee. The couple divorced when Drake was five years-old. … Read MoreAubrey Drake Graham (1986- )
Edward Regan “Eddie” Murphy is an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, and producer. Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Murphy, a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and … Read MoreEddie Murphy (1961- )
Dr. Dre, pioneering West Coast hip-hop producer, rapper and entrepreneur was born Andre Romelle Young in Compton, California on February 18, 1965. His father Theodore and his mother Verna were both singers and members of bands before and after Dre was born. His parents soon … Read MoreDr. Dre/Andre Romelle Young (1965- )
Herbert “Herbie” Julian Hancock is an African American pianist, composer, bandleader, and keyboardist, with a career spanning over five decades. Hancock was born on April 12, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Winne Belle Griffin, a secretary and Waymand Edward Hancock, a government meat … Read MoreHerbie Hancock (1940- )
