Contralto, pianist, pedagogist, administrator, and advocate Lulu Vere Childers had a profound impact on African American Spirituals and European classical music. Childers was the seventh child of 12 born in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, on February 28, 1870, to former enslaved parents, Alex Childres and Eliza … Read MoreLulu Vere Childers (1870-1946)
Maxwell Alejandro Frost, an Afro-Cuban activist, organizer, and musician, is the first member of Gen Z elected to serve in Congress. He received almost 35% of the vote out of a 10-person race and outraised his counterparts, garnering over $2.5 million in funds, to represent … Read MoreMaxwell Alejandro Frost (1997-)
Rose Royce is an R&B group founded during the 1970s in Los Angeles, California. Original members of the group were Henry Garner (drums), Kenny Copeland (lead vocals, trumpet), Kenji Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Terral “Terry” Santiel (congas), Lequeint “Duke” Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Freddie … Read MoreRose Royce (1970- )
The R&B and soul music ensemble Debarge, named for their shared surname, comprises the children of Robert Louis DeBarge, Sr. from Chicago, Illinois, and Etterlene Louise Abney DeBarge Rodriguez, a singer from Royal Oak, Michigan. The seven brother and sister individual members of the ensemble … Read MoreDeBarge (1979–1989)
Known as the “perfect pitch” virtuosic a cappella legends, the Persuasions were established in 1962 by Jesse “Sweet Joe” Russell, who was born on September 25, 1939, in Henderson, Kentucky; bass James Caldon Hayes, born November 12, 1943, in Hopewell, Virginia; composer/tenor Jerome Eugene Lawson, … Read MoreThe Persuasions (1962-2017)
The Emotions were an American Grammy Award-winning soul/R&B vocal ensemble from Chicago, Illinois who began as a gospel group called the Hutchinson Sunbeams in 1962. The group transitioned into R&B music in 1963. The Emotions were four sisters: Wanda Hutchinson-Vaughn, born December 17, 1951; Jeanette … Read MoreThe Emotions (1962-2020)
The Essex, a doo-wop R&B American quintet vocal ensemble, was formed in 1962. The band was named after Essex County, New Jersey. They were unique among R&B groups at the time in that all the founding members were also U.S. Marines. The founding members were … Read MoreThe Essex (1962-1965)
The Gap Band was an R&B and Funk band founded in 1967 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and comprised the multi-instrumentalists Wilson brothers Charlie: Lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, organ, drums; Ronnie: vocal, trumpet, piano, percussion, songwriter; and Robert (1956-2010): vocal, bass, guitar, and percussion. They emerged as … Read MoreThe Gap Band (1974-2010)
The 20th-century evolution of Jr. Walker & The All-Stars began with “The Rhythm Rockers,” which became “The All-Stars” in 1961. In 1964, Walker & The All-Stars signed with Motown Records. The ensemble’s legendary composer and leader was Autry “Jr. Walker” DeWalt Mixon II, was born … Read MoreJr. Walker & The All-Stars (1964-1979)
The Ohio Players who first called themselves the Ohio Untouchables, was a pioneering vocal and instrumental funk ensemble out of Dayton, Ohio. Established in 1959, the group comprised its organizer, pianist/principal vocalist Walter Morrison, trumpeters Bruce Napier and Marvin Pierce, vocalist/bass player Marshall Jones, saxophonist/guitarist … Read MoreThe Ohio Players (1959-1980)
