Lonna Romaine Hooks is an attorney and the first Black secretary of state for New Jersey. Hooks was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was head of the art department at Fisk University, and the Hooks family lived on campus. While attending her … Read MoreLonna Hooks (1959- )
Carmen Arlene Balthrop-Delaney, soprano and arts advocate, was born May 14, 1948, in Washington, D.C., to John W. Balthrop, who was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice in the Printing Office, and Clementine E. Jordan Balthrop, a homemaker. Carmen was the youngest and only … Read MoreCarmen Balthrop (1948-2021)
Mezzo-soprano Muriel Burrell Smith was born on February 23, 1923, in Harlem, New York City, to Sigourney Burrell Smith and Olive Gilmore Smith. At age 14, Muriel got an artistic boost when she appeared on The Major Bowes Amateur Hour that aired live every Thursday … Read MoreMuriel Burrell Smith (1923-1985)
Macy Gray is a pop and jazz singer known for her unique voice and colorful persona. She was born Natalie McIntyre on September 6, 1967, in Canton, Ohio. Her mother, Laura McIntyre, was a math teacher and her father, Otis Jones, was absent throughout her … Read MoreMacy Gray (1967- )
English actress, singer and songwriter Cynthia Onyedinamanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo was born in Stockwell, London, England, on January 8, 1987. Both of her parents were immigrants from Nigeria and separated when Erivo was very young. Her mother, Edith, worked as a nurse and raised Erivo and … Read MoreCynthia Erivo (1987- )
In 1961 the Royalettes, an all-female doo-woo quartet, was formed in Baltimore, Maryland. The group’s original members were sisters Sheila Ross Burnett, 17, lead singer, and Anita Ross Burnett, 16, from the Mount Holly Street neighborhood in West Baltimore, where both girls had been singing … Read MoreThe Royalettes (1961-1969)
R&B Singer Doris Troy was born Doris Elaine Higginsen in Bronx, New York, on January 6, 1937. Both a singer and a songwriter, her biggest hit, “Just One Look,” was released in 1963 and peaked at no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Troy’s … Read MoreDoris Troy (1937-2004)
Genevieve Scott Neal-Perry is a distinguished professor, chair of obstetrics and gynecology, and reproductive endocrinologist at the University of North Carolina who specializes in minimally-invasive surgical procedures that aim to restore fertility. Born in 1955 in Newark, New Jersey, she became the first person in … Read MoreGenevieve Scott Neal-Perry (1955- )
The Exciters were one of the first girl groups to have a no. 4 hit on the U.S. pop chart in 1962 and no. 5 on the R&B chart in 1964. Their first hit single “Tell Him” sold over a million records. The original members … Read MoreThe Exciters (1961-1974)
Singer and songwriter known by the stage name H.E.R. was born Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson on June 27, 1997, in Vallejo, California. Wilson is of mixed ancestry, as her mother, Agnes, is Filipino, and her father, Kenny, is African American. Her father was a member of … Read MoreH.E.R. / Gabriella Wilson (1997- )
