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Posts published in “Birthdays”

Born On This Day in 1897: Opera Legend Marian Anderson

By goodblacknews on February 27, 2013

Marian Anderson, who became one of the most celebrated singers during the 20th century, was born on Feb. 27, 1897, in Philadelphia, PA.  She began singing in church at 6 years old. Impressed by Anderson’s dedication to perfecting her talents, her church choir raised money for her to take vocal lessons for two years. Anderson soon won a chance to perform at Lewisohn Stadium in New York, and more opportunities followed. 

President Franklin Roosevelt and wife Eleanor invited her to perform at the White House in 1936. In 1939, she faced discrimination from the Daughters of the American Revolution, who did not want her to perform at D.C.’s Constitution Hall. When Eleanor Roosevelt heard of this, she invited Anderson to perform at the Lincoln Memorial.
The singer made history in 1955 as the first African-American to perform as a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.  Anderson passed away at the age of 96 in 1993.
article by Natelege Whaley via bet.com

Born On This Day in 1933: Jazz Singer and Activist Nina Simone

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013

ninasimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), born in Tyron, North Carolina and better known by her stage name Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York and worked in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.  Among Simone’s most popular recordings were “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, “I Put A Spell On You”, “I Loves You, Porgy” “Feeling Good” and the civil rights protest song “Mississippi Goddam.”  Learn more about this amazing musician’s life and music here and watch her live performance of  “Ain’t Got No… I Got Life” below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUcXI2BIUOQ&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Happy 50th Birthday, NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan

By goodblacknews on February 17, 2013

Michael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials, MJ, was born on February 17, 1963 and is a six-time NBA champion as well as six-time MVP with the Chicago Bulls.  He is currently the majority owner and chairman of the Charlotte Bobcats and is considered the greatest basketball player of all time.  Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

To learn more about his life and career, click here and to watch him in action, click on the video below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bDKq4O8bhc&w=560&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Happy 47th Birthday, Comedian, Writer and Actor Chris Rock

By goodblacknews on February 7, 2013

Chris RockBrooklyn, NY native Christopher Julius “Chris Rock” III was born on February 7, 1965 and began to build his stand-up career by working at New York City’s Catch a Rising Star in the 1980s, earning small parts in movies like Beverly Hills Cop II and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and landing a featured role on NBC’s late-night comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live in 1990.  Rock went on to write and star in rap mockmentary CB4 before re-inventing himself through a series of HBO comedy specials starting with 1996’s Emmy Award-winning Bring the Pain.  Rock later went on to produce the television show Everybody Hates Chris for UPN/CW and star in feature films such as Death at a Funeral, Down to Earth, The Longest Yard and I Think I Love My Wife.  To learn more about his life and career, click here.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Happy 55th Birthday, Actor and Director Robert Townsend

By goodblacknews on February 6, 2013

Robert TownsendBorn February 6, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, Robert Townsend first became famous for writing, producing, and directing the 1987 independent feature film Hollywood Shuffle, a satire based on the hardships and obstacles that black actors undergo in movie industry, which he famously funded with credit cards. His next feature, The Five Heartbeats (1991), was a nostalgic look back at male R&B groups of the 1960s.  Townsend also had success in television with his award-winning Partners In Crime variety shows for HBO as well as his 1995-1999 WB sitcom The Parent ‘Hood. To learn more about Townsend’s life and career, click here, and enjoy The Five Heartbeats trailer below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFdQmmDS5c
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Born On This Day in 1945: Reggae Music Legend Bob Marley (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on February 6, 2013

Bob MarleyNesta Robert Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981), more widely and commonly known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (1963-1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely-known performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.
Marley’s music was greatly influenced by the social issues of his homeland, and he gave voice to the political and cultural nexus of Jamaica as well other oppressive, racist societies throughout the world. His best-known hits include “I Shot the Sheriff“, “No Woman, No Cry“, “Could You Be Loved“, “Stir It Up“, “Get Up Stand Up“, “Jamming“, “Redemption Song“, “One Love” and “Three Little Birds“, as well as the posthumous releases “Buffalo Soldier” and “Iron Lion Zion.” The compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae’s best-selling album, going ten times Platinum which is also known as one Diamond in the U.S., and selling 25 million copies worldwide.  To learn more about his life and music, click here, and watch “Could You Be Loved” below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qo42heoLUs&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Happy 78th Birthday, Baseball Hall of Famer Henry "Hank" Aaron!

By goodblacknews on February 5, 2013


Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron (born February 5, 1934), nicknamed “Hammer,” or “Hammerin’ Hank,” is a retired American baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) before playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League (AL) for the final two years of his career. Aaron is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and in April 1974, he broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing career home runs record. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list.  To learn more about Aaron’s life and career, click here, and watch him hit magic number 715 below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S6KPtpGn9E&w=560&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Rosa Parks' Stamp on American History

By goodblacknews on February 4, 2013

George Bridges/Getty Images
Today, to honor the Feb. 4 centennial of the birth of Rosa Parks, the United States Postal Service has issued a Rosa Parks stamp. Last year, a stone carving of Parks was added to the National Cathedral. In 2005, she became the first woman and second African American to lie in honor in the nation’s Capitol and, through a special act of Congress, a statue of her was ordered placed in the Capitol.
Yet these tributes to Rosa Parks rest on a narrow and distorted vision of her legacy. As the story goes, a quiet Montgomery, Ala., seamstress with a single act challenged Southern segregation, catapulted a young Martin Luther King Jr. into national leadership and ushered in the modern civil rights movement. Parks’ memorialization promotes an improbable children’s story of social change — one not-angry woman sat down, the country was galvanized and structural racism was vanquished.
This fable diminishes the extensive history of collective action against racial injustice and underestimates the widespread opposition to the black freedom movement, which for decades treated Parks’ political activities as “un-American.” Most important, it skips over the enduring scourge of racial inequality in American society — a reality that Parks continued to highlight and challenge — and serves contemporary political interests that treat racial injustice as a thing of the past.

Born on this Day in 1935: Blues and Funk Legend Johnny "Guitar" Watson

By goodblacknews on February 3, 2013

imagesA flamboyant showman and guitar picker in the style of T-Bone Walker, Johnny “Guitar” Watson was born John Watson, Jr. in Houston, Texas on February 3, 1935.  Watson recorded throughout the 1950s and 1960s with some success. His creative reinvention in the 1970s with disco and funk overtones, saw Watson have hits with “Ain’t That a Bitch”, “I Need It” and “Superman Lover.”  His successful recording career spanned forty years, with his biggest hit being 1977’s “A Real Mother For Ya”.  Watson was known for his virtuosic guitar playing and inspired musicians ranging from Bobby Womack to Frank Zappa.

To learn more about his life and music, click here, and enjoy “A Real Mother For Ya” below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jr0qPqK3vw&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Born On This Day in 1919: Baseball Legend Jackie Robinson

By goodblacknews on January 31, 2013
Legendary Baseball player Jackie Robinson
 
Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball, was born in Cairo, Georgia, on Jan. 31, 1919.
Robinson had a litany of firsts in his career: He was the first Black television analyst in Major League Baseball, and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem. In the world of baseball, Robinson played a prominent role in ending racial segregation in professional baseball. Prior to Robinson playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, African-American players were restricted to the Negro Leagues for 60 years.