People, Locations, Episodes

Bel Abbey, Koasati Storyteller born

*Bel Abbey was born on this date on this date in 1916. He was a Black Native American Coushatta Indian Blowgun Maker, Wood Carver, herbalist, and Koasati Storyteller. Abbey was from a Koasati settlement five miles north of Elton, Louisiana. Abbey was the last generation raised in the traditional Koasati social and economic system. He […]

Ernest ‘Brownie’ Brown, Dancer born

*’Brownie’ Brown was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black tap dancer and the last surviving Original Copasetics member. Ernest “Brownie” Brown grew up in Chicago, and he and his longtime partner, Charles “Cookie” Cook, started dancing as pickaninnies in a vaudeville act called “Mammy and Her Picks.” During the 1930s and […]

The Regent Theater Opens

*The Regent Theater opened on this date in 1916, in Baltimore, MD. As a Family operation, the Regent Theater was owned by Louis Hornstein and his two sons, Simon and Isaac, who opened the theater on the former site of a coal yard at 1629 Pennsylvania Avenue. Advertised as the “largest, coolest, best-ventilated house in […]

Jeni Le Gon, Dancer, and Actress born

*Jeni Le Gon was born on this date in 1916. She was an African American dancer and actress.

Born and raised near the south side of Chicago, her musical talents were developed on the street in neighborhood bands and musical groups. At the age of thirteen, buoyed by her brother who got a job touring as a singer and exhibition ballroom dancer, she landed her first job in musical theatre, dancing as a soubrette in pants, not pretty skirts. Le Gon trained at Mary Bruce’s School of Dancing.

The Samba (Afro Brazilian Dance), a story

*Samba, also known as samba urbano carioca, is an Afro Brazilian music and dance genre that became popular in the early 20th century. It is celebrated on this date in 1916.   It originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; it has roots in the cultural expression of West Africa and Brazilian folk traditions, especially those linked […]

Ulysses Kay, Musician born

*Ulysses Kay was born on this date in 1917. He was an African American musician and composer.

Sandman Sims, Dancer born

*Sandman Sims was born on this date in 1917. He was a Black tap dancer. Howard “Sandman” Sims was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, one of 12 children. The family soon relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he was raised. Sims described his childhood as “just a big dancing family.” He learned to dance from […]

Janet Collins, Prima Ballerina born

*Janet Collins, an African American ballet dancer and painter, was born on this date in 1917.

From New Orleans, Louisiana, she moved with her family to Los Angeles as a young girl, attending Los Angeles City College and the Los Angeles Art Center School. As an accomplished painter, she was able to finance her relocation to New York to pursue a career in dance. In 1941, she performed with the new, but world-renowned Black dance troupe formed and directed by Katherine Dunham.

Dave Lambert, Lyricist born

*David Lambert was born on this date in 1917. He was a white-American jazz lyricist and singer.   David Alden Lambert was born in Boston, MA. His sole musical education began at the age of 10, when he played drums for a year. He picked up the drums again in the late 1930s when he worked summers playing with the Hugh […]

Raymond Steth, Graphic Artist born

*Raymond Steth was born on this date in 1917. He was a Black graphic artist. Raymond Ryles was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Lulu Mann and Charles Ryles, a working-class farming family. He spent much of his childhood on a large farm in North Carolina, which would later influence his artwork. Rolando Corpus notes: “Steth […]

Lena Horne, Singer, and Actress born

This date marks the birthday of Lena Horne in 1917. She was an African American singer and actress whose refusal to be cast in stereotypical roles helped transform the popular image of Black women.

Robert H. McNeill, Photographer born.

*Robert H. McNeill was born on this date in 1917. He was a Black still photographer.  He was born in Washington, D.C., the son of a doctor and a schoolteacher, and grew up in the Shaw neighborhood. He became interested in photography at a young age after observing a demonstration on developing photographs. He joined […]

Pearl Bailey, Actress, and Entertainer born

*On this date, Pearl Bailey was born in 1918. This African American singer, actress and entertainer, known for her comedic timing and charm, was honored for her service to American troops, and named as special delegate to the United Nations (UN).

Charles White, Artist, and Instructor born

*On this date Charles White was born in 1918. He was an African American graphic artist, painter, and instructor.

Carol Brice, Contralto Vocalist born

Carol Brice was born on this date 1918. She was an African American contralto singer.