People, Locations, Episodes

Kermit Moore, Cellist and Composer born.

*Kermit Moore was born on this date in 1929.  He was a Black conductor, cellist, and composer. Moore was born in Akron, Ohio. While still in high school, he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In Manhattan, he studied the cello with Felix Salmond at the Juilliard School while simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree […]

Cecil Taylor, Pianist, and Poet born

*Cecil Taylor was born on this date in 1929. He was a Black pianist and poet.   Cecil Percival Taylor was raised in the Corona, Queens neighborhood of New York City. As an only child in a middle-class family, Taylor’s mother encouraged him to play music at an early age. He began playing piano at age six and went on to study at […]

Ed Townsend, Lyricist born

Ed Townsend was born on this date in 1929. He was an African American songwriter and producer.

From Fayetteville, Tennessee, his father was a minister and as a result of his work, the family moved to Memphis. The church building was one of the few places that had a piano and it became a musical outlet as well as a place of worship for young Townsend. At 17, he was elected to the International American Methodist Episcopal Youth Council, which allowed him to visit many countries.

Johnny Ace, Singer born

*On this date in 1929, Johnny Ace was born. He was an African American rhythm and blues (R&B) singer.

Harvey Fuqua, Contemporary Composer born

*Harvey Fuqua was born on this date in 1929. He was a Black contemporary singer and composer.  Born in Louisville, KY, Harvey Fuqua (the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the Ink Spots) started the Moonglows with lead singer and fellow Louisville native Bobby Lester, Alexander Graves, and Prentiss Barnes.   They were mentored by rock & […]

Albertina Walker, Gospel Singer born

*Albertina Walker was born on this date in 1929. She was a Black gospel singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian.   Albertina Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ruben and Camille Coleman Walker. Her mother was from Houston County, Georgia, and her father was from Bibb County, Georgia. They moved to Chicago between 1917 and […]

LaVern Baker, Singer born

On this date in 1929, LaVern Baker, an African American singer and entertainer, was born.

She was born Delores Williams in Chicago and began singing at an early age. The natural power of her voice, like many of her peers before her, came from her gospel background. Raised by her aunt, the famed Memphis Minnie, also influenced young Delores. In late 1946, as soon as she was old enough to go from singing for the Lord in choir to singing for money in a business that served liquor, she got a job at the Club De Lisa.

Berry Gordy Jr., Music Producer born

Berry Gordy, Jr., was born on this date in 1929. He is an African American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label and its subsidiaries.

Toshiko Akiyoshi, Jazz Pianist born

*Toshiko Akiyoshi was born on this date in 1929. She is a Japanese-American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader.   Toshiko Akiyoshi was born in Liaoyang, Manchuria, to Japanese emigrants. She was the youngest of four sisters. In 1945, after World War II, Akiyoshi’s family lost their home and returned to Japan, settling in Beppu. […]

Noel Da Costa, Composer and Violinist born.

*Noel Da Costa was born on this date in 1929. He was a Black Nigerian-Jamaican composer, jazz violinist, and choral conductor. Noel G. Da Costa was born in Lagos, Nigeria, to parents from Kingston, Jamaica, who were Salvation Army missionaries. After returning to Jamaica while Da Costa was young, they emigrated to Harlem, New York. […]

Wonder Gardens (Nightclub) Opens

*On December 26, 1929, the opening of Wonder Gardens is celebrated. Also known as Wonder Bar, it was a jazz and R&B nightclub at 1601 Arctic Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Originally called Wonder Bar, the jazz nightspot opened around 1929 at 1601 Arctic Avenue, on the northwest corner of Kentucky Avenue and Arctic […]

Lula Mae Hardaway, Matriarch and Composer born

*Lula Mae Hardaway was born on this date in 1930. She was a Black songwriter and the mother of musician Stevie Wonder. Lula Mae Hardaway was born in Eufaula, Alabama, and was the daughter of sharecropper Noble Hardaway. Her childhood years were marked by hardship moving around among relatives before eventually reaching Saginaw, Michigan, where […]

Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Blues Singer born

*Bobby Bland was born on this date in 1930. He was a Black blues singer. He was born Robert Calvin Brooks in the small town of Barretville, Tennessee. His father, I. J. Brooks abandoned the family not long after his birth. He later acquired the name ‘Bland’ from his stepfather, Leroy Bridgeforth, who was also […]

Ornette Coleman, Jazz Musician, and Composer born

*Ornette Coleman was born on this date in 1930. He was an African American musician and composer.

Tommy Flanagan, Jazz Pianist born

*Tommy Flanagan was born on this date in 1930. He was a Black jazz pianist and composer.   Thomas Lee Flanagan was born in Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan. He was the youngest of six children, five boys and a girl. His parents were both originally from Georgia. His father, Johnson Sr, was a postman, and […]