Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) Washington D.C., DC 20037 When: April 9, 1939 What: Marian Anderson wanted to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington DC, but at the time African-Americans were not allowed to perform there. Instead, Anderson sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 75,000 people attended, and the performance […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) 3717 Euclid Avenue When: March 21, 1959 What: Organized by Alan Freed, a disc jockey considered to have coined the term “Rock and Roll” at WJW-Radio, and generally accepted as the first major rock and roll concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball drew an estimated 20,000 people trying […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) Maxine Elliot Theater 39th & Broadway New York, NY 10018 When: November 20, 1955 What: Bo-Diddley becomes the first black performer on the most popular program on American television, “The Ed Sullivan Show.” « PREVIOUS NEXT » In celebration of Black Music Month, TheUrbanDaily’s “It’s All Black Music” presents 100 Rewarding […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) 1743 Academy Place, Dayton, OH 45406 When: 1959 What: The Ohio Players are one of the greatest R&B and funk groups to come out of the Dayton scene in the 70s. The band’s grooves, fortified in funk, are still being raided by Hip-Hop producers today. « PREVIOUS NEXT » […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) Lincoln High School East St. Louis, IL 62201 When: 1939 What: Miles Davis picked up the trumpet at his father’s behest after the family moved from Alton, IL to East St. Louis, IL when he was about a year old. « PREVIOUS NEXT » In celebration of Black Music […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) Hamlet Avenue at Bridges Street, Hamlet, NC When: September 23, 1926 What: The iconic jazz saxophonist and composer is known as one of the greatest influences on the birth and development of jazz, receiving many posthumous awards and recognitions, including canonization by the African Orthodox Church as […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)CBS 30th Street Studio 270 E 30th Street, New York, NY 10001 When: April 1970 What: Miles Davis’ first certified gold record sold more than half a million copies, later being recognized as one of jazz’s greatest albums and a progenitor of the jazz rock genre. « PREVIOUS NEXT » […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)Okeh Records 25 W 45th Street When: August 10, 1920 What: Written by African-American songwriter Perry Bradford, Smith’s rendition is the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist, selling a million copies in less than a year. « PREVIOUS NEXT » In celebration of Black Music Month, […]
Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare) 1540 Brewster Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45207 When: September 1943 What: King Records was found by Syd Nathan in 1943 and released music from a wide breadth of genres. King’s legacy includes hiring a racially integrated staff, and the signing of James Brown and his Famous Flames to […]
As a noted surgeon and scientist, Charles Drew was responsible for creating the technology to store blood for long periods of time. His lifelong concern for the necessary transport and storage of blood and plasma made him a pioneer in his field and a valued scientist in world history. Drew saved thousands of soldiers’ lives […]
If there is one person from history whose impact on the Black woman’s self-image rivals that of Oprah Winfrey, it is the hair mogul Madame C.J. Walker. Walker was the first successful Black female entrepreneur. Her insistence on involvement in both the business world and civic affairs predates Oprah’s story, and to the extent that […]
Led Zeppelin is considered by many to be one of the greatest bands in the history of rock music, but their roots clearly lie in the tradition of the blues. Their blues influences got the best of them on a few occasions during their run in the late 60s and 70s. In 1972, the band […]
