People, Locations, Episodes

Jimmie Noone, Clarinetist born

This date marks the birth of Jimmie Noone in 1895. He was an African American jazz clarinetist noted for his lyricism and refinement of technique.

William Grant Still, Symphonic Composer born

On this date in 1895, William Grant Still was born. He was an African American musician and composer.

Eva Taylor, Blues Singer born

Eva Taylor was born on this date in 1895. She was an African American blues singer.

Born Irene Gibbons in St. Louis, Taylor toured with vaudeville troupes as a child,, not only in the U. S. but also in Europe and the South Pacific. In the early 1920s, she moved to New York City, where she became a popular club act, and married Clarence Williams. In 1922, Taylor recorded for the Black Swan label; later on, she cut sides for Okeh, Columbia, and Bluebird. Her repertoire was blues-based, but she also included jazz and pop pieces in her performances.

Trixie Smith, Singer born

*This date in 1895 is celebrated as the birth date of Trixie Smith, a Black singer and musician from Atlanta, Georgia. She studied at Selma University, moved to New York in 1915, and performed in the vaudeville circuit. She had a distinctive voice and a delightful style. She recorded from 1922 through 1925 for Black Swan and Paramount Records, with […]

Sallie Martin, Gospel Singer, and Businesswoman born

Sallie Martin was born on this date in 1895. She was an African American gospel singer and businesswoman.

She was born in Pittfield, GA, but after quitting school during the eighth grade, she moved to Atlanta, where she began a run of jobs including babysitting, cleaning houses, and washing clothes. In 1916, she joined the Fire Baptized Holiness Church, enjoying the Sanctified singing she encountered there. During the 1920s, Martin, her husband, and their son relocated to Chicago.

Andy Razaf, Lyricist, and Musician born

On this date in 1895, Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo, better known as Andy Razaf, was born. He was an African American musical lyricist and a major influence in Black theater during the 1920s.

Razaf was a descendant of the royal family of Madagascar. His grandfather, John Louis Walker, a former slave, became counsel to Madagascar. His mother married the nephew of Queen Ranavalona III, before moving to Washington D.C., where Razaf was born.

Ida Cox, Blues Singer born

*On this date in 1896, Ida Cox was born. She was an African American blues singer.

Cox was born Ida Prather in Toccoa, Georgia. Like some of her contemporaries, she left home at an early age and worked the Southern tent show and vaudeville circuit as a comedienne and singer. She spent some time with pianist Jelly Roll Morton before signing a recording contract with Paramount in 1923. Paramount billed her as the Uncrowned Queen of the Blues, though her singing style was as much influenced by vaudeville as by the blues.

Reverend Gary Davis, Blues Musician born

*Rev. Gary Davis was born on this date in 1896. He was an African American minister and Blues musician.

Sylvester Weaver, Blues Guitarist born

*Sylvester Weaver was born on this date in 1896.  He was a Black Pullman Porter and blues guitar player, a pioneer of country blues.   From Louisville, KY., Weaver, like his parents, lived most of his life in the Smoketown neighborhood. The financial hardship during the Great Depression; indicates that Weaver supported his music career with employment in various blue-collar jobs.  By 1949, he and his wife, Dorothy, had […]

Edith Wilson, Blues Singer born

Edith Wilson was born on this date in 1896. She was an African American blues singer.

Born Edith Goodall, she came from a middle-class black family in Louisville, KY. After deciding on a career in show business and marrying pianist Danny Wilson, she performed in Chicago, Washington, D. C., and New York before accepting a recording contract from Columbia Records in 1921. Backed by Johnny Dunn and the Original Jazz Hounds, Wilson cut “Nervous Blues,” “Vampin’ Liza Jane,” and other songs, most of which were composed or arranged by Perry Bradford.

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (‘Lord Bless Africa’) is Composed

*”Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (‘Lord Bless Africa’) is celebrated on this date in 1897. This song became a pan-African liberation song, and versions of it were later adopted as the national anthems of five countries in Africa, including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia, and Zimbabwe after independence and South Africa after the end of apartheid. This is a […]

Marian Anderson, Contralto born

*On this date, Marian Anderson was born in 1897. She was an African American singer, one of the finest contraltos of her time.

Lucille Bogen, Blues Singer born

On this date in 1897, Lucille Bogen was born. She was an African American blues singer.

From Armory, MS, she spent her early years in Birmingham, AL, and had strong ties with that city’s Black underworld. A big-voiced woman, Bogan made some important strides in the classic female blues tradition throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. Singing with surprising frankness about abusive men, prostitution, and a taste for both whiskey and sex, her recorded work is all solidly filled with pro-feminist outlooks, all the more surprising considering the era when her best work was done.

Sidney Bechet, Musician, and Teacher born

Sidney Bechet was born on this date in 1897 in New Orleans. He was an African American jazz musician and composer.

Gonzell White, Singer born

*Gonzell White was born on this date in 1897.  Also known as Gonzelle White, she was a Black jazz, blues, and vaudeville performer in the United States.  White was born in Chicago, Illinois.  She performed also as a blues, jazz, and burlesque act and was first mentioned in reports in 1912 and specifically as a […]