People, Locations, Episodes

Memphis Minnie, Singer born

Memphis Minnie was born on this date in 1897. She was an African American blues musician and singer.

Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer born

On this date in 1897, “Willie the Lion” Smith was born. He was an African American Jewish jazz pianist and composer.

Born Bertholoff William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Smith in Goshen, New York; he grew up in Newark, N.J, with his mother and stepfather. He began studying piano at the age of six, inspired by his grandmother who played organ and banjo and by the Christian and Jewish music he heard in Harlem and Newark.
He had his bar mitzvah in 1910 and in the 1940s became cantor of the African American synagogue in Harlem.

Lucille Hegamin, Blues Singer born

Lucille Hegamin was born on this date in 1897. She was an African American blues singer.

Hegamin’s birth name was Lucille Nelson; she also went by Fanny Baker and was born in Macon, Georgia, hence her first stage nickname, the Georgia Peach. Although she had little or no vocal training, she began working the tent-show circuit in the South in her mid-teens. In 1914, she married piano player Bill Hegamin. The duo eventually wound up in Chicago, where Hegamin sang with jazz pianists Jelly Roll Morton and Tony Jackson.

Fletcher Henderson, Jazz Bandleader born

On this date in 1897, Fletcher Henderson was born. He was an African American pianist, arranger, and band leader.

‘Lil’ Hardin, Entertainer born

*Lillian “Lil” Hardin was born this date in 1898. She was an African American pianist, singer and composer.

Mr. Boogie Woogie, James Yancey born

*James Yancey was born on this date in 1898. He was an African American blues musician.

Paul Robeson, Athlete, Actor, Singer, and Activist born

On this date in 1898, Paul Robeson was born. He was a Black dramatic actor, singer, civil rights activist, political radical and one of the most gifted men of the 20th century.

Doc Clayton, Singer and Lyricist born.

*Doc Clayton was born on this date in 1898. He was a Black blues singer and songwriter. He was born Peter Joe Clayton in Georgia and moved to St. Louis as a child with his family. He had four children and worked in a factory in St. Louis, where he started his career as a singer and […]

Blind Willie McTell, Folk and Blues Musician born

*Blind Willie McTell was born on this date in 1898. He was a Black Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and folk music guitarist. McTell (born William Samuel McTier) was from Thomson, Georgia. He was born blind in one eye and lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for blind students in Georgia, […]

Williams and Walker Debuts on Stage

*Williams and Walker’s stage show is celebrated on this date in 1898. The twosome George Walker and Bert Williams were two of the most renowned figures of the minstrel era. They debuted in New York at the Casino Theatre. Their act, “The Gold But,” consisted of songs and dance focused on Walker trying to convince […]

Zutty Singleton, Drummer born

On this date in 1898, Zutty Singleton was born. He was an African American drummer and band leader.

He was born in Bunkie, LA, and moved to New Orleans when he was ten years old. Zutty Singleton was one of the most influential drummers of early jazz. He popularized the use of brushes and drums solos in jazz and had some of the best technique of the era. Zutty got his start at the Rosebud Theater in New Orleans with Steve Lewis in 1915 when he was fifteen. During World War I he went to Europe to fight and was wounded while in the Navy.

Andy Kirk, Musician, and Bandleader born

Andy Kirk was born on this date in 1898. He was an African American musician, composer, and bandleader.

He was born in Newport, Ky., but raised in Denver, CO. One of his music teachers was Wilberforce Whiteman, Paul Whiteman’s father.

Kirk worked as a postman and part-time musician for a decade before taking over leadership of the Dark Clouds of Joy, a band led by Terrence Holder. The band scored a hit with the recording of “Until the Real Thing Comes Along” in 1936. Among major players who went through the Kirk band in the 1930s were tenor saxophonists Buddy Tate and Dick Wilson.

Heitor dos Prazeres, Composer, and Singer born

*On this date, in 1898, Heitor dos Prazeres was born.  He was an Afro Brazilian composer, singer, and painter. Heitor dos Prazeres was born in Rio de Janeiro to Eduardo Alexandre dos Prazeres, woodworker and clarinetist in the National Guard band, and the seamstress Celestina Gonçalves Martins, living in the Cidade Nova neighborhood. He was […]

Clarence Williams, Music Entrepreneur born

Clarence Williams was born on this date in 1898. He was an African American musician and an entrepreneur.

Sippie Wallace, Blues Singer born

On this date in 1898, Sippie Wallace was born in Plum Bayou, Arkansas. She was an African American Blues singer.

Born Beulah Belle Thomas, Wallace was given the name “Sippie” as a child. The daughter of a Baptist deacon, Sippie Wallace sang and played piano in church as a child. Before she was in her teens, she began performing with her pianist brother Hersal Thomas.