* Today in Black History - May 27 *
1863 - Captain Andre' Callioux and his Native Guard Regiment, which had once
fought for the Confederacy, charge Port Hudson, Louisiana. The Union
Army Guard, intent on disproving white contentions that "Negroes"
lacked the intelligence for combat, will make six different assaults
on the stronghold.
1917 - One African American joins the ancestors and hundreds are left homeless
in race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois.
1935 - Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis is born in Chicago, Illinois. While attending
Chicago Musical College, he will form the Gentlemen of Swing (later
called The Ramsey Lewis Trio) with The Cleff's old rhythm section,
Eldee Young (bass) and Redd Holt (drums). Their weekend gig will catch
the attention of an influential deejay (Daddio-O-Dayle), who convinces
blues record company owner Phil Chess to expand into jazz and sign
the trio. From the start (1958) their records were popular, although
in the early days they had a strong jazz content. In 1958 Lewis will
also record with Max Roach and Lem Winchester. On the 1965 albums
"The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy," Ramsey will make the piano into
a major attraction and from that point on, his records will become
much more predictable and pop-oriented. In 1966, his trio's personnel
will change with bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Maurice White
(later the founder of Earth, Wind and Fire) joining Lewis. In the
1970s Lewis will often play electric piano, although by later in the
decade, he was sticking to acoustic and hiring an additional
keyboardist. He plays melodic jazz when he wants to, but will stick
to easy-listening pop music during his career.
1936 - Louis Gossett, Jr. is born in Brooklyn, New York. He will make his
acting debut at 17 in "Take a Giant Step" and act in numerous stage,
film and television roles including Fiddler in "Roots," for which he
will win an Emmy. His portrayal of the tough drill instructor in "An
Officer and a Gentleman" will win him an Academy Award as best
supporting actor in 1982, the third African American to win an Oscar
for acting.
1941 - A race riot begins in East St. Louis, Illinois. After four days of
rioting, one African American will be killed.
1942 - Dorie Miller, a messman from Waco, Texas, is awarded the Navy cross for
his heroic deeds at Pearl Harbor. The Cross is pinned on his chest by
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
1950 - Denise Garrett is born in Memphis, Tennessee. She will become a jazz
singer known as Dee Dee Bridgewater. She will be a three-time Grammy
Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage
actress. For 23 years, she will be the host of National Public Radio's
syndicated radio show, "JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater." In April,
2017, she will be the recipient of an NEA Jazz Masters Award with honors
bestowed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and in 2018 will be
awarded the 2018 Maria Fisher Founder's Award by the Thelonious Monk/
Hancock Institute of Jazz.
1958 - Ernest Green graduates from Little Rock's Central High School with six
hundred white classmates, becoming the first of the "little Rock Nine"
to graduate from high school.
1961 - Ralph Boston of the United States, sets the long jump record.
1963 - Jomo Kenyatta is elected first prime minister of self-governing Kenya.
In the early 1950s, Kenyatta was sentenced to seven years of hard
labor for alleged links to the Mau Mau, a clandestine anti-British
organization. In 1964, Kenyatta will become the first president of
Kenya, remaining in that position until 1978.
1965 - Todd Anthony Bridges is born in San Francisco, California. He will become a
child actor and is best known for his roles in the TV series "Diff'rent
Strokes," and "Fish." After Diff'rent Strokes, he will have a recurring
role as Monk on the sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris." He will work as a
commentator on the television series "TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest..."
from 2008 to 2013. He will be the last surviving original actor of
Diff'rent Strokes.
1968 - The Supreme Court orders schools to present a realistic desegregation
plan immediately. The ruling comes almost 13 years to the day after
the Court's "all deliberate speed" desegregation order in 1955.
1975 - Andre Lauren Benjamin is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He will be better
known by his stage name Andre 3000 (formerly Dre). He will be a rapper,
singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, and dancer best
known for being part of hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big
Boi. As an actor, he will make appearances in a number of TV series and
films, including "Families," "The Shield," "Be Cool," "Revolver,"
"Semi-Pro," "Four Brothers," and the lead role of Jimi Hendrix in "All
Is by My Side." In addition to music and acting, he will also be an
entrepreneur. In the spring of 2008, he will launch a clothing line
called Benjamin Bixby. He will also be an advocate for animal rights.
He will also be known for his work on the Cartoon Network animated series
"Class of 3000." In 2013, Complex will include him on its list of the 10
best rappers of the 2000s. In 2015, Billboard will include him on its
list of the 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time.
1975 - Jason Terrance Phillips is born in Yonkers, New York. He will become a
rapper better known by his stage name Jadakiss. He will be known for
being one third of the New York hip hop group "The Lox," as well as being
a member of the "Ruff Ryders" collective and for his solo work. He will
be signed to both Def Jam Records and his own label, D-Block Records,
which he will found with the other members of The Lox. Jadakiss will
release four studio albums, with the most recent being "Top 5 Dead or
Alive" on November 20, 2015. He will begin rapping in the mid-1990s as a
member of The Lox, with the group eventually signing to Puff Daddy's record
label Bad Boy Entertainment. After leaving Bad Boy in 2000, the group will
all sign to Ruff Ryders, where they will embark on solo careers, with
Jadakiss releasing his debut solo album "Kiss Tha Game Goodbye" in 2001.
Since the release of his first album in 2001, he will go on to release
three more solo studio albums, as well as an album with The Lox and a joint
album with Fabolous. In 2007, he will sign with Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella Records
and Def Jam Recordings, who both will release his 2010 album, "The Last
Kiss" along with Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
1975 - Ezzard Charles, former heavyweight boxing champion, joins the ancestors
in Chicago at the age of 53.
2011 - Gil Scott-Heron joins the ancestors at the age of 62. He was an American
soul and jazz poet, musician, and author, known primarily for his work
as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s. His collaborative
efforts with musician Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz,
blues, and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and
political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic
vocal styles. His own term for himself was "bluesologist", which he
defined as "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues."
His music, most notably on "Pieces of a Man and Winter in America" in
the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American
music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. He will be honored
posthumously as a 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
______________________________________________________________
Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene' A. Perry
"The TRUTH shall make you free"
E-mail: <[log in to unmask]>
Archives: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/Munirah.html
http://blackagenda.com/cybercolonies/index.htm
_____________________________________________________________
To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to: <[log in to unmask]>
In the E-mail body place: Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name
______________________________________________________________
Munirah(TM) is a trademark of Information Man. Copyright 1997 - 2016,
All Rights Reserved by the Information Man in association with
The Black Agenda.
|
