Viola Fletcher was born in Comanche, Oklahoma, but moved to Tulsa with her family. The Fletchers lived in Greenwood, an affluent neighborhood of black families, known as “Black Wall Street.” On May 31, 1921, mobs of white residents — some supposedly working as deputized agent of local government — attacked and destroyed the homes and …
Born in Trinidad, Hazel Scott moved to the United States when she was four. Labeled a child prodigy, Hazel began music studies at the Julliard School of Music at 8 years old. She was able to pick out any tune she heard on the piano. At 13, she joined an all-girl jazz band, playing piano …
Effa Manley was born in Philadelphia and , after graduating from vocational school, took a job as a hatmaker. A baseball fan from an early age, she met Abe Manley at a New York Yankees game. Abe owned the Newark Eagles, a popular baseball club in the Negro Leagues. Effa married Abe in 1935 and …
Joyce Bryant had aspirations of becoming a teacher. But, at 19, she was dared to participate in an impromptu singalong at a local Oakland club. She noticed that she was the only one singing. The club owner offered her $25 to continue. She accepted, as she need the money to get home. And that was …
Pretty Kandi Barbour was discovered by photographer Diana Hardy in the 1970s. As a teenager and under Hardy’s direction, Kandi began posing for various men’s magazines. At 19, she ventured into the world of hardcore pornography, appearing in over 30 films. She eventually left the adult film business to focus on mainstream modeling. She became …
Jane Dornacker was born performing. As a precocious elementary school student, she wrote a six-act play. At 8, she performed all the parts of an opera she had written in a secret language that only she understood. In high school, Jane was featured in productions in her native Albuquerque’s theater scene, including The Bad Seed. …
I am a Deadhead by marriage. I met the future Mrs. Pincus — the Deadhead referenced in the first sentence — in February 1982. By April, I found myself attending my first (of many) Grateful Dead concerts. Although we made it a point not to discuss our musical leanings while we were dating… we knew. …
Ernestine Allen’s early life is kind of sketchy. The sultry jazz vocalist offered different stories of her humble beginning throughout her life. She fudged on dates and locations. She claimed she sang at clubs that weren’t yet established during the times she gave for her performances. Nevertheless, there is no denying Ernestine’s talent and appeal. …
After her parents separated, Merna Kennedy’s mother packed up the family and moved to California. Mama Kennedy began to teach, prep and train seven-year old Merna and her brother Merle to perform as a song-and-dance duo. The siblings were a popular vaudeville act and were featured often at Los Angeles prominent vaudeville theaters. They caught …
For 20 years — for 20 Christmases — jovial John Toomey played Santa Claus for Macy’s at its famed Union Square location in San Francisco. And boy!, did John fit the part. Sporting a chest-length white beard and cherry-red cheeks, John was the spitting image of the traditional Santa Claus that danced in the minds …
