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Booker Taliaferro was born a mulatto slave in Franklin Country on 5th April, 1856. His father was an unknown white man and his mother, the slave of James Burroughs, a small farmer in Virginia. Later, his mother married the slave, Washington Ferguson. When Booker entered school he took the name of his stepfather and became […]

Photo by Louis Curry III Baltimore definitely showed up and showed out to IVote Maryland‘s first major event “Express Your Voice Concert Series” at Bourbon Street last night. Over 400 people came out to hear the message of the importance of voting as well as enjoyed performances by some of Baltimore’s most influential artists. The […]

Pearl Bailey ,famed entertainer ,was born in Newport News,VA, on March 29,1918. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress known for her talent, warmth and genuine style. Her career spanned over six decades (1933 – 1990) and she was successful in many different entertainment venues – Nightclubs, Broadway, Movies and Television. Pearl Bailey began […]

At the time of Bessie Smith’s birth in Chattanooga, Tennesee, blacks were so little thought of that no record was made; only the date she gave on her marriage license leads us to give the year as 1894. At the time of her death her funeral was among the largest ever held in Philadelphia. Bessie […]

Men’s Health Magazine published a report ranking Baltimore as the second angriest city in the nation. How in the world did they come up with that? Well they considered the number of aggravated assaults, the number of people with high blood pressure and the amount of time spent in rush hour. Check out the top […]

Ma Rainey was born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus, Georgia, on April 26, 1886, to minstrel troupers-Thomas Pridgett, Sr. and Ella Allen-Pridgett. Rainey worked at the Springer Opera House in 1900, performing as a singer and dancer in the local talent show, “A Bunch of Blackberries.” On February 2, 1904, Pridgett married comedy songster William “Pa” […]

Photos by Diamond Digital Portraits Kem and Ledisi are cruising across the country on their 2011 Intimacy Tour. Last night was their second show in Baltimore at the Meyerhoff. Their first show sold out almost immediately prompting them to add a second show. “I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Kem and Ledisi put on a wonderful […]

Nat King Cole,legendary singer,pianist,and entertainer,was born Montgomery,AL,on March 17, 1919. “Unforgettable”, “Mona Lisa,” and “Sentimental Reasons” were some of his most popular songs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pianist, singer and bandleader Nat “King” Cole may have made his name as a singer, but his work as a pianist is most musically significant. Taking the intricacies of Earl “Fatha” […]

Quincy Delight Jones,composer and musician,was born in Chicago,IL,on March 14,1933.Joneshas worked with such artists as Michael Jackson and the USA for AFRICA project among others. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERSON VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.