Monthly Archives: June 2010

#1 Song 1979:  “Hot Stuff,” Donna Summer Born:  Helen Humes, 1913 **************************************************************************** 1956   Shirley & Lee’s immortal “Let the Good Times Roll” was issued (#20 pop). The same day, the doo-wop standards “Can’t We Be Sweethearts” by the Cleftones ($40), … Continue reading →

#1 R&B Song 1985:  “Rock Me Tonight,” Freddie Jackson Born:  Ella Johnson, 1923; Verne Allison (the Dells), 1936; Chuck Jackson, 1937; Jimmy Castor (the Juniors), 1943 *********************************************************************************************** 1959   Jackie Wilson charted with “I’ll Be Satisfied,” reaching #6 R&B and #20 … Continue reading →

#1 R&B Song 1975:  “Give the People What They Want,” the O’Jays Born:  Carl White (the Rivingtons), 1932; Ocie ”O.C.” Smith, 1932; Mitty Collier, 1941; Brenda Holloway, 1946 ********************************************************************************************************* 1964   B.B. King performed at Chicago’s Regal Theater. The live recording of … Continue reading →

Over at Abagond’s he has put up a good post on how the liberation of France has been whitewashed. Paris was freed from Nazi rule on August 25th 1944 by the 2nd Armoured Division of the Free French army, a … Continue reading →

BILL DIXON, VOICE OF AVANT-GARDE JAZZ Bill Dixon, Leading Edge of Avant-Garde Jazz By BEN RATLIFF Published: June 19, 2010 Bill Dixon, the maverick trumpeter, composer, educator and major force in the jazz avant-garde movement of the 1960s, died on … Continue reading →

#1 R&B Song 1953:  “Help Me Somebody,” the “5″ Royales Born:   Lionel Richie, 1949 ********************************************************************************************* 1953   Beautiful R&B ballads were the norm in the early ’50s. Too bad so many went unnoticed, though they are now sought-after collector’s items like … Continue reading →

Flight Into Egypt, by Clementine Hunter, 1955, oil on panel, 12″ x 16″.

    Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 Richmond, VA Saturday June 19INDEPENDENCE! Freedom Stories in Ghana & Virginia@ The Manchester Dock, South Bank of the James River& Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, 3 – 11pm June & July INDEPENDENCE! … Continue reading →

The Original, by Robert Colescott, 1983, acrylic on canvas, 84 x 72 in.

The continued worship of whiteness—where modeling scouts scour  small villages like Rio Grand do Sul, Venancio Aires, and Paraiso do Sul of Brazil in search of potential models—never ceases to amaze me. Not to mention, that Brazil is okay with sending white-looking women … Continue reading →