Black History Month

**Doc Holliday** · 01 Feb 2005, 05:36 PM

John Lee Hooker
(1917-2001)
One of the essential Blues artists from the silver age most known for his songs Boom-Boom, and Boggie Chillin'.

Originally Posted by Official Site

Born near Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 22, 1917 to a sharecropping family, John Lee Hooker's earliest musical influence came from his stepfather, Will Moore. By the early 1940's Hooker had moved north to Detroit by way of Memphis and Cincinnati. Hooker found work as a janitor in the auto factories, and at night, like many other transplants from the rural Delta, he entertained friends and neighbors by playing at "house parties". He was "discovered" by record storeowner Elmer Barbee who took him to Bernard Besman, who was a producer, record distributor and owner of Sensation Records, Besman leased some of his early Hooker recordings to Modern Records. Among Hooker's first recordings in 1948, "Boogie Chillen" became a number one jukebox hit for Modern and his first million seller. This was soon followed by an even bigger hit with "I'm In The Mood" and other classic recordings including "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Hobo Blues." Another surge in his career took place with the release of more than 100 songs on Vee Jay Records during the 1950's and 1960's.

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Sam Cooke
(1931-1964)
Second only to Paul McCartney for writing the most top 40 hits thoughout the sixties, includes:Another Saturday Night, You Send Me, Cupid, Chain Gang, Twistin' The Night Away, and Bring It On Home. If you enjoy live albums, find Live at The Harlem Square Club.

Originally Posted by Hall of Fame

Cooke's career was defined by his early embrace of gospel and his subsequent move into the world of pop music and rhythm & blues. Joining the Soul Stirrers at age fifteen, he served as lead vocalist from 1950-56. He recorded his first pop song, "Lovable," as Dale Cook, choosing the pseudonym so as not to jeopardize his standing within the gospel community. Nonetheless, he'd crossed a line that made it impossible for him to carry on with the Soul Stirrers. Cooke's first solo successes came on the Keen label, for which he recorded "You Send Me," "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" and "Wonderful World," among others. In 1960 Cooke signed with RCA, where his hits included "Chain Gang," "Cupid," "Another Saturday Night" and "Twistin' the Night Away." A versatile singer who never really settled on a style, Cooke tackled everything from sophisticated balladry and lighthearted pop to finger-popping rock and roll and raw, raspy rhythm & blues.

In addition to being a performer, Cooke established himself as a successful and even groundbreaking black entrepreneur operating within the mainstream music industry. Cooke produced records for other singers, founded his own publishing company (Kags Music) and launched a record label (Sar/Derby). He also helped such fellow artists as Bobby Womack, Johnnie Taylor, Billy Preston and Lou Rawls make the transition from gospel to pop. Tragically, Cooke was shot to death at a Los Angeles motel on December 11th, 1964, under mysterious circumstances. RCA posthumously issued "Shake" b/w "A Change Is Gonna Come." Regarded as one of the greatest singles of the modern era, it matched a hard-hitting R&B number (later cut by Otis Redding) with a haunting song about faith and reckoning that returned Cooke's voice to its familiar gospel home.

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The Hughes Brothers
Albert & Allen Hughes: film making duo responible for such sweet films as Menace II Society and From Hell.

Originally Posted by Yahoo Movies

Twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes sold their first screenplay by the time they turned 19. They co-directed a studio-backed feature film, presented it at Cannes, and founded their own production and record company by age 21. Yet, more than simply wunderkinds, they follow in the tradition of their idols -- Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese, and Brian De Palma -- by creating stylized genre flicks that are characterized by both startling violence and incisive social commentary.

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