Vintage Artist Spotlight Page

Sam Cooke the man the legend

I believe that I may have Sam Cooke's entire collection.

Sam Cooke is not often talked about but if you ask most R&B artist today who inspired them they would tell you at least one artist that inspired them was Sam Cooke. His good looks and silky smooth vocals made you yearn to hear more.
Sam Cooke started out singing in the church with the Highway QC's then the Soulstirrers and then crossed over into secular music, his most famous songs are "A change is gonna come" , "You send me" and "Bring it on home to me (trivia - Lou Rawls is in the background)
. He has made such a huge impact on music today I wonder why we don't see his videos on tv or haven't seen a movie of his life story and why don't we hear more of his music when we listen to the oldies station? Things that make you go mmmmmmmmm?

Sam Cooke, was a business man and far thinker in addition to being a performer, he established himself as a successful and even groundbreaking black entrepreneur in the music industry. Sam Cooke produced records for other singers, he was one of the first African Americans to own his own publishing company 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. I haven't even begin to scratch the surface on the achievements of this man. He has so many God given talents and he used them. I would hope that somewhere in the near future that they make a movie about his life story, its worth telling!

The Truth Revealed

On January 21, 1989 Paramedics were called to the house of the famous jazz musician Billy Tipton. The jazz musician was lying on the floor and the paramedics opened his pajamas to try to revive him. They made a shocking discovery, the paramedics had asked the son Billy Tipton Jr. had his dad ever had a sex change.

Billy Tipton was actually born Dorothy Tipton and at the age of 19 she decided to start living as a man. He had married 5 times and had adopted 3 sons. All were in shock from the event, his wives, his sons and his fellow musicians. Please check out the video below and hear this amazing story of how Billy Tipton lived a secret life for over 50 years. Amazing! Also, check out the wonderful music by Billy Tipton…

African American female big bands!

Each week I will feature a different Musician in History. Artist who did not get the Popularity they deserved for one reason or another.

In a time where you had big bands like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, etc., all the male bands black and white, I never even considered that their may be female bands especially african-american female bands.

I stumbled upon ”The International Sweethearts of Rhythm an African American female swing band that was popular in the late 1930′s to sometime around 1949 while searching for information on another artist (who I will talk about in a different blog).

The band originated at Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi, a boarding school founded by Lawrence C. Jones in 1909 to care for poor and orphaned black children.

While researching this band, I found out that their where others among them Lil Hardin Armstrong’s All Girl Band (that name may sound familiar because Lil Hardin was married to Louis Armstrong). The following I will have to research but in the meantime, I have made you aware so CHECK them out for yourselves. Ada Leonards All American Girls, Beryl Booker Trio, Darlings of Rhythm, Eddie Durhams All Stars, Hip Chicks and the Singing Rays of Rhythm.