Otis Redding

Bill Graham: Rock Impresario Bill Graham was a legendary rock concert promoter from the 1960’s up until his untimely death in 1991. He was born Wulf Wolodia Grajonca on January 8, 1931 in Berlin, Germany and at the age of eleven immigrated to the United States as part of a Red Cross initiative to help Jewish children fleeing the Holocaust. He was fostered by a family in the Bronx and grew up in New York City, graduated high school, and obtained a business degree from City College. When he turned…

The 1960s was a tumultuous decade for the United States. Along with the escalation of the Vietnam War, this decade was rocked by the Civil Rights movement and the second wave of the Feminist movements, creating an immense amount of social tension. As a result, people turned to politically-charged music, predominantly Rock n’ Roll, to release their frustrations. However, an equally important musical genre, Soul, was left in the background. Despite the fact that Soul music was not as popular in…

Born in 1942 as the daughter of C. L. Franklin and Barbara Singers, Aretha Franklin had a destiny of fame set out for her with her father being a renowned Baptist preacher and her mother a successful gospel singer. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, until she was six years old when her parents split, causing her and her four siblings to follow their father’s preaching assignments to Detroit, Michigan. Her father became a national preacher at New Bethel Baptist Church, while her mother passed…

One of the most notorious and unapologetic groups in n rap of the 1980s, N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitude), helped to redefine rap as something that could be intelligent, transformative, and socially aware. You can hear the influences of satire, funk, and realism in their lyrics as well as the impact of artists like Public Enemy, Prince, and RUN DMC. One of their most iconic songs, ‘Fuck Tha’ Police’ was listed on Rolling Stone 's: Greatest Songs of All Time, but it goes much deeper than that. I…