Category: Whats Buzzing in the Streets

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. His career has spanned more than 60 years, and he has been described as “one of America’s most distinguished and versatile” actors and “one of the greatest actors in American history”. Since his Broadway debut in 1957, Jones has won many awards, including a Tony Award and Golden Globe Award for his role in The Great White Hope. Jones has won three Emmy Awards, including two in the same year in 1991, and he also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the film version of The Great White Hope. He is also known for his voice roles as Darth Vader in the Star Wars film series and Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King, as well as many other film, stage and television roles.

Jones has been said to possess “one of the best-known voices in show business, a stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas” to his projects, including live-action acting, voice acting, and commercial voice-overs. As a child, Jones had a stutter. In his episode of Biography, he said he overcame the affliction through poetry, public speaking, and acting, although it lasted for several years. A pre-med major in college, he went on to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. On November 12, 2011, he received an Honorary Academy Award. On November 9, 2015, Jones received the Voice Arts Icon Award. On May 25, 2017, he received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University and concluded the event’s benediction with “May the Force be with you”.

From Arkabutla, Mississippi Jones’s father, the actor Robert Earl Jones left his family before his son was born, and young Jones was raised by his grandparents in Michigan. As a boy, Jones had such a relentless stutter that, for eight years, he refused to talk and was functionally speechless. While in high school Jones’s teacher discovered his gift for writing poetry, and encouraged public speaking of his works to help him out of his silence. The educator insisted that he recite a poem to the class each day.

In 1953, Jones graduated from the University of Michigan, majoring in drama, after which he had a brief stint in the U.S. Army. One special experience with oration came when he left the army in the mid-1950’s. (Then) young Jones found his father and performed a monologue of the impulsive young soldier character Hotspur from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I. Jones went to New York City and studied at the American Theatre Wing and with Lee Strasberg.

He played in his first off-Broadway production in 1957 and subsequently, with the New York Shakespeare Festival, played a number of Shakespearean roles from 1961 to 1973. He also performed in other New York productions and won a Tony award for his boxer role in Howard Sackler’s The Great White Hope (1968), later starring in the film version (1970). Through the 1970’s and ’80’s he received critical acclaim for a number of stage, film, and television roles, notably in the two-character stage play Paul Robeson (1978) and in the title role of Othello, opposite Christopher Plummer’s Iago (1981-82).

Currently, as the voice of CNN and Bell Atlantic, and after a long career as a theatre, film and television actor, Jones’s steady, authoritative voice is among the most recognizable in the world.

In 2009, Jones guest starred in the Fox medical drama House, M.D., in season 6, episode 4, entitled “The Tyrant”, as a brutal African dictator named Dibala who has fallen ill. The dictator had made threats of ethnic cleansing against an ethnic minority, the Sitibi, and the team deals with ethical issues of treating a potential mass murderer. In 2013-14, he appeared alongside Malcolm McDowell in a series of commercials for Sprint in which the two recited mundane phone and text-message conversations in a dramatic way.Jones appeared as himself on the season 7 episode of The Big Bang Theory entitled “The Convention Conundrum”.

Jones married American actress/singer Julienne Marie in 1968, whom he met while performing as Othello in 1964. They had no children, and divorced in 1972. In 1982, he married actress Cecilia Hart, with whom he had one child, son Flynn Earl Jones. Hart died on October 16, 2016, after a one-year battle with ovarian cancer. In April 2016, Jones spoke publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years about his long-term health challenge with type 2 diabetes. He has been dealing with diabetes since the mid 1990s.

In 2015, Jones starred as the Chief Justice Caleb Thorne in the American drama series Agent X alongside actress Sharon Stone, Jeff Hephner, Jamey Sheridan, and others. The television series was aired by TNT from November 8 to December 27, 2015, running only one season and 10 episodes.

Written by Dianne Washington

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. From early in his career, Ali was known as an inspiring, controversial, and polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring.

At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali thrived in and indeed craved the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish. He was known for trash talking, and often freestyled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both for his trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism, anticipating elements of rap and hip hop music. As a musician, Ali recorded two spoken word albums and a rhythm and blues song, and received two Grammy Award nominations. As an actor, he performed in several films and a Broadway musical. Additionally, Ali wrote two autobiographies, one during and one after his boxing career.

As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NOI) and advocated their black separatist ideology. He later disavowed the NOI, adhering to Sunni Islam, practicing Sufism, and supporting racial integration, like his former mentor Malcolm X.

After retiring from boxing at age 39 in 1981, Ali devoted his life to religious and charitable work. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, which his doctors attributed to boxing-related brain injuries.[citation needed] As his condition worsened, Ali made limited public appearances and was cared for by his family until his death on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Cassius Clay was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, after which he turned professional later that year. At age 22 in 1964, he won the WBA, WBC and lineal heavyweight titles from Sonny Liston in an upset. Clay then converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his “slave name”, to Muhammad Ali. He set an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali further antagonized the white establishment in the U.S. by refusing to be conscripted into the U.S. military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was eventually arrested, found guilty of draft evasion charges and stripped of his boxing titles. He successfully appealed in the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, by which time he had not fought for nearly four years—losing a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali’s actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation.

Ali is regarded as one of the leading heavyweight boxers of the 20th century. He remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having won the title in 1964, 1974 and 1978. Between February 25, 1964, and September 19, 1964, Ali reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times. He was ranked as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. ESPN SportsCentury ranked him the third greatest athlete of the 20th century. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, he was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these were the first Liston fight; the “Fight of the Century”, “Super Fight II” and the “Thrilla in Manila” versus his rival Joe Frazier; and “The Rumble in the Jungle” versus George Foreman.

At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali thrived in—and indeed craved—the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish. He was known for trash talking, and often freestyled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, both for his trash talking in boxing and as political poetry for his activism, anticipating elements of rap and hip hop music. As a musician, Ali recorded two spoken word albums and a rhythm and blues song, and received two Grammy Award nominations. As an actor, he performed in several films and a Broadway musical. Ali wrote two autobiographies, one during and one after his boxing career.

As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NOI) and advocated their black separatist ideology. He later disavowed the NOI, adhering initially to Sunni Islam and later to Sufism, and supporting racial integration, like his former mentor Malcolm X. After retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali devoted his life to religious and charitable work. In 1984, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, which his doctors attributed to boxing-related brain injuries. As the condition worsened, Ali made limited public appearances and was cared for by his family until his death on June 3, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He is also an international humanitarian and ambassador of good will. Cassius Marcellus Clay (his name at birth) is from Louisville, Kentucky. As an amateur boxer, he was noticed in 1960 by winning the Amateur Athletic Union light heavyweight and Golden Gloves heavyweight championships. He won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome. He turned professional soon afterward and became world heavyweight champion by knocking out Sonny Liston in seven rounds in 1964.

Gifted with unusually fast reflexes, excellent hand-leg coordination, and finely honed defensive skills, Ali successfully defended his title nine times from 1965 to 1967 and was universally recognized as champion after out pointing World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Ernie Terrell in 15 rounds in 1967. Ali often proclaimed his invincibility in poetic verse and made the claim “I am the greatest!” his personal slogan. In 1964 he joined the Nation of Islam adopting a Muslim name and in 1967 he refused, on religious grounds, to submit to induction into the armed forces. He was subsequently convicted of violating the Selective Service Act and in consequence barred from the ring and stripped of his title.

The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately reversed this conviction in 1971. Ali had meanwhile resumed boxing in 1970 and had defeated two other title contenders, but in 1971, he lost a 15-round decision to the heavyweight champion, Joe Frazier. For nearly three years Ali fought other title contenders, including Jerry Quarry, Floyd Patterson, Joe Bugner, and Ken Norton. Finally Ali won a unanimous decision over Frazier in 1974 that led to his meeting with the new champion, George Foreman, later that year. His eighth-round knockout of Foreman regained for Ali the undisputed world heavyweight title. After defending his title successfully six times, he lost it to Leon Spinks in 1978, in a split decision.

Ali regained the WBA title from Spinks seven months later, thus becoming the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times. In 1979 he announced his retirement, at that point having lost only three decisions in 59 fights. He returned to fight World Boxing Council champion Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick of Canada in 1981 but lost both fights. In 1984 it was confirmed that Ali was suffering from a series of symptoms variously known as “punch drunk” syndrome, or chronic hazard of boxing; it is characterized by Parkinson-like symptoms; slurred speech, facial immobility, poor balance, and difficulty in walking.

He has since maintained a commitment to helping various community service causes around the world. Ali was selected to light the Olympic flame at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight in his era, which has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. Ali was named “Fighter of the Year” by The Ring magazine more times than any other fighter, and was involved in more Ring “Fight of the Year” bouts than any other fighter. He was an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and held wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees. He was one of only three boxers to be named “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated.

In 1978, three years before Ali’s permanent retirement, the Louisville Board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, voted 6–5 to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This was controversial at the time, as within a week 12 of the 70 street signs were stolen. Earlier that year, a committee of the Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky) considered renaming Ali’s alma mater, Central High School, in his honor, but the motion failed to pass. In time, Muhammad Ali Boulevard—and Ali himself—came to be well accepted in his hometown.

In 1993, the Associated Press reported that Ali was tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognized athlete, out of over 800 dead or living athletes, in America. The study found that over 97% of Americans over 12 years of age identified both Ali and Ruth. He was the recipient of the 1997 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

In 1999, Time magazine named Ali one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. He was crowned Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated. Named Sports Personality of the Century in a BBC poll, he received more votes than the other contenders (which included Pelé, Jesse Owens and Jack Nicklaus) combined. On September 13, 1999, Ali was named “Kentucky Athlete of the Century” by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.

On January 8, 2001, Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton. In November 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, followed by the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold of the UN Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin for his work with the U.S. civil rights movement and the United Nations (December 17, 2005).

On November 19, 2005 (Ali’s 19th wedding anniversary), the $60 million non-profit Muhammad Ali Center opened in downtown Louisville. In addition to displaying his boxing memorabilia, the center focuses on core themes of peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth. On June 5, 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University’s 260th graduation ceremony.

Ali Mall, located in Araneta Center, Quezon City, Philippines, is named after him. Construction of the mall, the first of its kind in the Philippines, began shortly after Ali’s victory in a match with Joe Frazier in nearby Araneta Coliseum in 1975. The mall opened in 1976 with Ali attending its opening.

The 1976 Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki fight played a role in the history of mixed martial arts, particularly in Japan. The match inspired Inoki’s students Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki to found Pancrase in 1993, which in turn inspired the foundation of Pride Fighting Championships in 1997. Pride was later acquired by its rival Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2007.

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was introduced in 1999 and passed in 2000, to protect the rights and welfare of boxers in the United States. In May 2016, a bill was introduced to United States Congress by Markwayne Mullin, a politician and former MMA fighter, to extend the Ali Act to mixed martial arts. In June 2016, US senator Rand Paul proposed an amendment to the US draft laws named after Ali, a proposal to eliminate the Selective Service System.

On December 20, 2014, Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia. Ali was once again hospitalized on January 15, 2015, for a urinary tract infection after being found unresponsive at a guest house in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was released the next day.

Ali was hospitalized in Scottsdale on June 2, 2016, with a respiratory illness. Though his condition was initially described as “fair”, it worsened, and he died the following day at age 74 from septic shock. Following Ali’s death, he was the number one trending topic on Twitter for over 12 hours and on Facebook for several days. BET played their documentary Muhammad Ali: Made In Miami. ESPN played four hours of non-stop commercial-free coverage of Ali. News networks, such as ABC News, BBC, CNN, and Fox News, also covered him extensively.

Written by Dianne Washington

Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer and writer who was First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is married to the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and spent her early legal career working at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her husband. She subsequently worked as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago and the Vice President for Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Barack and Michelle married in 1992 and have two daughters.

Obama campaigned for her husband’s presidential bid throughout 2007 and 2008, delivering a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She returned to speak at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and again during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she delivered a speech in support of the Democratic presidential nominee, and fellow First Lady, Hillary Clinton.

As First Lady, Obama became a role model for women, an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity and healthy eating, and a fashion icon.

Born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Chicago, Illinois, she is the daughter of Fraser Robinson III, a city water plant employee and Democratic precinct captain, and Marian Shields, a secretary at Spiegel’s catalog store. She grew up in a two-story house on Euclid Street in Chicago’s South Shore. They attended services at nearby South Shore Methodist Church.

She and her brother, Craig skipped the second grade. By sixth grade, Robinson joined a gifted class at Bryn Mawr Elementary School (later renamed Bouchet Academy). She attended Whitney Young High School, where she was a classmate of Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita. She was on the honor roll for four years, took advanced placement classes, a member of the National Honor Society and served as student council treasurer. Robinson graduated in 1981 as the salutatorian of her class.

She followed her brother to Princeton University. While at Princeton, she got involved with the Third World Center (now known as the Carl A. Fields Center), an academic and cultural group that supported minority students, running their day care center, which also included after school tutoring. Robinson majored in sociology and minored in African American studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1985. She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. At Harvard she participated in demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who were members of minorities and worked for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, assisting low-income tenants with housing cases. She is the third First Lady with a postgraduate degree, after Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin, where she first met her future husband Barrak Obama.

At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property. In 1991, she held public sector positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the Mayor, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. The couple’s first date was to the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing. They married in October 1992. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization. In 1996, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University’s Community Service Center. Obama had her first daughter, Malia Ann in 1998 and Natasha (known as Sasha in 2001.

In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs. She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband’s Presidential election. She serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In 2008, Obama accepted the invitation to become an honorary member of the 100-year-old black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, which had no active undergraduate chapter at Princeton when she attended.

Promoting Service and working with young people has remained a staple of her career and her interest. In 2010 as First Lady, Obama launched Let’s Move a campaign to bring together community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, moms and dads in a nationwide effort to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity. In 2011, Obama and Dr. Jill Biden together launched Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned, and to raise awareness of military families’ unique needs as pertains to employment, education and wellness. Joining Forces has been working hand in hand with American businesses who are committed to answering the President’s challenge to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans and military spouses by 2013.

In May 2017, during an appearance at the Partnership for a Healthier America conference, Obama rebuked the Trump administration for its delay of a federal requirement designed to increase the nutritional standards for school lunches. In June, while attending the WWDC in Silicon Valley, California, Obama called for tech companies to add women for the diversifying of their ranks. In July, Obama honored Eunice Shriver at the 2017 ESPY Awards. In September, Obama delivered an address at the tech conference in Utah charging the Trump administration with having a fearful White House,appeared in a video for the Global Citizens Festival advocating more attention to giving young girls an education, and attended the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston. During an October 3 appearance at the Philadelphia Conference for Women, Obama cited a lack of diversity in politics with contributing to lawmakers being distrusted by other groups. In November, Obama discussed gender disparity in attitudes with Elizabeth Alexander while attending the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, and spoke at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut.

In February 2018, she is scheduled to speak in Vancouver, Canada.

Written by Dianne Washington

Debbie Allen

Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She is perhaps best known for her work on the 1982 musical-drama television series Fame, where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series’ principal choreographer. She currently portrays Catherine Avery on Grey’s Anatomy. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad.

Allen was born in Houston, Texas, the third child to orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen Jr. and Pulitzer Prize-nominated artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, Vivian (née Ayers) Allen, She went on to earn a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University. She holds honoris causa Doctorates from Howard University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former Los Angeles Lakers dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet.

She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors from Howard University. Allen began her career on Broadway in the 1970s in the chorus of “Purlie,” “A Raisin In the Sun,” “West Side Story,” and “Anita,” which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. She is probabloy best known for her is probably best known for her role as Lydia Grant in the 1982 TV hit, Fame.

She is also a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

In 1988, she choreographed “Carrie,” with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Allen has worked on TV’s “Good Times,” “The Love Boat,” “The Cosby Show,” “Touched By An Angel” and “The Division.” “Fame” gave Allen international prominence.

Its popularity in the United Kingdom prompted a special cast tour in England. While still a cast member of “Fame,” she became the first African American woman hired by a television network as a director in prime time. In 1989, after directing episodes of “Fame,” she co-wrote, produced, directed, choreographed, and starred in “The Debbie Allen Special” for ABC. She received two Emmy nominations, for direction and choreography of this variety show. She also produced and directed “A Different World.”

In 1989, Allen directed a remake of the 1960 film, “Pollyanna.” She also directed the sequel “Polly: Comin’ Home” in 1990, “Stompin At The Savoy” “The Old Settler,” and was producer of the 1997 film “Amistad.” 

Allen is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon, and they have three children: dancer Vivian Nichole Nixon, basketball player Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. (Wofford College & Southern University), and DeVaughn Nixon. Allen was previously married to Win Wilford from 1975 to 1983. She is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (with whom she once co-starred on an episode of The Cosby Show), and Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), noted jazz composer.

Written by Dianne Washington

Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson’s Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film’s soundtrack, which spawned the single “Try Again”. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. “Try Again” also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.

On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for the single “Rock the Boat”. The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah’s family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Aaliyah’s music continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases, and has sold an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been credited for helping redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames “Princess of R&B” and “Queen of Urban Pop”. Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful in history.

Written by Dianne Washington

Slick Rick

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965); better known as Slick Rick, Rick The Ruler and MC Ricky D, is a British-American rapper. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler’s Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999). His music has been sampled and interpolated over 600 times, in over 35 songs by artists including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan and Color Me Badd. In the process, Walters has become the most-sampled hip-hop artist ever. Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles. He’s been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameoed in 10 movies and videos.

Walters was born and raised in the southwest London district of Mitcham, to a British-Jamaican family. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. In 1976, he and his family migrated to the United States, settling in the Baychester area of the Bronx. At Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art, Rick met Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed The Kangol Crew, performing at school contests, parks and local hole-in-the-wall clubs.

At a 1984 talent showcase he entered, Rick met Doug E. Fresh. Impressed by Rick’s talent, Doug made him a member of his Get Fresh Crew (which also included DJs Chill Will and Barry Bee). Doug’s beatbox and Rick’s fresh flow turned “The Show”/”La Di Da Di” into an international anthem that turned rap music on its head and became the launching pad for “Hip Hop’s greatest storyteller.”

His career began in late 1985; Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single “The Show” and its even more popular B-side, “La Di Da Di”, which featured Walters’ rapping over Doug E. Fresh’s beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared on Top of the Pops and Soul Train with the Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the double-sided gem in Rolling Stone magazine, Roots drummer and Tonight Show bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson said, “Point blank: Slick Rick’s voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture […] Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint.”

In 1986, Slick Rick joined Russell Simmons’ Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records, the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time. Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced his solo debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, which came out in 1988 on Def Jam. The album was very successful, reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured three charting singles: “Children’s Story”, “Hey Young World”, and “Teenage Love”. The release is known for its storytelling and vocal characterizations. “With the combination of Rick’s Dick Van Dyke-on-dope accent and his unique narrative style, the record was an instant classic,” wrote critic Matt Weiner. “Each of Rick’s songs was an amusing, enthralling story that lasted from the first groove to the last.”

In 1989, Walters’ mother, Veronica, hired his first cousin, Mark Plummer, as his bodyguard. By 1990, Plummer had become a liability, having tried numerous times to extort money from the artist. Plummer was fired and, unsatisfied with his severance package, tried to rob Walters on numerous occasions and also threatened to kill the rapper and his mother. When Walters found bullet holes in his front door, he bought guns for protection. On July 3, 1990, Walters spotted Plummer in his neighborhood, and fired at least four shots. One bullet hit Plummer; another caught a passerby in the foot. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and other charges, including assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. The rapper called it an act of self-defense. He spent five years in prison, two for the then-second-degree attempted-murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for his struggle with the Immigration and Naturalization Services over his residency in the U.S. He was released from prison in 1997

After being bailed out by Russell Simmons, Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler’s Back, released in 1991. Despite peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard 100, the album received mixed reviews and wasn’t as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned on Rikers Island.

Walters’ third studio album (the fourth for Def Jam) Behind Bars was released in 1994, while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. Behind Bars peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.

Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album, The Art of Storytelling. Generally considered the authentic follow-up to his 1988 debut, The Art of Storytelling was an artistically successful comeback-album that paired him with prolific MCs like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg. The Los Angeles Times announced it as the “triumphant return of rap’s premier yarn-spinner,” calling the song “2 Way Street” “a much-needed alternative to rap’s misogynistic slant.” It charted higher than any of Slick Rick’s prior releases: No. 8 on the Billboard 200; No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2001, Walters was arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as he re-entered the United States through Florida. He was promptly told that he was being deported under a law allowing deportation of foreigners convicted of felonies. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7, 2003. In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Walters back to the United Kingdom, moving the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the more conservative Eleventh Circuit. The court is based in Atlanta, Georgia but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.

On May 23, 2008, New York Governor David Paterson granted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on the attempted murder charges. The governor was pleased with his behavior since the attempted murders. Slick Rick has volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.

Walters married his wife Mandy Aragones in April 1997, four years after the couple met at a Manhattan nightclub. The performer has two children, Ricky Martin Lloyd Santiago and Lateisha Walters, from a previous relationship. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Slick Rick and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.

In 2014, Rick participated in Will.i.am’s “Trans4M” concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer’s i.am.angel Foundation.

In addition, Rick recently was a Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award recipient.

On April 15, 2016, Rick was granted U.S. citizenship, remarking, “I am so proud of this moment—and so honored to finally become an American citizen.” He will also retain his UK citizenship.

On November 2, 2018, Rick released the single “Snakes Of The World Today”.

Written by Dianne Washington

Auditions for new movie

Auditions for new movie will be held by Street Line. The movie titled a Teenage story is said to be a Bronx tale about teens living in the inner city. Movie not yet rated. Filming starts in May. Casting for this movie starts Saturday January 19, 2019. Movie release date next year. More info to follow.

Darryl Dawkins

Darryl Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, “Chocolate Thunder”, was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder. He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to his shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979.

Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the flip side, Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84), and he never quite lived up to the expectations that had been heaped upon him when he was drafted out of high school.

At Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, Dawkins was “probably the best high school basketball player ever and one of the best people I ever met,” his prep coach, Fred Pennington, told Inside Sports. The team won the state championship in 1975, a year after the ABA’s Utah Stars had plucked Moses Malone right out of Petersburg (Virginia) High School.

Hoping to follow in Malone’s footsteps, the 18-year-old Dawkins renounced his college eligibility and applied for the 1975 NBA draft as a hardship candidate. The Philadelphia 76ers made him the fifth overall pick, behind David Thompson, David Meyers, Marvin Webster, and Alvan Adams. According to the New York Daily News, when Dawkins made his debut with the 76ers, New York Knicks guard Walt Frazier took one look and said, “I bet his teachers called him ‘Mr. Darryl.'”

With his size, speed, and touch, Dawkins was expected to take over the league. But he handled the expectations in typical fashion. “When I walked into the league, they wanted me to be Wilt Chamberlain right away—without one minute of college ball,” he told The Daily News. “I can’t be Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt is much taller than me.”

A raw talent who needed time to develop, Dawkins languished on the Sixers’ bench for his first two seasons. As a rookie in 1975–76 he played in only 37 games, averaging 2.4 points in 4.5 minutes per game. The next year he played a limited role during the regular season but began to emerge during the playoffs. The Sixers advanced all the way to the NBA Finals that year, and Dawkins was called upon to help battle Portland’s Bill Walton. The Trail Blazers won the series in six games, but Dawkins earned respect among the Philadelphia coaching staff with 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest in the postseason.

In the 1977–78 season Dawkins finally found a regular role, coming off the bench for nearly 25 minutes per game. Now a robust 20 years old, he averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage at .575. With a club that included Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Lloyd Free, and Doug Collins, the Sixers made another solid postseason run, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Washington Bullets in six games.

Prior to the 1978–79 season Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets for Bobby Jones and Ralph Simpson. The move was made in part to clear space for Dawkins on the Sixers’ front line, which also included 6-foot-11 Caldwell Jones. Over the next three seasons Dawkins and Caldwell Jones split time at the center and power forward positions, and Dawkins had the most productive stretch of his career. In 1979–80 he averaged 14.7 points and a career-high 8.7 rebounds, helping the Sixers back to the NBA Finals, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

In a game against the Kansas City Kings at Municipal Auditorium on November 13, 1979, Dawkins threw down such a massive dunk that the backboard shattered, sending the Kings’ Bill Robinzine ducking. Three weeks later he did it again, this time at home against the San Antonio Spurs at the Spectrum. A few days after that the NBA ruled that breaking a backboard was an offense that would result in a fine and suspension.

Dawkins named the first backboard-breaking dunk “The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam.”

He named other dunks as well: the Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, the Spine-Chiller Supreme, and the Greyhound Special (for the rare occasions when he went coast to coast). The 76ers also kept a separate column on the stat sheet for Dawkins’s self-created nicknames: “Sir Slam”, “Dr. Dunkenstein”, and “Chocolate Thunder.”

At one point, Dawkins claimed to be an alien from the planet Lovetron, where he spent the off-season practicing “interplanetary funkmanship” and where his girlfriend Juicy Lucy lived.

In the 1981 season Dawkins produced a .607 field-goal percentage, second in the NBA to Artis Gilmore’s .670. Dawkins averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds for the year, but Philadelphia failed to return to the Finals. The club met the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and lost in seven games.

The 76ers suffered another postseason disappointment in 1982 when they reached the Finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Frustrated with the team’s inability to handle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sixers management began to shake up the center position. First Philadelphia traded Dawkins, who missed nearly half of the 1981–82 season campaign with injuries, to the New Jersey Nets for a first-round draft pick. The Sixers then sent Caldwell Jones and a first-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Moses Malone who would help to capture the NBA title for Philadelphia the following year.

t age 25, Dawkins joined a Nets club that included Albert King, Buck Williams, and Otis Birdsong. He had two productive seasons in a Nets uniform, but injuries severely impacted the rest of his career. In the 1982–83 season Dawkins averaged 12.0 points and shot .599 from the floor, ranking third in the league in field-goal percentage behind Gilmore and Steve Johnson. The next season, he poured in a career-high 16.8 points per game on .593 field-goal shooting and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per contest. Dawkins also set a dubious NBA record that year when he committed 386 personal fouls for the season. He committed one more personal foul during his career than Michael Jordan, despite playing nearly 350 fewer games.

The 1983–84 campaign was Dawkins’ last full season. Injuries limited him to 39 games in 1984–85. Midway through the 1985–86 season, he slipped in his bathtub and injured his back. At the time, Dawkins was averaging 15.3 points and shooting .644 from the floor, but the injury sidelined him for 31 of the Nets’ final 32 games. Dawkins tried to come back over the next three seasons with the Nets, the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons, but back problems limited him to 26 games during those seasons. He attempted a comeback in 1994, attending Denver Nuggets training camp, and again in 1995 with the Boston Celtics. Dawkins also spent several seasons overseas after his NBA career, playing in the Italian league for Torino, Olimpia Milano and Telemarket Forli.

Following his NBA career, Dawkins had a brief stint with the Harlem Globetrotters, followed by a season spent with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association in 1995–1996. During this season, the Skyforce’s games against the Florida Beach Dogs were broadcast nationally by ESPN, as the Beach Dogs included another former NBA player, Manute Bol. In 2005, Dawkins was one of several former NBA players to audition for an analyst position with ESPN, as part of the network’s reality series Dream Job.

He was the head coach of the American Basketball Association’s Newark Express. He was also the player/coach of the Winnipeg Cyclone, a team in the short-lived International Basketball Association in 1999-2000.

He was the head coach of the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League until they folded.

On August 20, 2009, Lehigh Carbon Community College (located in Schnecksville, PA) announced that Dawkins would be the head coach of their men’s basketball team for the upcoming 2009–2010 season.

On April 7, 1986, he appeared at WrestleMania II as a guest judge for a boxing match between Mr. T (with Joe Frazier, The Haiti Kid) versus Roddy Piper (with Bob Orton and Lou Duva).

Dawkins appears in NBA Ballers and the NBA 2K video games as a reserve member of the 1980s Legends East Team.

Dawkins’ autobiography Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Times of Darryl Dawkins (co-authored with Charley Rosen) chronicles his on- and off-the-court life as an NBA star. In the book, Dawkins chronicled some of the racism he encountered during his NBA career, playing alongside 76ers superstar Julius Erving, and his off-the-court experiences with drugs, partying and women.

In September 1986, Dawkins eloped with Kelly Barnes of Trenton, New Jersey. The following autumn, the two were planning to divorce when she committed suicide on November 1, 1987, at her parents’ home in New Jersey; Darryl was in Utah with his team at the time. In 1988 Dawkins married a former Nets cheerleader, Robbin Thornton; they divorced after 10 years. Dawkins later remarried; he and his wife, Janice, had three children: Nick, Alexis, and Tabitha, a daughter from Janice’s previous relationship who has Down syndrome.

In 1999, Saturday Night Live named Dawkins the “Man of the Millennium” in a Weekend Update sketch.

Dawkins died on August 27, 2015, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 58. The Lehigh County coroner’s office announced that an autopsy would be performed on August 27; but according to a statement released by Dawkins’ family, the cause of death was a heart attack.

Written by Dianne Washington

Mary J Blige

Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, model, record producer, and actress. Starting her career as a backing singer on Uptown Records in 1989, Blige released her first album, What’s the 411?, in 1992. She has released 13 studio albums, eight of which have been certified multi-platinum.

Blige is known as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, and has won 9 Grammy Awards from her 31 nominations. My Life is among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and Time’s All-TIME 100 Albums. She received a Legends Award at the World Music Awards in 2006, and the Voice of Music Award from performance rights organization ASCAP in 2007.

As of 2013, Blige has sold 75 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years. In 2017, Billboard magazine also lists her 2006 song “Be Without You” as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song of all time, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and over 75 weeks on the chart. In 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. Moreover, she is ranked number 100 on the list of “100 greatest singers of all time” by Rolling Stone magazine. In 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in “The 100 Greatest Women in Music.”

Blige starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself and appeared in the film Rock of Ages (2012). She received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her musical contribution to the film The Help. In 2017, she starred in the period-drama film Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees, for which she received Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song nominations.

In partnership with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and Carol’s Daughter, Blige released her “My Life” perfume. The perfume broke HSN records by selling 65,000 bottles during its premiere. The scent went on to win two FiFi Awards, including the “Fragrance Sales Breakthrough” award.

Blige was born in Savannah, GA, moving with her mother and older sister to the Schlobam housing projects in Yonkers, NY, as a young girl. Her rough life there produced more than a few scars, physical and otherwise. Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year, spending time doing her friends’ hair in her mother’s apartment and hanging out.

When she was at a local mall in White Plains, NY, she recorded herself singing Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture,” into a karaoke machine. Her stepfather passed the recording on to Uptown Records’ CEO Andre Harrell. He was impressed with Blige’s voice and signed her to sing backup for local acts like Father MC. In 1991, Sean “Puffy” Combs took Blige under his wing and began working with her on her debut album, “What’s the 411?” Combs and his stylish touches added to Blige’s unique vocal style, created a stunning album that bridged the gap between R&B and rap in a way that no female singer had before.

Her 1995 follow-up, “My Life,” again featured Combs’ handiwork, stepping back from its urban roots and featuring less of a rap sound and making up for that with its subject matter. “My Life” was full of ghetto pathos and Blige’s own personal pain and rocky relationship with artist K-Ci Hailey, which likely contributed to the raw emotions on the album.

The period following the recording of “My Life” was also a difficult time professionally for Blige as she severed her ties with Combs and Uptown, hired Suge Knight as a financial advisor, and signed with MCA. 1997’s “Share My World” marked the beginning of Blige’s creative partnerships with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album was another hit for Blige and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Critics soured somewhat on its more conventional soul sound, but Blige’s fans seemed undaunted.

By 1999, the fullness and elegance of her new sound appeared more developed, as Blige displayed a classic soul style aided by material from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. She made it obvious that the ghetto and harsh aspects of her music were gone, while the sensitive power remained. That power also helped carry the more modern-sounding 2001 release, “No More Drama,” a deeply personal collective effort musically with more of Blige’s songwriting than anything before. “No More Drama” allowed listeners to see her musical path that produced an older, wiser, but still expressive artist.

Currently Blige is touring and acting. She started her own label, MJB Records. To many, Blige is more than the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Through all of her life, she was determined to find and maintain her own musical voice. By doing so, she has become one of the most successful R&B/hip hop writer/performers in the country, and has paved the way for many others who have followed her course.

Blige has received notable awards and achievements. In 2010, she was ranked 80th on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Artist of All Time. Blige was listed as one of the 50 most influential R&B singers by Essence. Rolling Stone magazine ranked My Life at number 279 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was also included on Time’s list of the 100 Greatest albums of All Time. Alternately called the “Queen of R&B” for her success in the realm of R&B, Blige has amassed ten number one albums on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. Blige is also the only artist to have won Grammys in the R&B, hip hop, pop, and gospel fields.

As an actress, Blige received the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival for her role in Mudbound.

Written by Dianne Washington

Donna Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012), widely known by her stage name Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and painter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the United States Billboard 200 chart and charted four number-one singles in the U.S. within a 12-month period. Summer has reportedly sold over 140 million records worldwide, making her one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. She also charted two number-one singles on the R&B charts in the U.S. and a number-one in the U.K.

Summer earned a total of 32 hit singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in her lifetime, with 14 of those reaching the top ten. She claimed a top 40 hit every year between 1975 and 1984, and from her first top ten hit in 1976, to the end of 1982, she had 12 top ten hits (10 were top five hits), more than any other act during that time period. She returned to the Hot 100’s top five in 1983, and claimed her final top ten hit in 1989 with “This Time I Know It’s for Real”. Her most recent Hot 100 hit came in 1999 with “I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro)”. While her fortunes on the Hot 100 waned through those decades, Summer remained a force on the U.S. Dance/Club Play Songs chart over her entire career.

While influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, Summer became the lead singer of a psychedelic rock band named Crow and moved to New York City. Joining a touring version of the musical Hair, she left New York and spent several years living, acting, and singing in Europe, where she met music producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte.

Summer returned to the U.S., in 1975 after the commercial success of the song “Love to Love You Baby”, which was followed by a string of other hits, such as “I Feel Love”, “Last Dance”, “MacArthur Park”, “Heaven Knows”, “Hot Stuff”, “Bad Girls”, “Dim All the Lights”, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (duet with Barbra Streisand), and “On the Radio”. She became known as the “Queen of Disco”, while her music gained a global following.

Summer died on May 17, 2012, from lung cancer, at her home in Naples, Florida. In her obituary in The Times, she was described as the “undisputed queen of the Seventies disco boom” who reached the status of “one of the world’s leading female singers.” Giorgio Moroder described Summer’s work with him on the song “I Feel Love” as “really the start of electronic dance” music. In 2013, Summer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In December 2016, Billboard Magazine ranked her as the 6th most successful dance artist of all-time.

Born in the Dorchester community of Boston, she was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, one of seven children raised by devout Christian parents. She sang in church, and as a teenager joined a rock group called The Crow. At 18, she left home and school to take up a supporting role in the Broadway musical, “Hair.” The show moved to Germany shortly afterwards and she eventually became a German resident.

She settled in Munich, performed in German versions of several musicals, including “Godspell” and “Show Boat” and also performed with the Viennese Folk Opera. In 1971, she released her first solo recording in Europe titled “Sally Go ‘Round The Roses.” She then recorded the song that would make her an international breakout star, “Love to Love you Baby” in 1975.

She married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer (“Summer” is an Anglicization of his last name) in 1972 and gave birth to daughter Mimi the following year. She performed in various musical and did jobs in studios and theaters for several years, including with the pop group Family Tree from 1974-75.

While singing back-up for Three Dog Night, she met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, signed a contract and issued her first album, “Lady of the Night,” which included the European hit, “The Hostage.” The couple divorced in 1976.

In 1978, she collaborated with the R&B Pop group the Brooklyn Dreams for the song “Heaven Knows.” While at the session recording the single, she met Bruce Sudano. The duo began a romance that culminated in their July 16, 1980, marriage, and later the birth of daughters Brooklyn and Amanda. Today, Mimi and Amanda sing alongside their mother and Brooklyn has done some acting. Summer is now a grandmother of three.

Summer dealt with controversy both professionally and personally in her career. In the early 1980s, she reportedly suggested that AIDS was a divine punishment from God. Her songs were banned for a number of years in some gay establishments. Summer has long denied such allegations, and finally took legal action against a newspaper which printed the rumors during a review of a concert. In 1991, during the height of the Gulf War, Summer’s song “State Of Independence” was banned from US radio play.

Her talent and musicianship (aided by Giorgio Moroder) are embraced as the epitome of the disco era. On September 27, 2007, Summer, was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Summer died on May 17, 2012, at her home in Naples, Florida, aged 63. The non-smoker had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which she believed was caused by inhaling toxic fumes and dust after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Summer was survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano; her daughters Mimi (with ex-husband Helmut Sommer), Brooklyn Sudano, and Amanda Sudano; her siblings, Ricky Gaines, Linda Gaines Lotman, Mary Ellen Bernard, Dara Bernard, and Jenette Yancey; and son-in-law Rick Dohler.

Written by Dianne Washington