Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 59

Robin Roberts

Robin René Roberts (born November 23, 1960) is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America.

After growing up in Mississippi and attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Roberts was a sports anchor for local TV and radio stations. Roberts was a sportscaster on ESPN for 15 years (1990–2005). She became co-anchor on Good Morning America in 2005. She has been treated for breast cancer and for myelodysplastic syndrome.

Though born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Robin Roberts grew up in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where she played basketball and tennis, among other sports. She attended Pass Christian High School and graduated as the class of 1979 salutatorian. She is the daughter of Lucimarian (née Tolliver) and Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts.

In a 2006 presentation to the assembled student body at Abilene Christian University, Roberts credited her parents as cultivating the “three ‘D’s: Discipline, Determination, and ‘De Lord’.” She is the youngest of four, following siblings Sally-Ann, Lawrence, Jr. (nicknamed Butch), and Dorothy. Her father was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen.

Roberts attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, graduating cum laude in 1983 with a degree in communication. She followed in the footsteps of her older sister Sally-Ann Roberts, an anchor at the CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans.

Roberts noted on the January 13, 2007, edition of Costas on the Radio that she was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Louisiana State University but thought the school was too big and impersonal after visiting the campus. On her way back to Pass Christian from that visit, she saw a road sign for Southeastern Louisiana University, stopped to visit and decided to enroll. The only scholarship left was a tennis scholarship, and she was promised that there would be a journalism scholarship by the time she would graduate. She went on to become a standout performer on the women’s basketball team, ending her career as the school’s third all-time leading scorer (1,446 points) and rebounder (1,034). Roberts is one of only three Lady Lions to score 1,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds. During her senior season, she averaged a career-high 15.2 points per game. On February 5, 2011, Southeastern hosted a ceremony to retire Roberts’ jersey, number 21.

Roberts began her career in 1983 as a sports anchor and reporter for WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In 1984, she moved to WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 1986, she was sports anchor and reporter for WSMV-TV in Nashville, Tennessee. She was also a sports anchor and reporter at WAGA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1988 to 1990. She was also a radio host for radio station V-103 while in Atlanta.

She joined ESPN as a sportscaster in February 1990, where she stayed until 2005. She became well known on SportsCenter for her catchphrase, “Go on with your bad self!” Roberts began to work for ABC News, specifically as a featured reporter, for Good Morning America in June 1995. In 2001, Roberts received the Mel Greenberg Media Award, presented by the WBCA.

For many years, Roberts worked at both ESPN and Good Morning America, contributing to both programs. During that time, she served primarily as the news anchor at GMA. In 2005, Roberts was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America. In December 2009, Roberts was joined by George Stephanopoulos as co-anchor of GMA after Diane Sawyer left to anchor ABC World News. Under their partnership, the Roberts-Stephanopoulos team led Good Morning America back to the top of the ratings; the program became the number-one morning show again in April 2012, beating NBC’s Today, which had held the top spot for the previous 16 years.

In the fall of 2005, Roberts anchored a series of emotional reports from the Mississippi Gulf Coast after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina; her hometown of Pass Christian was especially hard hit, with her old high school reduced to rubble. On February 22, 2009, Roberts hosted the Academy Awards preshow for ABC, and did so again in 2011. In 2010, Roberts guest starred on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, appearing in season 4, episode 10, “Can You See the Real Me?” On May 30, 2010, Roberts drove the Pace Car for the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

Roberts was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Hall’s class of 2012 for her contributions to and impact on the game of women’s basketball through her broadcasting work and play. In 2014 Roberts was named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25.

Roberts is a practicing Christian. In 2007, Roberts was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. She underwent surgery on August 3, and by January 2008 had completed eight chemotherapy treatments, followed by 6½ weeks of radiation treatment.

In 2012, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease of the bone marrow. Be the Match Registry, a nonprofit organization run by the National Marrow Donor Program, experienced an 1,800% spike in donors the day Roberts went public with her illness. She took a leave from GMA to get a bone marrow transplant, and went home in October 2012. She returned to GMA on February 20, 2013. Roberts received a 2012 Peabody Award for the program. The Peabody citation credits her for “allowing her network to document and build a public service campaign around her battle with rare disease” and “inspir[ing] hundreds of potential bone marrow donors to register and heighten[ing] awareness of the need for even more donors.” ESPN awarded its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Robin Roberts at the 2013 ESPYs.

On December 29, 2013, Roberts posted a photo on Facebook with a caption that read:

“At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God, my doctors and nurses for my restored good health… I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.”

The post was a reflection of the past year and noted her health, the status of her bone marrow transplant, and her sexual orientation. Roberts and Amber Laign, a massage therapist, have been together since 2005. Though friends and co-workers have known about her same-sex relationships, this was the first time Roberts publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation. In 2015, she was named as one of the 31 Icons of 2015’s LGBT History Month by Equality Forum.

Written by Dianne Washington

Gene Anthony Ray

Gene Anthony Ray (May 24, 1962 – November 14, 2003) was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He was known for his portrayal of dancer Leroy Johnson in both the 1980 film Fame and the 1982–1987 Fame television series based upon the film.

Born in Harlem, New York, on May 24, 1962, Ray grew up in the neighborhood of West 153rd Street. He began performing early in life, street dancing at block parties. He performed in a dance class at the Julia Richman High School; he skipped school one day to audition for Fame choreographer, Louis Falco.

Ray attended the New York High School of the Performing Arts, the inspiration for the film Fame, but was kicked out after one year. “It was too disciplined for this wild child of mine,” Ray’s mother, Jean E. Ray, said.

Ray won the part of Leroy Johnson in the film Fame, which was released in 1980. Much like his Fame character, Ray had little professional training, but he possessed a raw talent that won him his role for the film. Reports USA Today: “Alan (Parker, the director) had to approach him very carefully. His mom was dealing drugs during the filming. It was not pretty.”

In 1981, Ray starred as Friday, alongside Michael York as Robinson Crusoe, in the 1981 TV adventure-comedy Vendredi ou la Vie sauvage [fr] (alternative title: Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday).

Ray also starred in television series based on the film, Fame. The series was produced by MGM Television from 1982 to 1987, and syndicated from 1983 to 1987.

Also in 1982, Ray danced in The Weather Girls’ music video for “Well-A-Wiggy”. Additionally, he began touring the U.K. with the other members of the Fame cast as The Kids from “Fame”; they performed at 10 venues, including a sell out performance at Royal Albert Hall.

In 1984, USA Today reports: “Ray was axed from the show after his mother was jailed for running a drug ring, and he failed to turn up for work 100 times.” He struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs, and worked only intermittently once the TV series ended.

In 1987, he won the role of Billy Nolan in the ill-fated musical adaptation of Carrie by Stephen King. Ray played the role in the original opening in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which closed after less than a month. He then transferred to Broadway and continued to play the role until the musical closed after only 21 public performances.

Ray also appeared in the 1995 film Out-of-Sync, which was directed by his Fame co-star Debbie Allen, in the 1996 Whoopi Goldberg comedy Eddie (for which he was also credited as associate choreographer), as well as in commercials for Dr Pepper and Diet Coke.

His last video project was a one-hour BBC Fame reunion documentary, Fame Remember My Name, taped in Los Angeles in April 2003.

As his Telegraph obituary describes:

“Ray remained a ‘frantic partygoer’ with a self-confessed weakness for drink and drugs. As his life fell apart, he slept on park benches, and during a failed attempt to launch a Fame-style dance school in Milan, shared a flat there with a porn actress. In 1996 he was diagnosed HIV positive. He suffered a stroke in 2003.

“Flamboyantly camp, he brushed aside questions about his sexuality. He never married.”

In 2001, Marco Papa, an Italian artist, tried to trace Gene Anthony Ray to involve him in his art project Dancing on the Verge, a research between success and failure. The result of their professional and human relationship was documented by drawings, sculptures, installations video and multimedia performances, and collected in the book entitled Dancing on the Verge, published by Charta, which testifies to their path until the death of Ray.

Written by Dianne Washington

Delroy Lindo

Delroy George Lindo (born November 18, 1952) is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award. He is perhaps best known for his roles in a trio of Spike Lee films, especially as West Indian Archie in Lee’s Malcolm X (1992) and Woody Carmichael in Crooklyn (1994), Catlett in Get Shorty, Arthur Rose in The Cider House Rules, and Detective Castlebeck in Gone in 60 Seconds (2000). Lindo starred as Alderman Ronin Gibbons in the TV series The Chicago Code (2011), and as Winter on the series Believe, which premiered in 2014.

Delroy Lindo was born in 1952 in Eltham, south-east London, the son of Jamaican parents who had migrated to England. He was brought up in nearby Lewisham and got interested in acting as a child in a Nativity play. His mother was a nurse and his father worked in various jobs. As a teenager, he and his mother moved to Toronto, Canada. When he was sixteen, they moved to San Francisco. At the age of 24, Lindo started acting studies at the American Conservatory Theater, graduating in 1979.

Lindo’s movie debut came in 1976 with the British comedy Find The Lady, followed by two other roles in films, including an Army Sergeant in More American Graffiti (1979).

He quit film for 10 years to concentrate on theatre acting. In 1982 he debuted on Broadway in “Master Harold”…and the Boys, directed by the play’s South African author Athol Fugard. By 1988 Lindo had earned a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Herald Loomis in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

Lindo returned to film in the 1990s, acting alongside Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen in the cult science fiction movie Salute of the Jugger (1990), which has become a cult classic. Although he had turned down Spike Lee for a role in his debut Do the Right Thing, Lee cast him as Woody Carmichael in the drama Crooklyn (1994), which brought him notice. Together with his other roles with Lee – as the West Indian Archie, a psychotic gangster, in Malcolm X, and a starring role as a neighbourhood drug dealer in Clockers – he became established in his film career.

Other films in which he has starring roles are Barry Sonnenfeld’s Get Shorty (1995), Ron Howard’s Ransom (1996), and Soul of the Game (1996), as the baseball player Satchel Paige. As a character actor, Lindo has readily taken on roles as treacherous bad guys as well as those of trustworthy professionals.

In 1998 Lindo co-starred as African-American explorer Matthew Henson, in the TV movie Glory & Honor, directed by Kevin Hooks. It portrayed his nearly 20-year partnership with Commander Robert Peary in Arctic exploration and their effort to find the Geographic North Pole in 1909. He received a Satellite Award as best actor. Lindo continues to work in television and was most recently seen on the short-lived NBC drama Kidnapped.

Lindo played an angel in the comedy film A Life Less Ordinary (1997), in which Dan Hedaya played the angel Gabriel, and Lindo’s boss. He guest-starred on The Simpsons in the episode “Brawl in the Family”, playing a similar character named Gabriel.

Lindo had a small role in the 1995 science fiction/action film Congo, playing the corrupt Captain Wanta. Lindo was not credited for the role, but one of his lines in the film, “Stop eating my sesame cake!”, has become an internet meme.

In the British film, Wondrous Oblivion (2003), directed by Paul Morrison, he starred as Dennis Samuels, the father of a Jamaican immigrant family in London in the 1950s; he coaches his children and the son of a neighbour Jewish family in cricket, earning their admiration in a time of strained social relations. Lindo said he made the film in honor of his parents, who had similarly moved to London in those years.

In 2007, Lindo began an association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California, when he directed Tanya Barfield’s play The Blue Door. In the fall of 2008, Lindo revisited August Wilson’s play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, directing a production at the Berkeley Rep. In 2010, he played the role of elderly seer Bynum in David Lan’s production of Joe Turner at the Young Vic Theatre in London.

Lindo is poised to play Marcus Garvey in an upcoming biopic of the black nationalist historical figure.

Written by Dianne Washington

Ol’ Dirty Bastard

SHIMMY, SHIMMY YO SHIMMY YAM SHIMMY YE, GIVE ME THE MIC SO I CAN TAKE Y’ALL AWAY! OL DIRTY BASTARD Y’ALL! MOMMASHIP CERTIFIED AND COMPLETELY UNFUCKWITABLE!

Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known under his stage name Ol’ Dirty Bastard (or ODB), was an American rapper and producer. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily from Staten Island, New York which first rose to mainstream prominence with their 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

After establishing the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol’ Dirty Bastard went on to pursue a successful solo career and contributed as a rapper/producer for the Fugees. However, his professional success was hampered by frequent legal troubles, including incarceration. He died on November 13, 2004, of a drug overdose, two days before his 36th birthday. Before his death, Ol’ Dirty Bastard recorded his third solo album, which remains unreleased.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard was noted for his “outrageously profane, free-associative rhymes delivered in a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung style”. His stage name was derived from the 1980 martial arts film Ol’ Dirty and the Bastard (also called An Old Kung Fu Master, starring Yuen Siu-tien).

Russell Jones was born on November 15, 1968 in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York. He and his cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice shared a taste for rap music and martial arts-style movies. Jones, Diggs, and Grice (later known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard, RZA, and GZA respectively) formed the group Force of the Imperial Master, which subsequently became known as All in Together Now after their successful underground single of the same name. They eventually added six more members to their group, calling it the Wu-Tang Clan. The group released their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, receiving notable commercial and critical success.

Leading up to his death, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s legal troubles and eccentric behavior made him “something of a folk hero”, according to The New Yorker writer Michael Agger. Music writer Steve Huey wrote: “it was difficult for observers to tell whether Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s wildly erratic behavior was the result of serious drug problems or genuine mental instability.” According to The Atlantic contributing editor and music biographer James Parker, ODB had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2003.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard collapsed at approximately 4:35 pm (EST) on November 13, 2004 (two days before his 36th birthday) at RZA’s recording studio (36 Chambers Records LLC on West 34th Street in New York City). His funeral was held at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center and drew a crowd of thousands.

The official cause of death was a drug overdose; an autopsy found a lethal mixture of cocaine and the prescription drug tramadol. The overdose was ruled accidental and witnesses say Ol’ Dirty Bastard complained of chest pain on the day he died.

Whoopi Goldber

Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actress, comedian, author, and television host. She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar.

In the period drama film The Color Purple (1985), her breakthrough role was playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won her first Golden Globe. In the romantic fantasy film Ghost (1990), Goldberg played Oda Mae Brown, an eccentric psychic who helped a slain man (Patrick Swayze) save his lover (Demi Moore), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a second Golden Globe, her first for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1992, she starred as a pretend nun in the comedy Sister Act, earning a third Golden Globe nomination, her first for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and reprised the role in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Her other film roles include Made in America (1993), The Lion King (1994), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999), For Colored Girls (2010) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). In television, Goldberg is known for her role as Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and since 2007, she has been the moderator of the daytime television talk show The View.

She was born Caryn Elaine Johnson and raised with her brother Clyde by her mother in a housing project in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, New York. She began acting at the age of 8 in children’s plays with the Hudson Guild Theatre. By the late 1960s she dropped out of the NY School for the Performing Arts to become a hippie. She also worked in choruses with various musicals. Johnson married, had a daughter, and developed a heroin habit. In the 1970s she divorced, kicked her drug habit, and moved to southern California.

In San Diego, she became one of the founding members of the San Diego Repertory Theatre. She also worked with an improv theatre group called Spontaneous Combustion. It was during this time that Johnson changed her name to Whoopi Goldberg. She had moved to Berkeley in the late 1970s and begun performing with the Blake Street Hawkeyes Theater. She also worked as a bricklayer, a bank teller, and a mortuary cosmetologist. It was in Berkeley that she began performing monologues that would become The Spook Show. It toured Europe and the United States and performed in New York City as part of the New York Dance Theatre Workshop in 1983.

It was here that Goldberg caught the eye of stage and screen director Mike Nichols. He helped Goldberg put together a one-woman show for Broadway which actually began in Berkeley. Called Moms, the one-woman play was
co-written by Goldberg and Ellen Sebastian. In 1984, she returned to New York to perform The Spook Show now renamed Whoopi Goldberg.

In 1986, Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Robin Williams began hosting Comic Relief to raise money for the home” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” In addition to her film, stage, and television work, Goldberg has also written a children’s book, “Alice,” and an autobiography titled “Book.” Goldberg has gone on to star in numerous films including “The Color Purple,” one of her signature cinematic performances. In 1988, Goldberg also performed in “Clara’s Heart.”

Her attempt at sitcoms failed with the short-lived series Baghdad Cafe, but she did find greater television ” Around the same time, Goldbergs won acclaim for “The Long Walk Home” (1989), and then played an eccentric con artist possessing unexpected psychic powers in the 1990 smash hit “Ghost.” Goldberg’s funny yet moving performance earned her her first Oscar and the widespread opinion that this marked her comeback performance. The award made her only the second African American woman to win an Oscar. After a couple of missteps, Goldberg scored again with the 1992 hit comedy “Sister Act.” Nominated for Golden Globes and two NAACP awards, the film spawned mass ticket sales and an unsuccessful 1993 sequel, “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.”

Meanwhile, Goldberg also continued her television work with a 1992 late night talk show, A laid back affair, it was praised by critics but failed to secure high ratings and went on permanent hiatus after only six months. However, Goldberg continued to appear on TV with her recurring role as a Comic Relief co-host and as an MC for the Academy Awards ceremony, a role she reprised multiple times. At the same time, Goldberg continued to work in film, doing both comedy and drama and experiencing the obligatory highs and lows.

Some of her more memorable roles included “Made in America” (1993), “Boys on the Side” (1995), “The Associate” (1996), “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998), and “The Deep End of the Ocean” (1999). In addition, Goldberg also appeared in two notable documentaries, “The Celluloid Closet” (1995), and “Get Bruce!”

She is one of only thirteen people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. In 1990, she became the second African-American female performer after Hattie McDaniel to win an Academy Award for acting. Goldberg has appeared in over 150 films, and in 1999, she received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award for her continued work in supporting the gay and lesbian community. She has been nominated for five American Comedy Awards with two wins. In 2001, she won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She also hosted the Oscars in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2002. Goldberg wrote Book in October 1997, a collection of stories from her past and opinions. She is a strong supporter of abortion rights.

Goldberg appeared in TV ads as a spokeswoman for Slim Fast diet shakes, but the company dropped her in July 2004 after she made crude comments about President George W. Bush’s last name during a Democratic fund-raiser at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. For the 2006 PBS program African American Lives, she had her DNA analyzed, and discovered that she is likely descended from the Pepel and Bayote people of Guinea-Bissau. In May 2006, Clear Channel announced that Whoopi Goldberg would be hosting her own syndicated radio show titled Wake Up with Whoopi in 2006. She has also been a co-host for the daytime TV show The View.

Goldberg is co-founder of Whoopi & Maya, a company that makes medical marijuana products for women seeking relief from menstrual cramps. Goldberg says she was inspired to go into business by “a lifetime of difficult periods and the fact that cannabis was literally the only thing that gave me relief”. The company was launched in April 2016.

Tevin Campbell

Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Born in Waxahachie, Texas; he displayed a passion for singing at a very early age, performing gospel in his local church. Following an audition for a famous jazz musician, Bobbi Humprey, in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In 1989, Campbell collaborated with music impresario Quincy Jones performing lead vocals for “Tomorrow” on Jones’ album “Back on the Block” and released his Platinum-selling debut album, T.E.V.I.N.. The album included his highest-charting single to date, “Tell Me What You Want Me to Do”, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The debut album also included the singles “Alone With You” (produced by Al B. Sure and Kyle West, with background vocals by K-Ci and JoJo from Jodeci), and “Goodbye”.

His double-Platinum selling second album, I’m Ready, released in 1993, included two of Campbell’s most popular songs (both of which were penned by Babyface), “Can We Talk” which peaked at number 9 on the Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts, and the album’s title track “I’m Ready”, which also peaked at number 9 on the Hot 100. In 1996, Campbell released his third album, Back to the World, which was not as commercially or critically successful as his first two releases. His self-titled fourth album, Tevin Campbell, was released in 1999, but, performed poorly on Billboard’s album charts.

Apart from music, Campbell commenced an acting career, by appearing in the sequel to Prince’s Purple Rain named Graffiti Bridge and made guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Moesha television programs, voiced the character named Powerline in Disney’s animated A Goofy Movie film and was cast as Seaweed in the Broadway musical Hairspray in 2005.

Throughout his career, Campbell has earned 5 Grammy Award nominations, selling an estimated 3 million album copies worldwide (primarily from his first two albums).

In 1988, a friend of Campbell’s mother arranged for him to audition for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey by singing over the phone to her in New York. Humphrey took an interest in Campbell and submitted an audio and videotape to Warner Bros. This led to a meeting with Benny Medina, the Warner’s senior vice president and general sales manager of black music.

Campbell was introduced to the R&B world by Quincy Jones in August 1989. Campbell’s debut single was “Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)” which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart in June 1990. This was a vocal version of a 1976 instrumental by The Brothers Johnson. It was the lead single from Jones’ critically acclaimed ensemble LP Back on the Block which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. After working with Jones and writers and producers including Siedah Garrett, Campbell worked with producers Narada Michael Walden, Al B. Sure, Babyface, and others to record additional music.

Campbell’s first solo hit was “Round and Round”, which charted at number 3 on the R&B chart in November 1990 and 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991 was produced by Prince and was featured in Prince’s film Graffiti Bridge. After his appearance in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, Campbell made a guest appearance the following year on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, playing fictional teen idol, “Little T”, a celebrity crush and date of Ashley’s in the first season episode, “Just Infatuation”. In a later episode, he was referenced when Will threatened to destroy Ashley’s Little T posters after she plays with Will’s autographed baseball. The song, “Round and Round” earned Campbell a Grammy Award nomination at the 33rd Grammy Awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance but lost to Luther Vandross for “Here and Now”.

Campbell followed the success of his first two singles by releasing his debut album, T.E.V.I.N., in November 1991 which featured the R&B hit singles and Campbell’s number 1 R&B hit: “Tell Me What You Want Me to Do” followed by “Alone with You”, and “Goodbye”. T.E.V.I.N. reached number 38 on Billboard 200 chart and 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album eventually was certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling 1 million copies in the United States. T.E.V.I.N. earned Campbell a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 35th Grammy Awards but lost to Al Jarreau for his album Heaven and Earth. The album was produced by Jones, Al B. Sure! and Narada Michael Walden among others.

Between interviews and television appearances following the release of T.E.V.I.N., he contributed to three special projects: Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, a Grammy Award-winning album produced by Mervyn Warren of Take 6; A Very Special Christmas 2 album, featuring Campbell’s rendition of “Oh Holy Night”; and Barcelona Gold, the 1992 Olympics album which includes his hit “One Song”.

The singer’s second album, the 1993 release of the album I’m Ready, was also produced by Jones and Medina. “I wanted to make a more mature-sounding album to reflect my current state of mind,” Campbell explained to J. R. Reynolds in Billboard magazine. “I’m Ready says a lot about who I am as a person because of the things I’ve been through during the last four years or so. I hope people will see that I’m not the same young kid that I was on my first album.” The album was produced by Babyface among others.

I’m Ready released October 1993, yielded the US top ten pop and number 1 R&B hit “Can We Talk” in December 1993; “I’m Ready”, a US top ten and top five R&B hit; and “Always in My Heart” which charted at the US Hot 100 top twenty and number 3 on the R&B chart. He also scored a Top 30 R&B hit with a fourth single, “Don’t Say Goodbye Girl”. The album was released on October 26, 1993 and went on to reach number 18 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 2 million copies in the United States. To date I’m Ready is Campbell’s biggest selling album and many considered this album to be the high mark of his career despite the fact he was only 16 when he recorded the album. The album was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards: Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Can We Talk” at the 36th Grammy Awards (which he lost to Ray Charles for “A Song for You”) and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “I’m Ready” (which he lost to Babyface for “When Can I See You”) along with Best R&B Album for I’m Ready (which he lost to Boyz II Men for their album II) both at the 37th Grammy Awards .

In November 1994, Campbell was featured on the soundtrack to the film, A Low Down Dirty Shame singing “Gotta Get Yo’ Groove On” produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. In September 1994, Campbell also scored an R&B hit with the single “U Will Know” as part of the R&B super-group Black Men United, a group that also included singer Usher. During the time span of 1993 to 1995, Campbell performed as an opening act on select dates during the summer of Janet Jackson’s Janet World Tour. In 1995, Campbell voiced the character Powerline in Disney’s animated A Goofy Movie, performing the songs “I 2 I” (also styled as “Eye to Eye”) and “Stand Out” for the film’s soundtrack. Campbell appeared alongside female recording artist Brandy on the September 28, 1995 episode of NY Undercover called “Digital Underground.Com” singing “The Closer I Get to You”.

On February 23, 1999, Campbell released his self-titled album, Tevin Campbell, found Campbell venturing into the neo-soul venue. The project was rushed, and as a result charted below the R&B Top 30, with only a single charting, a Top 30 song called “Another Way”. The album saw collaborations with Wyclef Jean, Faith Evans, David Foster, and SWV lead singer Coko. In 1999, Campbell made another guest appearance on the hit show Moesha starring Brandy in the episode, “Rite Stuff”.

In July 1999, Campbell was arrested after soliciting a lewd act from an undercover police officer during a sting operation in Van Nuys, California. The sting operation was reportedly conducted in an Elementary School area where there had been numerous complaints from the public about cruising and solicitation. According to police reports, Campbell was also in possession of a small amount of marijuana at the time of his arrest.

During 2000, Campbell stayed out of the public eye. In 2001, Campbell released the compilation album, The Best of Tevin Campbell. In 2002, it was reported that he had stopped making music.

Through 2003 to 2004, Campbell had still not made a public appearance and kept a low profile. However, in 2005, Campbell made an appearance on Broadway for the musical Hairspray as the character, Seaweed J. Stubbs. Campbell later reprised his role of Seaweed in the Broadway play in the Melbourne and Sydney productions in Australia. He worked with the production up until 2011. During 2006 to 2007, Campbell made few public appearances, due to his commitment to Broadway. In May 2008, Campbell released an internet album entitled, 2008, Never Before Heard through Rambo House Media and the album was released to iTunes and Amazon as a means of test marketing some material originally recorded in 2002. After six months of availability, Campbell decided to no longer allow the unpublished material to be downloaded online, and the music can no longer be heard or purchased on these sites.

In early 2009, record producer Narada Michael Walden stated that Campbell was working on a new album with new material to be released in early 2009. However, nothing was ever released. Also in 2009, Campbell made an appearance at the BET Awards 2009 as he paid tribute to The O’Jays with Trey Songz, Tyrese, and Johnny Gill. In May 2010, Campbell performed on The Mo’Nique Show. He said that many people wanted him to work again on music and he was thinking about a comeback. In November 2010, he was featured on the remake of a song by Quincy Jones called “Secret Garden”. The remake featured Usher, Robin Thicke, Tyrese Gibson, LL Cool J and Barry White. TV One’s show Life After featured Campbell’s life and career, as well as updates on his comeback. From 2011 to 2012, Campbell made small appearances here and there. In 2013, Campbell performed a concert called Tevin Campbell in Cape Town and was a part of Divos Tour 2013 both in South Africa as well as traveling to London to perform at The O2 Arena and also performed at the One Man, One Nation, One Celebration memorial service in honor and tribute to Nelson Mandela held at FNB Stadium.

On June 14, 2014, Campbell performed a concert at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill in New York called An Evening with Tevin Campbell and received positive reviews. It was officially announced that he was working on a new album with collaborations from producer Teddy Riley, singer Faith Evans and rapper T-Pain. On July 5, Campbell performed at the 2014 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. The performance garnered great reviews. Campbell appeared on a track called “Let it Flow” with Naturi Naughton from the Full Force album With Love from Our Friends which was released on August 26, 2014.

In November, it was announced that Campbell had signed with Spectra Music Group. On August 14, 2015, Campbell appeared at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California for a rare performance of his song “I 2 I” from the A Goofy Movie soundtrack at the end of A Goofy Movie cast reunion held during the fourth annual D23 Expo.

On September 29, Campbell was featured on a remake of the song, “Maybe Tomorrow”, originally recorded by The Jackson 5. The song was featured on jazz musician Aaron Bing’s ninth studio album, Awakening. On November 29, 2015, Campbell performed his song “Can We Talk” while Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds played piano as a part of a tribute dedicated to Edmonds who was honored with the Legend Award at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards. The tribute included Brandy, Fantasia Barrino, Boyz II Men, Bobby Brown and Babyface himself, which included some of the hit songs that he wrote.

Campbell released a new single from his 5th album entitled, “Safer on the Ground” via iTunes and Google Play. The song served as a “buzz” single and was available for free streaming a day earlier on SoundCloud. When asked about the new album in an interview with Jet magazine website, Campbell told the interviewer that the song reminded him of a modern-day “Tell Me What You Want Me to Do”. In the interview, Campbell also stated that the song is a love song about a broken heart, but to him it represents being humble and safe, speaking of the disappointment with music business during the early stages of his career. Campbell stated that he doesn’t agree with the new sound of current R&B music and wants his music to be “authentic”. It’s speculated that Campbell will record the official studio version of “The Closer I Get to You” with Brandy from the first time they sung it together on New York Undercover in 1995.

Campbell is a altino countertenor who possesses a four and a half-octave vocal range. His vocal range spanned from E2 to a D6 in his song “Tell Me What You Want Me to Do”.

Big Pun

Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper and actor, the first Latino rapper to attain Platinum sales status as a solo act. Big Pun emerged from the underground hip hop scene in The Bronx borough of New York City, in the late 1990s. He first appeared on tracks from Fat Joe’s second album “Jealous One’s Envy” in 1995, and The Beatnuts’ second album Stone Crazy in 1997, prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Pun’s lyrics are notable for technical efficiency, having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliteration as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He is widely revered as one of the all-time rap greats.

About.com ranked him #25 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of All Time, while MTV2 ranked him #11 on its list of the “22 Greatest MCs.” In 2012, The Source ranked him #19 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. An article from Rolling Stone magazine states, “Pun embodied all of the traits of a master wordsmith: melody, a unique flow, an unforgettable voice, humor, and lyrics that made other MCs go back to their black and white composition notebooks.”

Rios was born on November 10, 1971 in The Bronx, New York City, United States, to parents of Puerto Rican descent. He grew up in the South Bronx neighborhood of the city. At the age of five, Rios broke his leg while playing in a park, which would later lead to a large settlement from the city. By all accounts from Pun’s family, his early years were very difficult, including witnessing his mother’s drug abuse and his father’s death.

During the mid-1980s, he began writing rap lyrics. He later formed the underground rap group called Full-A-Clips which included rappers Lyrical Assassin, Joker Jamz and Toom. Rios made a number of recordings with the group in the early 90’s, which have not been released. At this point Rios was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. After changing the alias to Big Punisher, Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Bronx rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on Fat Joe’s second album, Jealous One’s Envy, in addition to appearing on the song, “Watch Out”. He also appeared on The Beatnuts’ song “Off the Books”

Later, “I’m Not a Player” (featuring an O’Jays sample) was supported by a significant advertising campaign and became an underground hit.

In 1996 Big Pun began recording songs for his debut album Capital Punishment. In 1997 producer Knobody’s production partner Sean C took advantage of his new role as A&R at Loud Records to play Knobody’s tracks to Big Pun. Suitably impressed the rapper hired Knobody to remix “I’m Not a Player”. The remixed song, featuring Joe and titled “Still Not a Player”, became Big Pun’s first major mainstream hit and major breakthrough for Knobody. The full-length debut Capital Punishment followed in 1998, and became the first album by a solo Latino rapper to go platinum, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200. Capital Punishment was also nominated for a Grammy.

Big Pun became a member of Terror Squad, a New York-based group of rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full-A-Clips who released their debut album The Album in 1999. The album did not fare well commercially but it was well received critically and the album was meant to start the foundation for all other Terror Squad members to release their solo projects.

Pun struggled with a weight problem for all of his adult life. His weight fluctuated in the early 1990s between obese and morbidly obese. Pun later enrolled in a weight-loss program in North Carolina in which he lost 80 pounds (36 kg), but he eventually quit the program before completing it, returning to New York and gaining back the weight he had lost.

On February 7, 2000, Big Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure while temporarily staying with his family at a Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, New York, during a home renovation. Pun was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics could not revive him. Big Pun was at his highest weight at the time of his death: 698 pounds (317 kg). He was cremated a few days later. Big Pun is survived by his wife, Liza, and their three children, Amanda (born 1991), Vanessa (born 1993), and Christopher Jr. (born 1994).

Sinbad

Sinbad was born on this date in 1956. He is an African American comedian, writer and actor.

Born David Adkins in Benton Harbor, MI., he is the son of Rev. Dr. Donald and Louise Adkins. In 1974 and 1978 he attended the University of Denver where he lettered in basketball. Adkins was in the US Air Force as a Boom Operator aboard the KC-135. He almost received a dishonorable discharge for various problems including going AWOL. He joined the military for a vehicle for getting the attention of his idols, the Harlem Globetrotters. His plan was to play basketball in the Air Force, get noticed by the Globetrotters or another pro team and leave; he never made the team.

In 1981, things began to change. The comedy bug hit him when he participated in an Air Force Talent Show. He won several contests while stationed in Kansas. Under the professional name Sinbad, he became popular in the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing on several television series and starring in the feature films Houseguest (1995), First Kid and Jingle All the Way (both 1996). Sinbad married Meredith Fuller in 1985. They have two children together. [27] The couple divorced in 1992, then remarried in 2002.

He appeared on Star Search and The Redd Foxx Show. At one time, Sinbad hosted his own talk show, VIBE, and portrayed the goofy coach Walter Oakes on A Different World (a spinoff of The Cosby Show). He also had his own show, “The Sinbad Show”, in the early 1990s on Fox. He was also featured in a late 1990s infomercial for Tae Bo, where he claimed that he was successfully using the Tae Bo system to become an action star. He was the host of Showtime at the Apollo (formerly It’s Showtime At The Apollo). He had originally hosted from 1989 to 1991 and was the temporary host in 2005 while regular host Mo’Nique was on maternity leave. During the 1990s, Sinbad guest-starred on an episode of Nickelodeon’s All That. He also made a cameo appearance in the comedy movie Good Burger. Sinbad’s film roles consist of the comedy Houseguest, as well as the films First Kid and Jingle All the Way. In 2004 he was named the #78 greatest stand-up comic of all time on “Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time”. In 2006 Maxim Magazine ranked Sinbad as the “Worst Comic of All Time”.

Sinbad also made a cameo appearance on the television show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as himself in a rehab center in the episode Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, which originally aired October 23, 2008. Sinbad was the host of Thou Shalt Laugh 3. The DVD was released in 2008. In 2009, Sinbad was placed in the top 10 of the 250 worst tax debtors for the state of California. The comedian owed the State $2.5 million in personal income tax. In 2009, Sinbad filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In 2010, it was reported that Sinbad put up his 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) hilltop home for sale in order to alleviate his tax burdens.

In 2010, he debuted on the Celebrity Apprentice and was fired on the second episode after losing in the Kodak challenge as project manager, placing 13th. In 2011, he was the celebrity speaker of MacWorld Expo 2011. He starred in a reality show on WE tv called Sinbad: It’s Just Family, however it was cancelled in 2011. Sinbad made an appearance on “The Eric Andre Show” in 2012.

The Three Degrees

The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. Their most successful line-up was Fayette with Sheila Ferguson and Valerie Holiday, these being the ladies responsible for recording their 1974 single “When Will I See You Again” which was a huge international hit, peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart. Shortly afterwards, the trio became known as Prince Charles’s favourite group.

The Three Degrees were formed around 1963 in Philadelphia. They were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett. Barrett was responsible for groups of the 1950s such as The Chantels, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and The Valentines. Barrett recorded the original line-up on their first song, entitled “Gee Baby (I’m Sorry)”, for Swan Records, in 1965. Turner and Porter both left the group, leaving Fayette Pinkney the only original member of the group. Both Turner and Porter were replaced by Helen Scott and a variety of other ladies before Janet Harmon joined in the mid 1960s. Barrett also began managing and producing Sheila Ferguson, who was a high school friend of Scott. Barrett also signed Ferguson to Swan Records in 1965. The Three Degrees released a number of singles such as “I’m Gonna Need You” and a cover version of “Maybe” in 1966.

By 1966, with many performances lined up, Scott decided to leave the group to start a family. Ferguson filled in for Scott and would remain in the group for 20 years. Ferguson sang backup on all the group’s Swan recordings as did the Three Degrees for her solo singles. By 1967, Harmon left and was eventually replaced by Valerie Holiday. Barrett signed them to recording contracts over the next three years with Warner Bros., Metromedia, and Neptune record labels; the latter of which was owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who would work with group five years later. Their close harmony singing made them a popular nightclub act but a hit record still eluded them.

By 1970, they were signed to Roulette Records and they released their first album, Maybe. The title song, this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead vocals took them to #4 on the US R&B charts. Other singles like “I Do Take You” and “You’re The Fool” followed, as did their second album, So Much Love. This success landed them a cameo appearance in the 1971 film, The French Connection, filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York, and also an engagement at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada with Engelbert Humperdinck.

Minnie Riperton

Minnie Julia Riperton-Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979), known professionally as Minnie Riperton, was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You” and her five-octave vocal range. Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago’s Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971.

On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her no. 1 single, “Lovin’ You”. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter.

She was the daughter of Daniel and Thelma Riperton, the youngest of eight children. At the age of three she started modern dance lessons, followed by ballet lessons at 5. Her voice lessons began at the age of nine and she was developing her operatic chops at 11.

Her goal at a very young age was to become a famous singer. Riperton studied opera under Marion Jeffries. She spent months and months learning how to breathe and listening to and holding vowels. Eventually, she began singing operas and operettas along with a show tune every so often. As a as a freshman she sung in the a cappella choir of Hyde Park High School.

She left school early to make $10 a song, singing backup at local studios. Some reports indicate that Minnie signed her first contract at 14, while others report her to be 16. Despite her natural talent (a pure five to six octave soprano) for opera, Riperton was more attracted to “Rock N Roll” and the promise of touring. She would inevitably discontinue her classical training to follow her dream of being a famous vocalist. It would, however, be her classical training, which brought her the success she sought. Riperton signed a recording contract with the “Gems” at Chess Studios, and in 1967 she joined the “rock/jazz/vocal ensemble” Rotary Connection.

The style of the Rotary Connection was very progressiv– somewhere between rock, jazz, pop, and experimental. Riperton was with the Rotary Connection when she met the love of her life, her husband, Richard Rudolph. They had two children, Maya and Marc, whose names are included the names of two of her songs. Maya is the name of the girl in the tale of “Love And Its Glory,” and a personal reference to both can be found towards the end of “Lovin’ You.” She sings to Marc in “Wouldn’t Matter Where You Are.” Riperton did backup vocal work with Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Freddie Hubbard, and Etta James.

In 1969, she recorded the album “Come To My Garden” which was released in 1971, then came “Perfect Angel” and “Adventures in Paradise” in 1974 and 1975. The following year Riperton announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a modified mastectomy. Her “experience” (as she referred to her illness) would give her yet another reason for her life … lending her celebrity and compassion for others to become a spokesperson for breast cancer awareness, the need for self-examination, and the benefit of early detection.

Within weeks after her surgery, she appeared for the taping of the Ebony Music Awards. When she received her “Ebby,” she later revealed, she was overcome by the knowledge of how lucky she was to have made it through the ordeal she and her family had gone through.

Riperton continued on a crusade to get the word out to as many women as possible. Since tennis was her game, you would find her at almost all the celebrity tournaments for charity. In 1977, the) President Jimmy Carter presented her with the American Cancer Society’s “Courage Award.” A year later, Riperton would become that organization’s National Education chairwoman.

In addition to being a mother, wife, activist, fund raiser, lecturer, wife, and mother, she signed with Capitol Records, a contract that gave her the creative freedom and production quality that she desired. During the summer of 1978, creating what would be her last album, simply entitled “Minnie.” She passed away in her husband’s arms on July 12, 1979, at 31 years of age.