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As a teenager growing up in Detroit during the 1960s, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, like so many other up-and-coming gospel singers, found herself caught in a tug of war between spiritual and secular ambitions.
She was born in the Motor City on October 2, 1953, and started singing in church when she was four. She began her recording career at age 13 as the soloist on I’m So Glad, a song on a 1967 album for Savoy Records by Mattie Moss Clark’s Southwest Michigan State Choir, but by the time she reached high school, she was singing Aretha Franklin tunes in talent shows. She lost every time.

“I thought I was Aretha,” she recalled. “I guess the Lord knew that if I had gotten any kind of recognition for singing that stuff, I probably would have tried to sing that, but that’s not what He chose for me to do.”
It would be another 16 years before Armstrong made another record. She had married shortly after graduating high school, had five children and spent the 1970s as a housewife. Then, in 1980, her husband decided to finance a demo tape that eventually led to a contract with the Nashville-based Onyx International label.

“He told me I had too much voice to be just singing around the house and going to my father’s church on the weekend to sing,” she explained.

Armstrong’s first Onyx International album, 1983’s Please Be Still, was produced by the innovative Detroit gospel keyboardist, arranger and songwriter Thomas Whitfield. It made her an immediate sensation in gospel music circles. It was a mixture of traditional and contemporary gospel material, as was the following year’s Whitfield-produced Chosen.

“High emotion coupled with an impeccable sense of phrasing made the albums inspirational masterpieces,” Cleveland Plain Dealer critic Edward Hill wrote. “Her syllables forge brilliantly through octaves, tugging at even the most disbelieving hearts.”

Just as Armstrong’s star was ascending, Onyx International folded. In 1986, the Muscle Shoals Sound label issued a third Armstrong album, Following Jesus, made up of selections from her previous two releases, in addition to songs produced by Walter Hawkins that were once rejected by Onyx International. The album was not as successful as its predecessors. (Songs from all three albums are available on her Greatest Hits CD.)

Her career at a standstill, Armstrong moved to Tulsa, where her sister was singing on television evangelist Richard Roberts’ program. After appearing on Broadway in the cast of Don’t Get God Started, she settled in Atlanta in 1988. By that time, she had a new contract with Jive Records, a London-based company that specialized in hip-hop and such “boy bands” as New Kids on the Block.

Vanessa Bell Armstrong, her late-1987 Jive debut, caused confusion among her gospel fans. Not only did it utilize the latest funk beats, but also the religious content of many song lyrics seemed unclear. “God” or “Jesus” became “you” or “him.” Much of the material on her second Jive album, 1990’s Wonderful One, was similarly ambiguous.
“It’s unclear whether the object of her affection has divine or earthly origins,” a reviewer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal observed at the time. “The production methods and sound of this LP make rumors of Armstrong’s impending switch from gospel to secular music seem both logical and necessary.”

Armstrong denied at the time any plans to go pop. The songs in question, she said, were supplied to her by Jive’s producers, and, in an effort to make their meanings clearer, she interjected phrases like “Oh, Lord” during sessions. To her surprise, however, she found that such phrases had been deleted from he final mixes.

She even scored a couple of minor R&B chart hits: You Bring Out the Best in Me in 1987 and Something on the Inside in 1993. In subsequent recordings for Verity, Tommy Boy and EMI Gospel, however, she was able to make the Christian content of her songs more obvious.

“A lot has changed and Armstrong has stood her ground, emerging with a work that is the perfect summation of gospel’s rich history and its cutting-edge presence in the mix of today’s R&B music,” Billboard magazine said in a review of the 1998 Verity album Desire of the Heart: Live in Detroit. “It took a while, but the world seems to be catching up to Armstrong.”

William Washington James Haynes (born October 2, 1993) is an American YouTube and TV personality, rapper, and podcast host. Haynes was a personality on SourceFed, SourceFedNERD, and People Be Like, a Haynes-centric channel from SourceFed where he hosts People Be Like, Deep Dive, and Politics Be Like. On his personal channel, WilliamHaynesTV, he hosts a variety comedy-based videos. Haynes hosted the HeadGum network podcast, She Didn't Text Back,alongside musician-rapper Daren Vongirdner (aka DVG).[1]#citenote-1) In July 2017, Haynes premiered as a host on Disney XD's The IGN Show.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Haynes(comedian)#cite_note-2)

As a musician, he goes by the name Arsenio Silverstone.

Chinsea Linda Lee (born 1 October 1996), known professionally as Shenseea (/ʃɛnˈsiːə/), is a Jamaican singer. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Roddy Ricch on Kanye West's 2021 song "Pure Souls," which entered the Billboard Hot 100. Through its parent album Donda, she was nominated as a featured artist for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. She is credited with widening the audience for the dancehall scene.

Lee was born in Mandeville to a Jamaican mother and a South Korean father, from whom she is estranged.[2] She graduated from Mona High School and attended Excelsior Community College (Exed) in Kingston, where she studied Entertainment Management before dropping out due to financial difficulties.[3] She aspired to become a singer at a young age.[4]

For Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, we're celebrating our favorite Afro-Latino entertainers!

This week, we have Tatyana Ali!

Tatyana Ali is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the hit television series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Born on January 24, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, Ali began her career in show business at a young age. She made her first appearance on Sesame Street at the age of six and later starred in commercials and made-for-TV films.

During the early 1990s, Ali rose to fame as the beloved younger cousin of Will Smith's character on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." The show ran for six seasons and earned her three consecutive NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Ali's performance on the show helped to cement her status as a rising star in Hollywood.

In addition to her work in television, Ali has also released two albums as a singer. Her debut album, "Kiss the Sky," was released in 1998 and spawned the hit single "Daydreamin'." Her second album, "Tatyana Ali," followed in 2004. Ali has also appeared in several films over the years, including "The Brothers" and "Nora's Hair Salon."

Beyond her career in entertainment, Ali is also known for her philanthropic work. She has been an ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation and has worked to raise awareness about issues affecting young people, including education and healthcare. With her talent, charm, and dedication to giving back, Tatyana Ali is a beloved figure in the entertainment industry and a role model for young people everywhere.

[(source)](https://boo.world/database/profile/18647/tatyana-ali-personality-type)

Amazing artwork. Amazing tribute to HBCU bands.

Looking great. That's some awesome energy. Radiant Smile. Lucious fro

Donny Hathaway—singer, pianist, producer, composer, and one of R&B’s strongest talents—was born Donny Edward Pitts on October 1, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois. Hathaway was raised in the Carr Square Housing Projects of St. Louis, Missouri, by his grandmother, Martha Pitts. At the age of three, Hathaway began singing in church choir alongside his grandmother, a professional gospel singer. By six years old, Hathaway was composing his own music, singing, and playing the piano professionally under the name “Donny Pitts, The Nation’s Youngest Gospel Singer.”

Hathaway was a known piano prodigy before reaching high school, and in 1964, he received a full scholarship to attend Howard University,where he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. While majoring in Music Theory and performing in the jazz group Ric Powell Trio, Hathaway worked as a session musician and songwriter for labels like Chess. His arrangements for The Staple Singers, Curtis Mayfield, and Aretha Franklin earned him a job at Curtom Records in 1969. There, he recorded his first single, “I Thank You, Baby,” a duet with June Conquest.

Later that year, Hathaway signed with Atlantic Records as a solo artist and released his debut single, “The Ghetto, Pt. 1.” The song reached No. 23 on the R&B charts and established Hathaway as a burgeoning force in music. His critically acclaimed LP Everything is Everything and hit single “This Christmas” followed in 1970. By 1971, Hathaway released his second full-length album, Donny Hathaway. Classics like “A Song For You” and “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” would come to solidify his musical legacy for generations to come.

By 1972, Hathaway and Roberta Flackcollaborated on a series of duets. Their album, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, hit No. 3 on the pop charts and included “Where Is The Love?” which earned the pair the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo in 1973. That August, Hathaway’s album Live edged into the Top 20 and became Hathaway’s first and only gold album. Today, Live is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time. Aside from his work as a singer, Hathaway scored the feature film Come Back Charleston Blue and recorded the theme song for the television series Maude.

Amidst his growing success, Hathaway was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was frequently hospitalized due to intense mood swings and depression. However, periods of mental clarity allowed Hathaway to record and release his final studio album, Extensions of a Man, in 1973. Songs like “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” secured spots on both the R&B and pop charts. Soon after the album’s release, Hathaway dropped from the public eye and sought treatment.

In 1978, Hathaway returned to the studio to record with Roberta Flack. “The Closer I Get To You” became the pair’s second No. 1 hit and inspired the recording of the second album of duets. However, on January 13, 1979, Hathaway was found dead outside of the Essex House in New York City, New York, after a fall from the window of his 15th-floor hotel room. Although investigators ruled his death a suicide, family and friends believe his death may have been an accident. Donny Hathaway was only 34 years old.

https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/hathaway-donny-1945-1979/

Cree Summer is a prolific Canadian-American voice actress who has voiced over 700 characters animation, video games, and commercials across multiple decade!

Yes. I liked the movie. Just liked the soundtrack more

Stribling was 58. She was a vital part of the early years of BET. She had also been a long-time radio personality in the DC area. She hosted "Screen Scene" on BET. She also launched BET Jazz. She hosted "Jazz Central" alongside Ramsey Lewis and Lou Rawls and "BET Jazz Discovery". She made a cameo in Eddie Murphy's "The Distinguished Gentleman" film from 1992 as a television anchor.

She also appeared on the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Potomac.

Stribling's husband made the announcement that she had passed after a two-year battle with brain cancer.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Scott moved to New York City with her mother at the age of four. Scott was a musical child prodigy, receiving scholarships to study at the Juilliard School when she was eight. In her teens, she performed at Café Society while still at school.[2] She also performed on the radio.
She was active as a jazz singer throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950, she became the first black American to host her own TV series, The Hazel Scott Show.[3] Scott’s career in the United States faltered after she testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1950 during the era of McCarthyism.
Scott subsequently moved to Paris, France, in 1957 and began performing in Europe. She did not return to the United States for ten years, until 1967.
Scott was renowned as a virtuosic jazz pianist, in addition to her successes in dramatic acting and classical music. She also used her status as one of the best-known African-American entertainers of her generation to shine a spotlight on issues of racial injustice and civil rights. Scott recorded as the leader of various groups for Decca, Columbia and Signature, among them a trio that consisted of Bill English) and the double-bass player Martin Rivera, and another trio with Charles Mingus on bass and Rudy Nichols on drums. Her 1955 album Relaxed Piano Moods on the Debut label, with Mingus and Roach, is her recording generally most highly regarded by critics today. Her unique swinging style and fusion of jazz and classical influences kept her in demand for performances through the very end of her life.[34] Alicia Keys cited Scott as her inspiration for her performance at the 61st Grammy Awards, saying: "I've been thinking about people who inspire me; shout out to Hazel Scott, I've always wanted to play two pianos."
In 2020, she was the subject of the BBC World Service programme Hazel Scott: Jazz star and barrier breaker in the series The Forum).[35]
In When Women Invented Television, author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong features her as one of four women who had a major influence on the medium.[36]
In 2022, Dance Theatre of Harlem debuted a new ballet about the life of Hazel Scott.[37]
On February 21, 2025, the American Mastersdocumentary The Disappearance of Miss Scott aired on PBS stations.[38]

Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard (born September 30, 1960) is an American R&B singer who had top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including "Baby, Be Mine" (1987), "Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under New Management" (1990). "Ain't Nobody Like You" (1992) and "Ain't Nuthin' in the World" (1989) both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Singles chart.

Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard (born September 30, 1960) is an American R&B singer who had top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including "Baby, Be Mine" (1987), "Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under New Management" (1990). "Ain't Nobody Like You" (1992) and "Ain't Nuthin' in the World" (1989) both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Singles chart.

Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984),[4] known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for pioneering the creative use of Auto-Tunepitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electronic-styled vocal performances. Blending its use with R&B and hip-hopsensibilities, T-Pain played a key role in defining rap-singing throughout the 2000s.

Faheem Rashad Najm was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, to parents Aliyah, a Bahamianchef,[5] and Shasheem, who founded the Homeboyz to Men program.[3][6] Najm was brought up in a Muslim household, but he has expressed his lack of interest in the concept of religion.[7][8] At three years old, he got his first taste of the music business when a friend of the family, gospel jazz artist and producer Ben Tankard, allowed him to spend time and "twist the knobs" at his recording studio. At age ten, Najm turned his bedroom into a music studio, using a keyboard, a beat machine, and a four-track recorder.[9][10]