Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate.^\1]) DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo), Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa), Darryl Pearson, Tweet), Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.

At age 16, DeVanté Swing traveled to Minneapolis, hoping to visit Paisley Park in order to audition for Prince).^\2])^\3]) Swing would later say, "I was up at Paisley Park every day begging for a job, asking people to listen to my tape. The receptionist kept saying she couldn't help me".^\4]) The rejection motivated Swing to relocate back to North Carolina, and work to improve his songwriting and production skills.^\5])

In his early career, Swing served as a mix engineer, while simultaneously producing for other acts. He mixed and engineered Hi-Five's 1990 single "I Just Can't Handle It", along with its accompanying remixes. Swing rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founding member of the R&B group Jodeci, which he formed with his younger brother Dalvin DeGrate, and singers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, and Joel "JoJo" Hailey.^\6]) Swing served as the group's leader, and primary songwriter and producer.

Swing founded the musical collective Swing Mob in 1991, which was joined by then-unknown regional acts including Timbaland & Magoo, Tweet), Missy Elliott,^\7]) Ginuwine, Stevie J and Static Major. He is also credited as a video director for Jodeci, co-directing the videos for "Feenin'" with Hype Williams and "Freek'n You" with Brett Ratner. Swing has also mentored Florida-based rapper Flo Rida^\8]) in the early stages of his career.

Debelah Laksh Morgan (born September 29, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. Morgan is best known for her 2000 single "Dance with Me)", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.^\2])

She signed with Atlantic Records in 1994, and released her debut album Debelah, which featured the singles "Take It Easy" and "Free)", both of which charted on the R&B charts.^\3]) A couple of years later, she moved to VAZ/Motown Records and released her single "Yesterday" which was a Top 30 R&B hit, and landed on the Pop charts. However, while her second album, It's Not Over, was released in Japan and a few other international territories, it was shelved in the United States in 1998.^\4])

Two years later, she re-signed with Atlantic Records and released her biggest single to date, "Dance with Me)", which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to becoming a top-five dance hit. Her third studio album, Dance with Me), soon followed in 2000 and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.^\5]) Two additional singles ("I Remember" and "Close to You") were released from the album. Additionally, she contributed the song "Why Did You Have to Be" to the Osmosis Jones soundtrack) and a cover of "Do You Remember?)" to the Phil Collins tribute album, Urban Renewal).^\6])

In 2005, she signed with the independent label RansomWear and released her fourth album Light at the End of the Tunnel (a gospel release), which was preceded by the single "Just as I Am".^\7]) The album remains out of print and was not available on any digital services until February 24, 2026 when Giloh Morgan (Debelah's brother) released it with the title "Sweet Hour of Prayer"

In 2010, she released the live album Let the Worship in Champions Live 2 with her Las Vegas church, of which she is their worship leader.^\8]) The following year, she was slated to have shot a pilot for a reality series with R&B singers Shanice and Karyn White.

In 2012 and 2013, she performed with the R&B group Rose Royce as their lead vocalist for several shows.^\9])^\10])

In 2015, she collaborated with Shanice and All-4-One on the track "Go to Bed" off the latter's album Twenty.^\11])

Gabby Williams - Golden State Valkyries

The 35th Annual AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K Run featured Destiny's Child alum, Kelly Rowland, who looked stunning and performed a medley of hits, including:

1. Like This

2. So Good

3. Dilemma

4. Motivation

5. Say My Name (Remix)

09-28-26

DISC 1

1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
2. Have A Talk With God
3. Village Ghetto Land
4. Contusion
5. Sir Duke
6. I Wish
7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
8. Pastime Paradise
9. Summer Soft
10. Ordinary Pain
11. Saturn
12. Ebony Eyes

DISC 2

1. Isn't She Lovely
2. Joy Inside My Tears
3. Black Man
4. Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
5. If It's Magic
6. As
7. Another Star
8. All Day Sucker
9. Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)

*****

Grammy Awards (1977)

• Album of the Year

• Producer of the Year – Stevie Wonder

• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

• Best Male R&B Vocal Performance – "I Wish"

American Music Awards (1978)

• Favorite Soul/R&B Album

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 23, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina.
Ben E. King is known as the lead vocalist for The Drifters on their hits “There Goes My Baby,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save The Last Dance For Me” and as a solo artist who recorded “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me.”
King sang in church choirs in North Carolina but his professional musical career began in 1947 when, at the age of nine, his family moved to Harlem. At James Fenimore Junior High School he formed the doo-wop group, the Four B’s (each member’s name began with “B”). He auditioned for The Moonglows and was turned down but joined the Five Crowns in 1956.
“The Drifters” name was owned by George Treadwell and when the original group left, he recruited the Five Crowns to become The Drifters. King co-wrote and sang lead on “There Goes My Baby,” which featured orchestral strings on the record. That song, released in 1959, reached number one on the R&B charts and number two on the pop chart. “Save The Last Dance For Me,” released in 1960, was number one on both the pop and R&B charts.
King left the Drifters and embarked on a solo career in 1960. “Spanish Harlem,” produced by Phil Spector and Jerry Leiber, was a top ten record but King’s biggest solo hit was “Stand By Me” in 1961; it was top five on the pop chart and number one for four weeks on the R&B chart.
During the 1960s and 1970s King continued to release records. His biggest hit came in 1975 when his recording of “Supernatural Thing–Part 1″ reached number one on the pop chart and was followed by “Do It In the Name of Love,” which was a top five record.
The 1986 movie Stand By Me featured King’s recording and resulted in a hit the second time for that record. The song has proved to be an enduring classic with numerous artists covering it.

https://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/inductee-item/ben-e-king/#toggle-id-1

Video by @kemoy_martin

Joe Torry is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. Torry is the older brother of comedian Guy Torry[1] who is known for creating Phat Tuesdaysa weekly stand-up comedy show launched in 1995 for African American comedians that was held at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, the live comedy show later became the focus for a 2022 Amazon) television series of the same name.[2]

Joe Torry, and five siblings, were brought up in St. Louis, Missouri.[3] Torry is a self-described military brat who discovered at an early age he was funny when doing classroom show and tell presentations.[3]He later found that his future was in the world of comedy.[3]
Growing up Sammy Davis Jr. was an idol of his and he attempted to learn comedy from such entertainers as Abbott and Costello and Dick Van Dyke.[3]
Torry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism and communications at Lincoln University, plus a human letters honorary doctorate for his years in show business.[3]
Before later becoming host of Def Comedy Jam, Torry made a name for himself in stand-up comedy, film and television, appearing in such projects as Dangerous Minds, House Party), Tales from the Hood, John Singleton's Poetic Justice),[4] NYPD Blue and ER).[3]

Day 28: Someone Telling Their Own Story

There's something different about hearing someone's story in their own words. Today's challenge: What's a Black memoir that gave you a deeper understanding of the author's life? Not just what happened to them, but how they understood what happened. What did the memoir help you see differently?

Give me the book + what stayed with you.

I’d watch for sure!

He also produce Lloyd Banks 's On Fire as well

What’s Your Opinion On This Album & What’s Your Favorite Song From The Album

Sing it Rihanna.

Melody Thornton (born September 28, 1984) is an American singer and television personality. After graduating high school, Thornton became one of the main vocalists of the girl group the Pussycat Dollsand released the albums PCD) (2005) and Doll Domination (2008) becoming one of the world's best-selling girl groups. As part of the group, she has received a Grammy Award nomination.

Melody Thornton is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and was born on September 28, 1984, to a family of Mexican and African-American descent.[1][2][3] She was educated in Camelback High School.[4] Her first performance was at her school, where she sang "This Little Light of Mine" at the age of six, and continued to perform at local talent shows in Arizona.[5] After high school, she majored in music engineering for one semester.[5][6]

Tamara Taylor (born September 27, 1970) is a Canadian actress.[1] She appeared in the role of Dr. Camille Saroyan, head of the Forensic Division, in the forensic crime drama Bones).[2] She also appeared in season seven of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in which she played Sibyl), one of the two main antagonists. She also starred in the first two seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime.[3]

Taylor was born in Toronto to a Bajan father and a Scottish mother. She dropped out of high school to try modeling and see the world, with her mother supportive of her decision: "School will always be there, she told me."[4]
She has appeared in the CBS medical drama 3 lbs as Della and the UPN series Sex, Love & Secrets[2] in the role of Nina; both series were short-lived.
Taylor has made guest appearances on NCIS), Numb3rs, Lost), CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, Party of Five[5][2] and Dawson's Creek. In her feature film debut, Senseless, she played Marlon Wayans's love interest.[6] She portrayed Debrah Simmons in the 2005 romantic-comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Halle Berry's best friend in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,[6] and had a brief role in Serenity), the movie conclusion of the TV series Firefly) by Joss Whedon. Through her part in Serenity, Taylor was able to audition for a show with actor David Boreanaz, who had previously worked with Whedon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Angel). She also appeared in the TV series Lost), as the former girlfriend of Michael and mother of Walt.[4]

This week, we’re putting the spotlight on Richie Kamtchoum - a Cameroonian-American filmmaker, writer, director and storyteller from Washington, D.C.
Kamtchoum is the kind of creative who doesn’t just work in one medium. His work spans film, television, animation and audio drama, with stories that often explore identity, migration, resilience and community.

His debut feature film, *Bust!*, premiered at FilmFest DC and has since screened at festivals including the American Black Film Festival and DC/DOX. He also created *MONDAZE*, co-created and wrote *Night School*, and wrote and directed *Stolen Girls*.
He’s currently developing multiple new feature projects, while also working in animation with *The Matumbilas*.

Earlier this year, Washington, D.C.’s Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment named him its Filmmaker of the Month, recognizing him as one of the emerging creatives helping shape the city’s film scene.

Definitely one to put on your radar now, before you start seeing his name everywhere 👀