 |
 Marian Anderson
was thrust into the national spotlight when the
Daughters of the American Revolution banned her
from doing a concert at Constitution Hall in
Washington, D.C. She subsequently became the
first African-American to sing a major role on
the New York Metropolitan Opera stage, on January
7, 1955. |
 Hank
Ballard was the lead singer of Hank
Ballard and the Midnighters, which was the first
group to record "The Twist," which
Ballard wrote. |
 Kathleen Battle
is a soprano who has performed in opera houses
from San Francisco to Vienna, and a five-time
Grammy winner. |
 Chubby Checker
got noticed by Dick Clark because he could
impersonate many of the top recording artists of
his day. Clark was responsible for him recording
"The Twist," the song which made him
famous. |
 Lorenzo Dow Fuller,
Jr. could both sing in several
languages and play multiple instruments, skills
which placed him in demand by every medium of
show business. He was long-time member of the
touring cast of Porgy and Bess, had his
own radio shows, and was the first black to host
a national television show. |
 Eva Alberta Jessye
organized the Eva Jessye Choir, which performed
performed regularly on radio in the mid-1920's,
compiled and published a collection of Negro
spirituals, and served as the choral director for
Porgy and Bess for thirty years. |
 Janis
Lyn Joplin became interested in
blues and jazz music as a teenager. Her
distinctive raspy yet powerful voice earned her
notice, but her career was cut very short by a
drug overdose. Her only #1 hit, Me
and Bobby McGee," was not released until
after her death. |
 Laura Nyro
gained fame as a teenager in the
1960's writing songs that became big hits for
other artists. She gained acceptance as a singer
in her own right after the release of her album Eli
and the Thirteenth Confession in 1968. |
 Samuel Ramey made his operatic debut with the New
York City Opera as Zuiga in Carmen in
March 11, 1973. He has subsequently performed
with most of the major operas around the world.
He is also arguably the most recorded bass in
music history, with over 80 recordings to his
name. |
 Marion
Nevada Talley debuted
at the New York Metropolitan Opera on February
17, 1926, as Gilda in Rigoletto; she was
the youngest prima donna in Met history at that
time (she was 19). She retired after only four
seasons, but whether it was because Met did not
renew her contract or because she desired
retirement was never determined. |
