Son of Ellis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mary Violet Leontyne Price  (born February 10, 1927) is an  American   soprano . Born and raised in  Laurel ,  Mississippi , she rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s and was one of the first  African Americans  to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera . One critic characterized Price's voice as "vibrant", "soaring" and "a Price beyond pearls", as well as "genuinely buttery, carefully produced but firmly under control", with phrases that "took on a seductive sinuousness."  Time  magazine called her voice "Rich, supple and shining, it was in its prime capable of effortlessly soaring from a smoky mezzo to the pure soprano gold of a perfectly spun high C." A  lirico spinto  (Italian for "pushed lyric") soprano, she was considered especially well suited to the roles of  Giuseppe Verdi  and  Giacomo Puccini , as well as several in operas by  W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leonard Albert  " Lenny "  Kravitz  (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter,  multi-instrumentalist , record producer, actor and arranger, whose " retro " style incorporates elements of  rock , blues ,  soul ,  R&B ,  funk ,  jazz ,  reggae ,  hard rock ,  psychedelic ,  pop ,  folk , and  ballads . In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often played all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion himself when recording. He is known for his elaborate stage performances and music videos. He won the  Grammy Award  for  Best Male Rock Vocal Performance  four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category as well as setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male. He has been nominated for and won other awards, including  American Music Awards ,  MTV Video Music Awards ,  Radio Music Awards ,  BRIT Awards  and Blockbuster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Willard Carroll "Will" Smith, Jr.  (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007,  Newsweek  called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.Smith has been nominated for four  Golden Globe Awards , two  Academy Awards , and has won four  Grammy Awards . In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name  The Fresh Prince . In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . The show ran for nearly six years (1990–96) on  NBC  and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous  blockbuster films . He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, and 11 consecutive films g

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barry White  (born  Barry Eugene Carter ; September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), was an American composer and singer-songwriter. A 3-time  Grammy Award -winner known for his distinctive  bass-baritone  voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the  Love Unlimited Orchestra , crafting many enduring soul,  funk , and  disco  songs such as his two biggest hits, " You're the First, the Last, My Everything " and " Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe ". During the course of his career in the music business, White achieved 106  gold albums  worldwide, 41 of which also attained platinum status. White had 20 gold and 10 platinum singles, with worldwide records sales in excess of 100 million, he is one of the world 's best-selling artists of all time . His influences included  Rev. James Cleveland ,  Ray Charles ,  Aretha Franklin ,  Elvis Presley  plus  Motow

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Loretta Devine  (born August 21, 1949) is an American character actress, best known for her roles as Marla Hendricks in the  Fox  drama series  Boston Public , and for her recurring role as Adele Webber on the  Shonda Rhimes '  Grey's Anatomy , for which she won  Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series  in 2011. In film, Devine appeared in  Waiting to Exhale ,  The Preacher's Wife ,  I Am Sam ,  Urban Legend ,  Crash ,  Woman Thou Art Loosed ,  For Colored Girls ,  This Christmas and   Jumping the Broom .

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anna Mae Bullock  (born November 26, 1939), known by her  stage name   Tina Turner , is a  singer , dancer, actress, and author, whose career has spanned more than half a century, earning her widespread recognition and numerous awards. Born and raised in the  Southeastern United States , she is now a  Swiss  citizen. She began her musical career in the mid- 1950s  as a featured singer with  Ike Turner 's  Kings of Rhythm , first recording in 1958 under the name "Little Ann". Her introduction to the public as Tina Turner began in  1960  as a member of the  Ike & Tina Turner Revue . Success followed with a string of notable hits credited to the duo, including " A Fool in Love "," River Deep – Mountain High " ( 1966 ), " Proud Mary " ( 1971 ) and " Nutbush City Limits " ( 1973 ), a song which she herself wrote. In her autobiography, I, Tina , she revealed several instances of severe 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Naomi Elaine Campbell  (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and author. Recruited at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognizable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and the 1990s, and was one of six models of her generation declared " supermodels " by the fashion industry. In addition to her modelling career, Campbell has embarked on other ventures, which include authoring a novel, an  R&B - pop  studio album, and several acting appearances in film and television, such as the modelling competition reality show  The Face  and its international offshoots. Campbell is also involved in charity work for various causes. Her personal life is widely reported, particularly her relationships with prominent men (including boxer  Mike Tyson  and actor  Robert De Niro ) and several highly publicized convictions for  assault .

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dana Elaine Owens  (born March 18, 1970), better known by her  stage name   Queen Latifah , is an  American   rapper ,  songwriter ,  singer ,  actress ,  model ,  television producer ,  record producer ,  comedienne , and  talk show host . She has long been considered one of   hip-hop 's pioneer feminists. Her work in music, film, and television has earned her a  Golden Globe  award, two  Screen Actors Guild Awards , two  Image Awards , a  Grammy Award , six additional Grammy nominations, an  Emmy Award  nomination and an  Academy Award  nomination. She most recently hosted her own talk show,  The Queen Latifah Show , which was canceled in 2014.

Alfre Woodard  (born November 8, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, and political activist. Woodard has been named one of the most versatile and accomplished actors of her generation. She has been nominated once for an  Academy Award  and  Grammy Award , 18 times for an  Emmy Award  (winning four), and has also won a  Golden Globe Award  and three  Screen Actors Guild Awards . Woodard began her acting career in theater. After her breakthrough role in the Off-Broadway play  For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf  (1977), she made her film debut in  Remember My Name  (1978). In 1980, she starred in  Robert Altman 's  Health  and in 1983 won major critical praise and was nominated for an  Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress  for the role in  Cross Creek . In same year, Woodard won her first  Primetime Emmy Award  for her performance in the  NBC  drama series  Hill Street Blues . Later in the 1980s, Woodar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Erykah Abi Wright  (born  Erica Abi Wright ; February 26, 1971), better known by her  stage name   Erykah Badu  ( is an American  singer-songwriter ,  record producer ,  activist , and  actress . Badu's career began after  opening a show  for D'Angelo  in 1994 in her hometown;  Kedar Massenburg  was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Her first album,  Baduizm , was released on February 11, 1997. It spawned three singles: " On & On ", "Next Lifetime" and "Otherside of the Game". The album was certified  triple Platinum  by the  Recording Industry Association of America  (RIAA). Badu's first live album,  Live , was released on November 18, 1997. It produced two singles: "Apple Tree" and "Tyrone". The album was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. Badu's second album,  Mama's Gun , was released on October 31, 2000. It spaw

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jasmyne Cannick  (born 22 October 1977) is an  African - American  media and social commentator who works in politics. With a focus on hip-hop, politics, race, and sexuality, in 2005,  Essence  magazine named her one of 25 Women Shaping the World and in 2013 she was named one of the Most Influential African-Americans under 40 in Los Angeles by the Wave newspaper.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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 is the younger sister of actress/director/singer  Phylicia Rashād .

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anna Marie Wooldridge  (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010),   known by her  stage name   Abbey Lincoln , was an American  jazz   vocalist ,  songwriter , and  actress , who wrote and performed her own compositions. She was a civil rights advocate during the 1960s.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Samuel Leroy Jackson  (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and film producer. He achieved prominence and critical acclaim in the early 1990s with films such as  Jungle Fever  (1991),  Patriot Games  (1992),  Amos & Andrew  (1993),  True Romance  (1993),  Jurassic Park  (1993) and his collaborations with director  Quentin Tarantino  in the films  Pulp Fiction  (1994) and  Jackie Brown  (1997). He is a  highly prolific  actor, appearing in over 100 films, including  Die Hard with a Vengeance  (1995), Unbreakable  (2000),  Shaft  (2000),  The 51st State  (2001),  Black Snake Moan  (2006),  Snakes on a Plane  (2006) and the  Star Wars  prequel trilogy  (1999–2005). With Jackson's permission, his likeness was used for the  Marvel Comics  character  Ultimate Nick Fury  in the  Marvel Cinematic Universe  (2008–present). He  cameoed  as Fury in a  post-credits scene  from  Iron Man  (2008), and went on to sign a nine film commit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Phylicia Rashād   (born  Phylicia Ayers-Allen ; June 19, 1948) is an American  Tony Award -winning  actress , singer and stage director, best known for her role as  Clair Huxtable  on the long-running  NBC   sitcom   The Cosby Show . She was nominated for an Emmy Award for this part in 1985 and 1986. In 2004, Rashād became the first  African-American  actress to win the  Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play , which she won for her role in the revival of  A Raisin in the Sun .She resumed the role in the 2008 television adaptation of  A Raisin in the Sun , which earned her the 2009  NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special . Rashād was dubbed "The Mother" of the  African-American  community at the 42nd  NAACP Image Awards .