KCCK's Soundtrack to the Struggle

Early 1939. The lights go down at New York's Cafe Society. The waiters hush the drinking audience, a single small spotlight shines on her face. And Billy Holiday begins to sing. “Southern trees, bears strange fruit blood on the leaves, blood at the root.” The song ends, and the spotlight goes out. Billy leaves the … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Melba Liston performs on Art Ford's Jazz Party, a television program broadcast from Newark, N.J., in 1958. Although Melba Liston was a woman in a male-dominated profession, she excelled anyway. Some consider her an unsung hero and she is very highly regarded in and outside of the jazz community as a trailblazer, as a musician … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Melba Liston appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

1925, and Louis Armstrong hits the music scene with a splash. With trumpet in hand and a wonderfully unique voice, he took on popular songs and stretched the boundaries of their rhythms and melodies so profoundly that American music hasn't been the same since.Indeed, Louis Armstrong was America's first “pop star,” whose appeal ignored the … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Louis Armstrong “Black and Blue” appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

September 1944, and saxophone legend Lester Young arrives at Fort McClellan, Alabama, for basic training. Young is a jazz star, and he expects to be placed in a military band, like white musicians Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw. Instead, he's assigned to a combat unit. Here marks the beginning of the end for the “President … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Lester Young appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Lena Horne left school at 16 to help support her family. She became a dancer at Harlem's Cotton Club was soon a sought-after performer – a role she would maintain throughout her life. A long run at the Savoy-Plaza boosted Horne's career even further. She was featured in Life magazine, and listed as the highest-paid … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Lena Horne appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

It's 1967, and singer and actress Nichelle Nichols attends a fund-raiser for the NAACP. A man approaches and says, “Ms. Nichols, I'm your greatest fan.” That fan was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During their chat, Nichols confides her plans to leave her current TV gig for a career on Broadway. King was mortified. “You … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Nichelle Nichols appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

It's Prohibition-era Harlem, and Gladys Bentley is at the piano at Harry Hansberry's Clam House, one of the biggest gay speakeasies in New York. Dressed in her signature tuxedo and top hat, she sings bawdy lyrics to popular songs. Her voice is deep and growling, and she flirts with the women in the audience. Even … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Gladys Bentley appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Eartha Kitt was never afraid to use her distinctive voice. Born on a South Carolina cotton plantation, Eartha Mae Keith grew to record the standards, “Let's Do It,” and “C'est Si Bon.” She was fluent in French, spoke four other languages, and sang in 11. She recorded, sang in nightclubs, and appeared in films, television, … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Eartha Kitt appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

It's 1906 in Harlem. The first sparks of a cultural explosion have just ignited. Artists, writers, musicians, and composers are flocking to this city-in-a-city. One of them is Carl Van Vechten. Who could have predicted that the Harlem Renaissance's greatest advocate and chronicler would be a young white man from Cedar Rapids, Iowa? Carl Van … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Carl Van Vechten appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Cab Calloway's subtle but indelible influence on American culture began the moment he forgot the chorus to his own signature song. Picture the scene: The club is packed. Dancers fill the floor. Calloway steps to the mic and begins that new song he's been dying to sing. He reaches the chorus. Something catches his eye. … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to the Struggle: Cab and Minnie appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

They crowned Jack Johnson the first Black heavyweight champion in 1908, but the fight had just begun. The Black community was overjoyed, seeing Johnson’s title as a major step toward equality. Whites in America, however, were often near panic. Even the New York Times wrote that “thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret [Johnson’s] victory … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #6: Jack Johnson appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Singer Dinah Washington and her seventh husband, football legend Dick “Night Train” Lane, were an unlikely pair. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she was madly in love with Night Train. They each fought bigotry in their own ways – Washington by challenging segregation in the music industry, Lane by changing the perception of … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #5: Dinah & Night Train appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

The year was 1948, and the DuMont company had recently created a TV network to help build demand for their line of television sets. Actress and singer Amanda Randolph was the first African-American woman to star in a network television show. The program was The Laytons, and Randolph was one of the stars. It only … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #4: Amanda Rudolph appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

On Sunday, September 15, 1963, four Klansmen planted dynamite under the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four young girls and injured many others. History records this incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. Coltrane, his heart broken, was driven to tears, anger, and frustration. But instead of … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #3: Coltrane’s “Alabama” appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Three pioneering women lay claim to Blues royalty. Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith made an impact on American culture that still resonates today. Mamie Smith became in 1920 the first Black musician to make vocal blues recordings. A savvy marketer, she exploited the new medium of radio to reach audiences across the country … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #2: Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey & Mamie Smith appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Today, it would be unthinkable to bar a musical artist from their place of performance. Yet seventy years ago it happened regularly. African-American musicians were often required to enter a club by the kitchen or back door, even if they were the headliner. In 1940 a doorman turned away star trumpeter Roy Eldridge at the … Continue reading The post Soundtrack to The Struggle #1 – Roy Eldridge & Gene Krupa appeared first on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.