Many African-Americans made their name performing at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. The roster of talented artists who made their careers after a successful amateur night at the Apollo grew so large, that the venue earned a reputation as the place to jump-start the career of an ambitious hopeful. Other performers, like Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson, came to the theater after experiencing big professional success, adding further credibility to the historic New York concert hall. Explore the biographies of some of the more notable African-Americans who stepped out onto the Apollo stage, making entertainment history.
Meet famous people born in August. Barack Obama, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Tim Tebow, Ingrid Bergman, Halle Berry, Tony Bennett, Jack Black, Coco Chanel, and Andy Warhol are just some of the names you'll find share an August birthday.
Take a look at famous people named Benny such as, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, and Benny Hill.
Take a look at famous people named Carter, such as Billy Carter, Lynda Carter, and Anita Carter.
View famous people who died in 2003 such as Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, and Katharine Hepburn.
Meet famous people such as Bruce Lee, Louis Armstrong, Marlon Brando, William Faulkner, Frida Kahlo, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Barry White, who died in the month of July.
Saxophonists have been an integral part of the American jazz scene, with the timbres of their chosen instrument often at the center of layered compositions. Coleman Hawkins was the first American jazz saxophonist to become famous during the 1920s-30s. Jimmy Dorsey and Johnny Hodges also had major success with big bands during jazz's heyday as a popular music juggernaut, while Lester Young popularized the West Coast, cool style. Later, soprano and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane created pioneering works that ranged from "sheets of sound" bebop to unbound, rhythmically complex free jazz. And Branford Marsalis has taken his sax to great heights in non-jazz arenas; he's toured with rock artist Sting and served as musical director for The Tonight Show.
Browse notable songwriters and composers such as Irving Berlin, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Leonard Bernstein.