Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
2021 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame Inaugural Inducteess Biographies
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
mainstream Inducteess
Mainstream Male
Usher Raymond IV
Challenging himself creatively and testing musical boundaries are characteristics that have defined Usher’s career since he was first discovered twenty years ago on Star Search. Usher has been ranked by the Recording Industry Assn. of America as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 65 million albums worldwide.
He has won numerous awards including 8 Grammy Awards and was named the #1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade. Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, with his career-propelling 2004 album “Confessions” being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Usher has attained nine Hot 100 #1 hits (all as a lead artist) and 18 Hot 100 top-10 singles. 2021 continues to be a busy year for Usher with new music and the announcement of his first Vegas residency that will start in July 2021. Musically Usher’s two latest singles “Don’t Waste My Time” and “Bad Habit” both hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts. In 2020 he also released “I Cry”, a powerful and emotional song about the social and racial injustices of our time.
Mainstream Female
Beyoncé
One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music, Beyoncé rose to fame in the late ’90s as the central member of pop-R&B group Destiny’s Child, and the following decade embarked on a multi-platinum, record-breaking solo career with Dangerously in Love (2003), her first in an unbroken string of number one pop solo albums.
Chart-topping singles such as “Crazy in Love” (2003), “Irreplaceable” (2006), and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008), combined with soldout world tours and Grammy Awards, all heightened her profile in the 2000s. Billboard named her female artist of the decade, while the RIAA acknowledged that, with 64 gold and platinum certifications, she was the decade’s top-selling artist. Once Beyoncé released her self-titled fifth solo album in 2013, it was evident that the powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and dancer wasn’t merely an entertainer but a progressive artist as well. The notion was affirmed throughout the remainder of the decade with Lemonade (2016) and Everything Is Love (2018), the latter of which was a collaboration with husband Jay-Z.
Mainstream Female
Beyoncé
One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music, Beyoncé rose to fame in the late ’90s as the central member of pop-R&B group Destiny’s Child, and the following decade embarked on a multi-platinum, record-breaking solo career with Dangerously in Love (2003), her first in an unbroken string of number one pop solo albums.
Chart-topping singles such as “Crazy in Love” (2003), “Irreplaceable” (2006), and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008), combined with soldout world tours and Grammy Awards, all heightened her profile in the 2000s. Billboard named her female artist of the decade, while the RIAA acknowledged that, with 64 gold and platinum certifications, she was the decade’s top-selling artist. Once Beyoncé released her self-titled fifth solo album in 2013, it was evident that the powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and dancer wasn’t merely an entertainer but a progressive artist as well. The notion was affirmed throughout the remainder of the decade with Lemonade (2016) and Everything Is Love (2018), the latter of which was a collaboration with husband Jay-Z.
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
Gospel Inducteess
Gospel Male
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin wants everyone to know one thing. He’s never going to stop pushing the envelope. Franklin’s latest musical offering—and 13th studio album—is the aptly titled LONG LIVE LOVE from his RCA-distributed label, Fo Yo Soul Recordings. But even before the album’s May 31st release date, its first single is already laying down some serious groundwork. “Love Theory” bowed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and has kept the position on lock for thirty-nine weeks. The vibrant track marked the singer’s record-extending seventh No. 1, and his second start atop the chart.
With 1 million U.S. streams in its first week per Nielsen Music, “Love Theory” also opened at No. 1 on Gospel Streaming Songs as well as Gospel Digital Song Sales. Its colorful and energetic video has accumulated over 17.3 million YouTube views and counting. The album “Long Live Love” and single “Love Theory” won two Grammys in January 2020. Franklin says, “It’s my constant story about this message of love, the love of God, and me trying to play my role in that conversation.” “We’re living in an era where so many things compete for the attention of our hearts,” says Franklin. “They don’t all have to be bad, but these things can become what matters to us more than they’re supposed to. “Idols” and every song on the album just bubbled up and out—a tapestry of what I believe, how I feel, what I want, and my struggles. It’s the good, the bad, and the ugly,” says Franklin. After culling through 50 to 60 song ideas, Franklin began collaborating with his fraternity of co-producers, Ron Hill, Shaun Martin, Max Stark, and S1. His last album, 2015’s Losing My Religion, won a GRAMMY Award winner for Best Gospel Album in 2017.
Gospel Female
Shirley Caesar
Since leaving the Caravans, the hottest gospel-singing group in the land, and striking out on her own over 60 years ago, Shirley Caesar has been sweeping across America and the world, delivering her Christian message in electrifying song and sermon, picking up 12 Grammy Awards, 18 Dove Awards, 14 Stellar Awards, a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and numerous other honors along her path.
She has been a standard-bearer for traditional AfricanAmerican gospel music, yet at the same time has been unafraid to challenge convention and take the genre in daring new directions Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Caesar was greatly inspired by her father, Big Jim Caesar, a farmer who sang with an a cappella quartet called “The Just Come Four.” He died of a brain seizure when she was 10, and to help support her semi-invalid mother, Hallie Caesar, and a dozen brothers and sisters, she hit the road as a gospel soloist with a one-legged evangelist named Leroy Johnson. Billed as “Baby Shirley,” she cut her first single, “I’d Rather Have Jesus” backed with “I Know Jesus Will Save,” for Federal Records. The label on the 78 RPM disc described her as a “12 year old lass”, although she was actually 13 at the time of the recording. “I got my call to the ministry when I was in college in 1957,” says Caesar, who was majoring in business administration at North Carolina College.
Gospel Female
Shirley Caesar
Since leaving the Caravans, the hottest gospel-singing group in the land, and striking out on her own over 60 years ago, Shirley Caesar has been sweeping across America and the world, delivering her Christian message in electrifying song and sermon, picking up 12 Grammy Awards, 18 Dove Awards, 14 Stellar Awards, a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and numerous other honors along her path.
She has been a standard-bearer for traditional AfricanAmerican gospel music, yet at the same time has been unafraid to challenge convention and take the genre in daring new directions Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Caesar was greatly inspired by her father, Big Jim Caesar, a farmer who sang with an a cappella quartet called “The Just Come Four.” He died of a brain seizure when she was 10, and to help support her semi-invalid mother, Hallie Caesar, and a dozen brothers and sisters, she hit the road as a gospel soloist with a one-legged evangelist named Leroy Johnson. Billed as “Baby Shirley,” she cut her first single, “I’d Rather Have Jesus” backed with “I Know Jesus Will Save,” for Federal Records. The label on the 78 RPM disc described her as a “12 year old lass”, although she was actually 13 at the time of the recording. “I got my call to the ministry when I was in college in 1957,” says Caesar, who was majoring in business administration at North Carolina College.
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
Hip Hop Inducteess
Male Hip Hop
Outkast
In the early 1990s Hip-Hop was still almost entirely defined in East Coast/ West Coast terms. No southern rap acts had been able to sustain prolonged national success. To breakthrough, the newly named Outkast would need some luck to realize all their prodigious talents. After making their debut on an Organized Noize-produced remix of TLC’s “Friends,” Outkast caught the attention of Perri “Pebbles” Reid of Pebbitone Records who convinced her husband, L.A Reid, to sign them to the almost exclusively R&B label LaFace Records. Outkast’s debut song “Player’s Ball” was oddly placed on A LaFace Family Christmas compilation album in 1993.
Outkast’s blend of gritty Southern soul, fluid raps, and the low-slung funk of their production crew epitomized the Atlanta wing of hip-hop’s rising force, the Dirty South, during the mid to late ’90s. Outkast took Southern hip-hop in bold and innovative directions: less reliance on aggression, more positivity and melody, thicker arrangements, and intricate lyrics. After Andre 3000 and Big Boi hit number one on the rap charts with their first single, “Player’s Ball,” the duo embarked on a run of platinum albums spiked with several hit singles, enjoying numerous critical accolades in addition to their commercial success. Perfectly capturing southern city culture, and paired with a soulful groove and Sleepy Brown’s Curtis Mayfield inspired hook, “Player’s Ball” dominated Atlanta Radio. The accompanying video, directed by Sean “Puffy” Combs, did for Outkast what Nuthin’ But a G Thang did for Dr. Dre and Snoop. Atlanta’s combination of grit and flair culture were front and center, while showcasing the chemistry between Big Boi and André.
Female Hip Hop
Missy Elliott
One of the most significant female artists in music history, Missy Elliott is a pioneer of female hip-hop and R&B, groundbreaking songwriter-producer, and across-the-board cultural icon. The five-time GRAMMY® Award winner – with nominations spanning three decades – has attained unprecedented success, including U.S. sales in excess of 30 million. Missy’s six studio albums have each been RIAA platinum certified or better, marking her as the only female rapper to achieve that remarkable accomplishment.
Indeed, 2019 saw Elliott making history as the first female rapper ever to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. That same year saw Elliott break new ground as the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Elliott became the first female rapper to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, celebrating her lasting contributions to music and popular culture. And as if all that weren’t enough, Missy kickstarted 2020 by making history yet again, this time co-producing the Lifetime original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel alongside Queen Latifa and Mary J. Blige. The biopic is now known Lifetime’s biggest movie in four years, which pulled in 2.7 million viewers on its debut night. Born in Portsmouth, VA, Missy first made waves for her inventive songwriting and production work alongside her childhood friend, Timothy Mosely a.k.a Timbaland.
Female Hip Hop
Missy Elliott
One of the most significant female artists in music history, Missy Elliott is a pioneer of female hip-hop and R&B, groundbreaking songwriter-producer, and across-the-board cultural icon. The five-time GRAMMY® Award winner – with nominations spanning three decades – has attained unprecedented success, including U.S. sales in excess of 30 million. Missy’s six studio albums have each been RIAA platinum certified or better, marking her as the only female rapper to achieve that remarkable accomplishment.
Indeed, 2019 saw Elliott making history as the first female rapper ever to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. That same year saw Elliott break new ground as the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Elliott became the first female rapper to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, celebrating her lasting contributions to music and popular culture. And as if all that weren’t enough, Missy kickstarted 2020 by making history yet again, this time co-producing the Lifetime original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel alongside Queen Latifa and Mary J. Blige. The biopic is now known Lifetime’s biggest movie in four years, which pulled in 2.7 million viewers on its debut night. Born in Portsmouth, VA, Missy first made waves for her inventive songwriting and production work alongside her childhood friend, Timothy Mosely a.k.a Timbaland.
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
Legacy Inductee
Legacy Artists
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson’s remarkable career scaled unparalleled global, musical, commercial, critical and cultural heights.
He revolutionized so many aspects of his art, from electrifying live performances to groundbreaking use of video, short and full length and he continues to personify innovation. His short films, including those for “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, and “Thriller” transformed the medium from a promotional tool into an art form. No other individual contributed more to this art form than Michael, a contribution recognized by the Library of Congress when they inducted “Thriller” into the National Film Registry, the first and only music video to be include in this elite collection of only a few hundred films. In addition, through his use of spectacular imagery in films and orchestrated stage effects, Jackson launched a new era of creativity in live stage performances that continues to influence countless artists in hip hop, contemporary R&B, pop, and rock and roll. “The more I think about Michael and talk about Michael,” said Berry Gordy, “the more I think that ‘King of Pop’ is not good enough. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
Mainstream Mogul Inductee
Mainstream Mogul
Sean Love Combs
With a decorated career spanning over three decades, Sean Combs has cemented himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs and cultural icons of all-time. Standing as a respected symbol of relentless ambition, his unrivaled influence is only matched by an unparalleled ability to innovate, evolve and consistently defy convention.
After departing Uptown Records to launch his own label in 1993, the emergence of Bad Boy Records marked an era of dominance, defining the sound of a generation and introducing the world to memorable artists and super-groups like Lil Kim, Faith Evans, 112, Mase, Total, The Lox, and The Notorious B.I.G. To date, Bad Boy has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, amassing countless Grammy Awards, Billboard No. 1 entries, and forming an extensive catalog of transcendent cult classics. Beyond pioneering the genre of Hip Hop Soul and setting the contemporary trend of in-house production teams, Bad Boy laid the blueprint for turning a label celebrated for timeless anthems into a thriving cultural movement that seamlessly blended music, fashion and lifestyle. Following the tragic and untimely death of The Notorious B.I.G. in 1996, Combs continued the legacy of his late friend by stepping into the forefront as a solo artist, releasing his first full-length album No Way Out in 1997.
Mainstream Mogul
Sean Love Combs
With a decorated career spanning over three decades, Sean Combs has cemented himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs and cultural icons of all-time. Standing as a respected symbol of relentless ambition, his unrivaled influence is only matched by an unparalleled ability to innovate, evolve and consistently defy convention.
After departing Uptown Records to launch his own label in 1993, the emergence of Bad Boy Records marked an era of dominance, defining the sound of a generation and introducing the world to memorable artists and super-groups like Lil Kim, Faith Evans, 112, Mase, Total, The Lox, and The Notorious B.I.G. To date, Bad Boy has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, amassing countless Grammy Awards, Billboard No. 1 entries, and forming an extensive catalog of transcendent cult classics. Beyond pioneering the genre of Hip Hop Soul and setting the contemporary trend of in-house production teams, Bad Boy laid the blueprint for turning a label celebrated for timeless anthems into a thriving cultural movement that seamlessly blended music, fashion and lifestyle. Following the tragic and untimely death of The Notorious B.I.G. in 1996, Combs continued the legacy of his late friend by stepping into the forefront as a solo artist, releasing his first full-length album No Way Out in 1997.
Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame
FOUNDATIONAL INDUCTEES
James Brown
James Brown was born on May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina. They later moved to Augusta, Georgia, when James was around five years old and lived in one of his aunt’s brothels. He was only enrolled in school until the sixth grade.
He would sing in talent shows as young child, making an appearance at Augusta’a Lenox Theater in 1944, winning the show after singing the ballad “So Long”. Brown became inspired to become an entertainer after hearing Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five perform “Caldonia”. Brown would become an American singer, songwriter, dancer,musician ,record producer, and bandleader. Often referred to as the “Godfather of Soul” and ” Mr. Dynamite”.
brown officially began his career being a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia . In the 1950s, Brown rose to national public attention as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a R&B group founded by Bobby Byrd. He would later pen chart topping ballards such as “Please, Please ” and “Try Me”. Brown became known as the hardest working man in show business as a tireless performer. His dedication and perfection to performing garnered him success during the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apolloand hit singles such as “PAPA’S Got a Brand New Bag”, “I Got You (I feel Good)” and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”. A;sp during the 1960s, Brown peenned a social justice hit “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”.
Otis Redding
Life and music of Otis Redding
Born in Dawson, Ga., Otis Redding, Jr. and his family moved to Macon when he was two years old. At an early age, he began his career as a singer and musician in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church. He attended Ballard Hudson High School and participated in the school band. As a teenager, he began to complete in the Douglass Theatre talent shows for the five-dollar prize. After winning 15 times straight, Otis was no longer allowed to compete.
Otis joined Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers in 1958, and would also sing at the “Teenage Party” talent shows sponsored by local celebrity disc jockey King Bee, Hamp Swain, on Saturday mornings initially at the Roxy Theater and later at the Douglass Theatre in Macon.
Otis drove Johnny Jerkins to Memphis, Tenn., for a recording sessions in August 1962 at Stax Records. At the end of the sessions, Stax co-owner Jim Stewart allowed Otis to cut a couple of songs with the remaining studio time. The result was “These Arms Of Mine”, released in 1962. This was the first of many hit singles(including classics “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”, “respect” and “Try A Little Tenderness”) that Redding enjoyed during his tragiclly short career. After nine months, he was invited to perform at the Apollo Theatre for a live recording and would go on to showcase his dance movements with “Shake” and “Satisfaction.”
Otis Redding
Life and music of Otis Redding
Born in Dawson, Ga., Otis Redding, Jr. and his family moved to Macon when he was two years old. At an early age, he began his career as a singer and musician in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church. He attended Ballard Hudson High School and participated in the school band. As a teenager, he began to complete in the Douglass Theatre talent shows for the five-dollar prize. After winning 15 times straight, Otis was no longer allowed to compete.
Otis joined Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers in 1958, and would also sing at the “Teenage Party” talent shows sponsored by local celebrity disc jockey King Bee, Hamp Swain, on Saturday mornings initially at the Roxy Theater and later at the Douglass Theatre in Macon.
Otis drove Johnny Jerkins to Memphis, Tenn., for a recording sessions in August 1962 at Stax Records. At the end of the sessions, Stax co-owner Jim Stewart allowed Otis to cut a couple of songs with the remaining studio time. The result was “These Arms Of Mine”, released in 1962. This was the first of many hit singles(including classics “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”, “respect” and “Try A Little Tenderness”) that Redding enjoyed during his tragiclly short career. After nine months, he was invited to perform at the Apollo Theatre for a live recording and would go on to showcase his dance movements with “Shake” and “Satisfaction.”
Quincy D. Jones
An impresario in the broadest and most creative sense of the word, Quincy Jones’ career has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, magazine founder, multi-media entrepreneur and humanitarian. As a master inventor of musical hybrids, he has shuffled pop, soul, hip-hop, jazz, classical, African and Brazilian music into many dazzling fusions, traversing virtually every medium, including records, live performance, movies and television.
Celebrating more than 60 years performing and being involved in music, Quincy’s creative magic has spanned over six decades, beginning with the music of the post-swing era and continuing through today’s high-technology, international multi-media hybrids. In the mid-50’s, he was the first popular conductor-arranger to record with a Fender bass. His theme from the hit TV series Ironside was the first synthesizer-based pop theme song.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is a much-beloved American icon and an indisputable genius not only of R&B but popular music in general. Blind virtually since brith, Wonder’s heightened awareness of sound helped him create vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition. Nearly everything he recorded bore the stamp of his sunny, joyous positivity; even when he addressed serious racial,social and spiritual issues (which he did quite often in his prime),or sang about heartbreak and romantic uncertainty, an underlying sense of optimism and hope always seemed to emerge.
Much like his inspiration, Ray Charles, Wonder had a voracious appetite for many different kinds of music, and refused to confine himself to any one sound or style. His best records were a richly eclectic brew of soul,funk,rock&roll, sophisticated Broadway /Tin Pan Alley-style pop, jazz,reggae, and African elements — and they weren’t just stylistic exercises; Wonder took it all and forged it into his own personal form of expression.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is a much-beloved American icon and an indisputable genius not only of R&B but popular music in general. Blind virtually since brith, Wonder’s heightened awareness of sound helped him create vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition. Nearly everything he recorded bore the stamp of his sunny, joyous positivity; even when he addressed serious racial,social and spiritual issues (which he did quite often in his prime),or sang about heartbreak and romantic uncertainty, an underlying sense of optimism and hope always seemed to emerge.
Much like his inspiration, Ray Charles, Wonder had a voracious appetite for many different kinds of music, and refused to confine himself to any one sound or style. His best records were a richly eclectic brew of soul,funk,rock&roll, sophisticated Broadway /Tin Pan Alley-style pop, jazz,reggae, and African elements — and they weren’t just stylistic exercises; Wonder took it all and forged it into his own personal form of expression.