Monthly Archives April 2009

“My friends admit I am black, beautiful and sometimes bitchy, but only when the situation calls for it. If life were a painting I’d be in the middle with a cynical little smile on my face and Hollywood in the background. My name is Dorothy Jean Dickerson. If the name isn’t familiar to you, my face and figure probably are. I’ve appeared in a number of ‘Black’ motion pictures — blaxploitation films some people call them — and my star is definitely on the rise.”

1971 The Harlem Globetrotters Board Game by Milton Bradley

The Harlem Globetrotters board game is based on the world famous ballers who gradually worked comic routines into their act until they became known more for entertainment than sports.

So what if Fast Willie Jackson it is an Archies rip off. It was the 1970‘s. Everyone was ripping off somebody…

On April 4, 2009, Run-DMC became only the second hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Run-D.M.C. was an influential hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City.

There’s so much Funkin’ music used in advertising. I was taken aback and thrilled recently to hear the classic Ohio Players track Fire as the theme music for this season of the “Reality Show” HELL’S KITCHEN. I’m surfing the tube one night and see a flash of Gordon Ramsey. Having worked with him on Kitchen Nightmares for a season, I tuned in for a minute, not because I love the show – but thought I might catch him berating and humiliating one of the “talents” on it – horrible, but true . First there’s clips of what’s on the show, maybe some commercials… all of a sudden sirens, I’m like “huh”? as I’m grabbing a brew from the fridge.

It All Started With The Comic Strip…

Keepin’ It Real
The Original Shock Jock

l’ll tell it to the hot; I’ll tell it to the cold; I’ll tell it to the young; I’ll tell it to the old. I don’t want no laughin’, I don’t want no cryin’, and most of all, no signifyin’–Petey Greene.

Palestine native Ralph Bakshi was raised in Brooklyn, New York. A talented artist, Bakshi worked at the Terrytoons animation studio, directed episodes of Deputy Dawg and James Hound and worked on the Hekyll and Jekyll and Mighty Mouse cartoons. In 1965, he put together The Mighty Heroes “superhero” TV cartoon series, featuring some of the most ridiculous superguys in history: Tornado Man, Cuckooman, Ropeman, Strongman, and Diaper Baby. Bakshi’s also worked on the Spiderman series.

The status of Antonio Fargas is legendary. Since his initiation into the world of film at the age of fourteen, when his exceptional interpretative skills led to a role in Shirley Clark’s Cool World, he has been noted for the unforgettable characters he creates, most famously through his role as the incorrigible and loveable ‘Huggy Bear’ in TV’s Starsky & Hutch.

Why do some of us feel compelled to do a Top-10 music list at the end of each year? There are several answers I suppose… for me, it’s primarily to let those closest to me, ones that share my musical taste, know what the FUNK-iest music I’ve heard, is.  Beyond that, I hope to reach others who are seeking fresh, motivating, head-boppin’, gut moving, foot tappin’, eye opening, FUNKALICIOUS flavored, groovy, neck bendin’ sounds… they may not have encountered yet.

Funk is the last genre of original live music. As hip-hop is now the essence of pop-culture, it is unquestionably a child of funk. Quincy Jones spoke of hip-hop being derived from be-bop when he released his album Back on the Block. It’s amazing how many titles and categories have been used to describe Black Music. Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Ragtime, Soul – The late Jerry Wexler summed it all up as R&B, Rhythm and Blues, it’s all Black Music. Post Be-Bop and Pre Hip-Hop is Funk.

The Postal Service issued a souvenir sheet of 37-cent To Form a More Perfect Union stamps in ten designs, on August 30, 2005, in the following locations: Greensboro, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Montgomery, Alabama; Selma, Alabama; Topeka, Kansas; Washington, DC. Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland designed the stamps.

The Zulus are one of the best known and most respected nations in Africa. The present ruling monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini, is a direct descendent of King Shaka, the founder of the Zulu nation. The year 2009 marks the 38th Anniversary of the reign of King Zwelithini.

Remember when getting ready for the new school year included picking out a shiny new metal lunch box? Starting in 1951, the lunch box became a must have school accessory, a cool way to let everyone know what your favorite new TV show was.

Shindana Toys, a division of Operation Bootstrap, Inc., was a South Central Los Angeles, California cooperative toy company formed in 1968, one of many Operation Bootstrap initiatives undertaken following the 1965 Watts riots. Company proceeds supported businesses in the Watts area.