Singer

Stanley O. Williford  |   OW Editor
Jan 20 2012

Gifted singer troubled by her past, men and drugs

Etta James, the big-voiced singer with the rowdy persona, has died after a long battle with leukemia. She was 73.

With her dyed blond hair piled high, eyes cat-shaped by mascara and big hoop earrings, she cultivated a whorish look and a loud, blustery attitude that made her seem tough, but by her own admission she was mushy inside and often confused and fearful.

Dec 15 2011

Singer, 72, performed with Ike & Tina Turner

Singer Earl Hines, 72, a resident at the Lotus Care Center in L.A.’s Crenshaw District, will be leading the Pay It Forward Volunteer Band (a group that performs exclusively for nursing homes all over LosAngeles) when they perform their Nostalgic Christmas Show at the facility on today at 5 p.m.

Stanley O. Williford  |   OW Editor
Jul 21 2011

Welcoming the oldest civil rights organization

It may have been fate that brought the Somerville Hotel into existence just in time to house attendees to the first West Coast convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1928. The hotel was completed in June of that year. The 19th annual convention was held that same month.

Jun 15 2011

Possession of cocaine base

VAN NUYS, Calif.—Singer Sly Stone pleaded not guilty today to a drug charge stemming from his April 1 arrest in Los Angeles.

The 67-year-old entertainer is charged with one count of possession of cocaine base.

Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, was arrested about 4:10 a.m. April 1 by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga divsion. He was released later that day on $10,000 bail.

A July 19 pretrial hearing has been set in Van Nuys Superior Court.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Jun 2 2011

Hollywood by Choice

A friend recently called and asked me if I thought Beyonce’s skin was getting lighter? I remembered seeing a picture of her a couple of weeks ago, and I was surprised that it was Beyonce but I didn’t dwell on it. I understand that camera lighting plays a major part in how photographed images are presented. But, being curious I went online to see if there was any validity in my friend’s question.
 

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.