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Pioneers in The Arts and Entertainment
As with all people, artistic expression is an innate characteristic of African people and people of African descent wherever they are in the world. This is especially so in North America. The arts are intellectually stimulating and uplifting to the spirit. While raising social awareness, African American artists have been a source of entertainment. Thus, the arts and entertainment are entwined. The monuments on this page of the site memorialize the lives of several African Americans, who have excelled in this aspect of human activity. They are musical composers, singers, instrumentalists, writers, and poets and activists. Needless to say, the monuments pictured on this page do not represent the full range of artistic endeavor or entertainment found among African Americans. However, because of their often-unique contributions, they have been memorialized with a public monument.
Edward Kennedy
"Duke" Ellington
1899-1974
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was a pianist composer, and big band leader. He wrote over 1,000 compositions, many of them are Jazz standards. His career as leader of the Duke Ellington Orchestra spanned over half a century. He was an international ambassador for what he called, "American music."
New York, NY
Ella Fitzgerald
1917-1996
Known to the world as the "First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was a top jazz vocalist, who sang with great big bands starting with Chic Web when she was in her teens. Read more about her long and stellar career and listen to her sing at the site listed in Read More, below.
Ella Fitzgerald Monument
Yonkers, NY
Known as one of the great innovators in Jazz, Charlie Parker along with Dizzie Gillespie is credited with the creation of the Jazz form know as Bebop.
Charlie Parker, "Bird"
1929-1959
Kansas City, MO
While playing with the Jay McShann Band in 1940, Charlie Parker earned his famous nickname "Bird," short for "Yardbird." As the story goes, Parker was given the nickname for one of two possible reasons: 1) He was free as a bird, or 2) he accidentally hit a chicken, otherwise known as a yard bird, while driving on tour with the band.
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson was a true renaissance man, who we could have featured on several pages on this site. He was an orator, an athlete, a leading figure in the struggle for justice and equality . He was also a singer, and actor. Because of his outstanding career in the arts, we have chosen to include him here,
A Tribute to Paul Robeson by the sculptor, Alan Uzekee Nelson
Langston Hughes
1903-1967
Langston Hughes was a prominent literary voice of the Harlem Renaissance. Best known for his poetry, he was also a playwright, novelist, and columnist.
Langston Hughes ashes were interred beneath this cosmogram medallion located in the Schomburg Research Center for Research in Black Culture,
New York, NY