
Edwin Starr’s version of “War” was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but it is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded Continue reading

Edwin Starr’s version of “War” was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but it is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded Continue reading


Slam is the second single released from Onyx’s debut album, Bacdafucup.Released on May 11, 1993, Slam was Onyx’s breakthrough single, making it to number 4 on the US Billboard 100 and was the group’s second straight single to make it to number 1 on the Rap Charts. Continue reading


John Levell Starks professional basketball shooting guards. John Starks was listed at 6’2 and 190 lb during his NBA playing career. Although he was not drafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four colleges in his hometown Oklahoma, including Oklahoma State University, he gained fame while playing for the NewYork Knicks of the National Basketball Association in the 1990s. Continue reading


I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor’s certified double platinum disco anthem, has remained popular. The song’s lyrics describe the narrator’s discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. It received heavy airplay in 1979, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the UK Singles Chart on consecutive weeks. Continue reading


Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the successful songwriting duo and recording artists, met at Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. Their careers as songwriters, producers and powerhouse performers spanned more than forty-five years. On August 22, 2011 Ashford passed from throat cancer. He is survived by wife of 36 years Valerie and their two daughters Asia and Nicole. Continue reading

Can’t You See by R&B group Total, released as their debut single. The track was released from the New Jersey Drive soundtrack and also later appeared on their debut album Total. Continue reading
Singer and actress Freda Payne gained notoriety during the mid–1960s through the mid–1980s. Her most recognizable hit singles Band Of Gold and her anti-war Bring the Boys Home. Payne is also an actress in musicals and film, as well as the host of a TV talk show. Continue reading

Strange Fruit a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939. Continue reading


Oleta Adams scored her biggest hit to date with her Grammy nominated cover of Brenda Russell’s Get Here from the Circle of One album. Continue reading
A Change Is Gonna Come is a song by Sam Cooke, released on December 22, 1964 by RCA Victor. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, “A Change Is Gonna Come” became an anthem for the American Civil Rights Movement. The song is widely considered Cooke’s best composition and has been voted among the best songs ever released by various publications. In 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, with the National Recording Registry deeming the song “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important.” Continue reading