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Willie Bobo (eigentlich: William Correa; * 28. Februar 1938 in New York City; † 15. Dezember 1983 in Los Angeles) war ein US-amerikanischer Jazz-Perkussionist und gilt als einer der bedeutenden Vertreter des Latin Jazz der 1960er Jahre. Willie Correa erhielt eine Ausbildung an den Timbales und der Conga bei Mongo Santamaría und Armando Peraza. Er begann seine professionelle Laufbahn in den frühen 1950er Jahren als Bandmitglied bei Machito. Peraza machte ihn mit George Shearing bekannt, auf dessen Album The Shearing Spell er spielte. Daneben wirkte er mit verschiedenen Musikern, u.a. auch Stan Getz als Studiomusiker zusammen und trat als Sideman...

Willie Ninja (April 12, 1961 – September 2, 2006) was an American dancer and choreographer best known for his appearance in the documentary film Paris is Burning. Ninja, who was gay, was a fixture of ball culture at Harlem's drag balls who took inspiration from sources as far-flung as Fred Astaire and the world of haute couture to develop a unique style of dance and movement. He caught the attention of Paris is Burning director Jennie Livingston, who featured Ninja prominently in the film. The film, a critical and box office success, served as a springboard for Ninja. He parlayed...

Blind Willie McTell (* 5. Mai 1901 in Thomson, Georgia, † 19. August 1959 in Milledgeville, Georgia) (eigentlich William Samuel McTear) war ein einflussreicher Blues-Musiker und ein herausragender Repräsentant des Piedmont Blues. In seiner frühen Kindheit ist er komplett erblindet, war aber in der Lage mittels Brailleschrift Noten zu lesen. 1934 heiratete er Ruth Kate Williams, mit der er bis zu seinem Tod verheiratet blieb. 1957 gab er den Blues auf und wandte sich der Religion zu, 1959 starb er an einer Hirnblutung. 1977 interviewte der Bluesforscher David Evans seine Witwe und förderte so erstmals Daten zu McTells Leben zutage....

Popularly known as "El Brujo"--the sorcerer--the Dominican salsero and merenguero Valoy first attracted attention in the 50s in the duo Los Ahijados, with his brother Martín. Los Ahijados played son, the Cuban form that has always had, and still has, a substantial following in the Dominican Republic. In the 70s he formed a dance band, variously known as Los Virtuosos and El Tribu, which included his son Ramón Orlando Valoy (who would become well-known in the 80s as bandleader Ramón Orlando) on piano. Valoy's music at this point was big-band son, what was now being called salsa. His hits in...

The Avalons By Marv Goldberg Based on interviews with Bernard Purdie and George Cox © 2003 by Marv Goldberg The Avalons were one of the four R&B groups from Newport News, Virginia to record in the 50s (the others were the 5 Keys, the Leaders, and the Chateaus). Although both the Leaders and the Chateaus were highly influenced by the 5 Keys, the Avalons, as we'll see, were much more intertwined with them. Our story begins around 1947, with the formation of a group called the Chimes. Singing both gospel and R&B, they consisted of Charles “Bobby” Crawley (tenor/baritone), Ulysses...