Black Music Month originated in 1979. Jimmy Carter proclaimed the month of June as Black Music Month to celebrate the wonderful music, the achievements, births, important timelines, events and to remember those we lost.
1. Lena Horne
1917:Lena Horne was born on this day. She was an award winning singer, dancer, actor, recording artist, entertainer and civil rights activist. She announced her retirement 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway and earned her numerous awards and accolades. She passed away in 2010 at age 92.
2. Andrew HIll
1937:Jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill was born on this day. He is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s. His most-lauded work was recorded for Blue Note Records, spanning nearly a decade and a dozen albums. He passed away in 2007 at age 75.
