~Atomic Sketch Event February

This month's ASE (Atomic Sketch Event) was a total blast...good ppl, good vibes and a ton of great art/artist.

(heres some of my pics)

..click on photo for a larger image view...

"Featured Artist of the Month"
Ryan P. Young

Ryan P. Young

Ryan P. Young






















Ill be on the panel for next months ASE:
stop by the last thursday of the month, March 27th and say hello, ill be there drawing and socializin....see ya there


Be Golden

~Michael jackson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson share a day in History.

Michael started recording the Thriller album in April 1982. Originally to be called Starlight, the album included 4 original songs by Michael, (“Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “The Girl Is Mine”), 3 songs by Rod Temperton (“Thriller”, “Baby Be Mine” and “The Lady In My Life”), a ballad by Toto (‘Human Nature”), and an infectious pop tune by James Ingram and Quincy Jones (“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”). Amongst the brilliant songwriters Michael collaborated with, he also teamed up with Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on “Beat it”, Vincent Price for a rap on “Thriller” and his sisters, LaToya and Janet Jackson for additional vocals on “P.Y.T”.


On February 7th, 1984, Michael attended and collected a massive eight Grammy Awards from a staggering twelve nominations. Michael Jackson still holds the record for receiving the most Grammy Awards in a single year by an individual. He received seven awards for Thriller alone and one for The E.T. Storybook. Among the eight awards he received, he picked up “Record of the Year” for “Beat It”, “Album of the Year” for Thriller, “Best Pop Performance” for Thriller, and “Producer of the Year” for Thriller.



also today in black history...


Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977), often known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comic actor who became famous playing "Rochester van Jones" (usually known simply as "Rochester"), the valet to Jack Benny's eponymous title character on the long-running radio and television series The Jack Benny Program. Anderson also owned Burnt Cork, a Thoroughbred racehorse that ran in the 1943 Kentucky Derby.

He was born in Oakland, California, USA on September 18, 1905 into a family of performers, Anderson began his show business career at age 14 in a song-and-dance act with his brother Cornelius and another performer. They billed themselves as the Three Black Aces. At a young age, Anderson permanently damaged his vocal cords (he had to yell loudly for his job selling newspapers), leading to his trademark raspy voice.


Among the most highly-paid performers of his time, Anderson invested wisely and became extremely wealthy. Despite this, he was so strongly identified with the "Rochester" role that many listeners of the radio program mistakenly persisted in the belief that he was Benny's actual valet. One such listener drove Benny to distraction when he sent a scolding letter to Benny concerning Rochester's alleged pay, and then sent another letter to Anderson, which urged him to sue Benny. A similar letter came from a correspondent in the South who was angered that on an episode of the radio show where Benny was sparring with Anderson, that Benny allowed himself to be struck by Anderson. Benny retorted in a letter that it would not have been humorous the other way around.

Anderson died in 1977 due to heart disease at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, California.[1][2] He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2001.

its been a great Black History Month...
...see ya next year =)

Be Golden

~Marian Anderson, Opera singer Born Today...

Be Golden

~Sneak peek at a new 20x 24 drawing

Interested?
Stay tuned....

for more artstuffs...

brooksbegolden.com

enjoy
and
Be Golden

~Stencils Galore @ Rotofugi Chicago!

..if you can, get over to Rotofugi to see great examples of stencil art by:

John Fischer
Soukup
and
Peat Wollaeger


Rotofugi
1953 w Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622

Be Golden

~Happy Born Day Erykah Badu...

...lets celebrate her bday by bumpin some neo-soul goodness...

btw, her new album is awesome...New AmErykah!

Be Golden

~Ida Cox Jazz Legend, Born Today!

Ida Cox (c. 25 February 1896 – 10 November 1967) was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings.

Cox was born in February, 1896 as Ida Prather in Toccoa, Habersham County, Georgia (Toccoa was in Habersham County, not yet Stephens County at the time), the daughter of Lamax and Susie (Knight) Prather, and grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, singing in the local African Methodist Church choir. She left home to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often appearing in blackface into the 1910s; she married fellow minstrel performer Adler Cox.

By 1920, she was appearing as a headline act at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; another headliner at that time was Jelly Roll Morton.[1]


After the success of Mamie Smith's pioneering 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues", record labels realized there was a demand for recordings of race music. The classic female blues era had begun, and would extend through the 1920s. From 1923 through to 1929, Cox made numerous recordings for Paramount Records, and headlined touring companies, sometimes billed as the "Sepia Mae West", continuing into the 1930s.[2] During the 1920s, she also managed Ida Cox and Her Raisin' Cain Company, her own vaudeville troupe.[1]



Be Golden

~Going Postal Update w/ pics.....

from the looks of it..the show was a huge success,these pics indicate, some of my favorites...past and present...


Overconsume & Cosbe

overconsume

twist


giant

faust


The Photo Credits:


Go Postal
Be Golden

~Today in 1996 Bernard Harris , First Black to walk in space...

Trip to the stars rooted in history
harris
First black astronaut to walk in space sees vast importance of space exploration

February 24, 1996
Web posted: 3:35 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Kathy Nellis

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- In February 1995, Bernard Harris, Jr., made history. One of only seven black astronauts, he was the first black astronaut to walk in space.

A year later, as the U.S. celebrates Black History Month, Harris reflected on his accomplishment, and pondered the future of space exploration.
harris

"To be the first was great, it really was," he said. "But to me, it signifies that there would be many more behind me.

For Harris, the experience was a high point of a journey that began years ago. From the time he was eight-years-old, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

On the way to his dream, he reached many other personal goals -- pilot, flight surgeon, scientist, mission specialist. As Harris explained, his dream -- his trip to the stars -- had its roots in history.

"I think it's kind of ironic," he said. "When we look at history itself, you realize that astronomy -- the study of the stars -- that whole origin ... (was) being done by people from Africa. And now I get to fly amongst those same stars."


Be Golden

~W.E.B. Dubois..Born today

Be Golden

~Like Dr. J , If I could be Like Dr. J.....

Julius Erving Date of birth: February 22, 1950


Julius Erving was born in Hempstead, Long Island. His father left the family when Julius was only three. His mother worked as a domestic to support her three children. The family lived in a public housing project, and life was difficult, but Mrs. Erving worked to instill a sense of self-worth in her children, and young Julius realized his gift for basketball could be a ticket to a better life. By age ten, Julius was averaging eleven points a game with his Salvation Army team. When Julius Erving was 13, his mother remarried, and the family moved to the nearby town of Roosevelt. There, Julius maintained a high academic average and played on the high school team, all-county and all-Long Island teams competing in state-wide tournaments. Erving acquired the nickname "the Doctor" while still at Roosevelt High. His teammates would later alter this to "Dr. J."




easily one of the best players to ever play and change the game of basketball..


Be Golden

~Happy Bday Nina Simone!

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone. (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was a Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist.

Although she disliked being categorized, Simone is generally classified as a jazz musician. Simone originally aspired to become a classical pianist, but her work covers an eclectic variety of musical styles besides her classical basis, such as jazz, soul, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop music. Her vocal style is characterized by intense passion, a loose vibrato, and a slightly androgynous timbre, in part due to her unusually low vocal range which veered between the alto and tenor ranges (occasionally even reaching baritone lows). Sometimes known as The High Priestess of Soul, she paid great attention to the musical expression of emotions. Within one album or concert she could fluctuate between exuberant happiness or tragic melancholy. These fluctuations also characterized her own personality and personal life, worsened by bipolar disorder with which she was diagnosed in the mid-1960s, but was kept secret until 2004 after her death.[1]

Jazz Lovers have a listen...




Be Golden

~Today 100 yr Anniversary of Matt Henson/Peary Artic Expedition...Happy Bday Sidney Poitier!

Legendary African-American Arctic explorer Matthew Henson was born into poverty, ran away from home and went to sea at age 12. Yet he grew up to become a famous American hero whose long term partnership with Robert E. Peary allowed them to discover the North Pole in 1909.
Today Matthew Henson is remembered as a truly remarkable and well loved man; one who helped others, never spoke unkindly or harbored anger, was enthusiastic, and highly skilled in many disciplines. When men were starving and no food could be hunted, Henson declared he would find game - and he returned with fresh meat to keep them alive. When others could not go on, he carried them home. When even the indomitable Peary felt they were going to die he gained courage when he looked at Matthews face.

Henson's partnership with the Inuit people contributed to the astounding success of the 1909 North Pole expedition. The Inuit people made a legend of Henson, whom they called "Matthew the kind one." However, what should have been a glorious public reception was turned into a bitter nightmare of controversy when hoaxer, con artist, and later Federal Prisoner # 23118, Dr. Frederick Cook, claimed he reached the Pole a year earlier. The public was bitterly confused and divided by Dr. Cook for several months until Cook's lies became his downfall. Permanent damage had been done to the honor of the 1909 expedition team.



The public of 1910 had no place for an African-American hero; so Henson was never given the recognition he earned through the 18 years and 7 highly dangerous, difficult Arctic journeys he endured with Peary. His rewards and recognition came gradually. In the 1930's he was made a member of the New York Explorers Club of which Peary had once been the President. All the other famous explorers knew how valuable Matt had been at the North Pole. Freuchen, Stefansson, MacMillan, Bartlett and others kept close friendships with him.



also today....

a Special happy Bday to Actor Sidney Portier




Sidney Poitier Biography (1927- )

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RELATED WORKS

* Films
* 1955 The Blackboard Jungle
* 1958 The Defiant Ones
* 1963 Lilies of the Field
* 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

» More works

Actor, director. Born February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida. Born prematurely on the high seas en route to Miami, Poitier grew up in The Bahamas. His youth was filled with delinquency, and his parents eventually sent him to live with his brother in Florida in 1941. Poitier served a short stint in the United States Army before moving to New York to pursue an acting career.

A student at the American Negro Theater in New York City, Poitier appeared on stage and in films before making his Hollywood debut in 1950. Cast mainly in supporting roles, he won an Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963). The win marked the first Oscar awarded to a black actor and made Poitier cinema's first African American superstar, one who consciously defied racial stereotyping. Handsome and unassuming, he brought dignity to the portrayal of noble and intelligent characters, including Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night (1967). Other notable films include The Defiant Ones and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).

Poitier, Sidney (1927- )


Related Works

* Films
* 1955 The Blackboard Jungle
* 1958 The Defiant Ones
* 1963 Lilies of the Field
* 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
* 1967 To Sir, With Love
* 1967 In the Heat of the Night
* 1970 They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
* 1971 The Organisation
* 1988 Shoot to Kill
* 1988 Little Nikita
* 1992 Sneakers
* 1997 One Man, One Vote
* 1997 The Jackal
* Director
* 1972 Buck and the Preacher
* 1977 Uptown Saturday Night
* 1980 Stir Crazy
* 1990 Ghost Dad

...I had the pleasure of reading this great book "The measure of a man" last year..please find the time to pick it up...you will be humbled and enlightened....




Be Golden

~Happy Bday Smokey Robinson!

Picture Source

Smokey Robinson (vocals; born February 19, 1940)

Save for founder Berry Gordy, no single figure has been more closely allied with the Detroit-based recording empire known as Motown than William “Smokey” Robinson. In addition to leading the Miracles, Robinson served as a Motown producer, songwriter, talent scout and Gordy’s most trusted confidant and right-hand man.

”He reminded me of me - so excited and passionate about his music,” Gordy wrote in his autobiography, To Be Loved. Robinson’s Miracles were the second act signed to Gordy’s management and production company. Everything at Motown was a family affair in those days. The Supremes (first known as the Primettes) wound up auditioning at Motown because Diana Ross was a neighbor of Robinson’s, and Primettes guitarist Marv Tarplin became an accompanist, arranger and cowriter in the Miracles.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored twenty-seven pop-soul hits at Motown between 1960 and 1971, including the classics “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Going to a Go-Go” and “I Second That Emotion.” They also explored the sweeter side of soul with a string of exquisite ballads sung by Robinson in a satiny falsetto. The Miracles’ brightest moments on record - “Ooh Baby Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears” and “The Tears of a Clown” foremost among them - still kindle memories for those who came of age in the Sixties.

Essential Songs

The Tracks of My Tears
Tears of a Clown
Ooh Baby Baby
Going to a Go-Go
I Second That Emotion
The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage
You Really Got a Hold on Me
Shop Around
Being With You
Cruisin’

(note: the first eight songs are credited to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)


Be Golden

~Happy Bday Toni Morrison!

what a beauty...


Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford, the second of four children, to George and Ramah Wofford on February 18, 1931. Both of her parents came from sharecropping families who had moved North in pursuit of better living conditions in the early 1900s, and her father’s family had faced a great deal of discrimination. Due to these bitter memories and the racial troubles he endured during his childhood, he maintained a strong distrust of whites throughout his lifetime. Morrison’s parents instilled the value of group loyalty, which they believed was essential to surviving the harsh realities of racial tension during that era. As an African-American in a town of immigrants, she grew up with the notion that the only place she could turn to for aid and reassurance would be within her own community in Lorain, Ohio. Here, Morrison had "an escape from stereotyped black settings -- neither plantation nor ghetto".
Morrison’s parents encouraged her passion for reading, learning, and culture, as well as a confidence in her own abilities and attributes as woman. They educated Morrison before she was sent to school, and as an adolescent she became enthralled by classic literature, including Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. In an interview with Jean Strouse, Morrison described her childhood experiences with literature: "Those books were not written for a little black girl in Lorain, Ohio, but they were so magnificently done that I got them anyway -- they spoke directly to me out of their own specificity.” Morrison was especially impressed by the ability of her favorite authors to identify with and present their own cultural roots.

Morrison graduated high school with honors in 1949 and went on to attend Howard University in Washington D.C. It was during this time that Morrison changed her name from ‘Chloe’ to ‘Toni’, (derived from her middle name, Anthony) so that her name would be easier to pronounce. Morrison was also a member of the Howard Repertory Theatre; their trips to perform gave her the opportunity to observe the African-American experience in the South. In 1953, she graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Classics. Morrison went on to pursue graduate studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1955, she completed her master's thesis on the works of Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner and received a Master of Arts.

...a distinguished icon.



I discovered Toni Morrison's Bluest Eye about ten years ago...it was a fantasic read, and was very hard to put the book down. Ive yet to read any of her other books, but im sure i will ,and convinced the will be as well written and entertaining as Bluest Eye.

~Happy Bday Michael Jordan

Full Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Born: 2/17/63 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
High School: Laney (Wilmington, N.C.)
College: North Carolina
Drafted: Chicago Bulls (1984)
Transactions: Signed with Washington Wizards, 9/25/01
Height: 6-6; Weight: 216 lbs.

Honors and awards

Main article: List of career achievements by Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan and Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill game honoring the 1957 and 1982 men's basketball teams.

* Olympic Gold Medal: 1984, 1992
* NBA Champion: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
* NCAA National Championship: 1982
* NBA MVP: 1987/88, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1995/96, 1997/98
* NBA Finals MVP: 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* NBA Leading Scorer: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* All-NBA First Team: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* All-NBA Second Team: 1984/85
* NBA All-Star Game: 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
* NBA All-Star Game MVP: 1987/88, 1995/96, 1997/98
* NBA All-Defensive Team: 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1987/88
* NBA Rookie of the Year: 1984/85
* NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner: 1987, 1988
* ACC Freshman of the Year: 1982
* ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year: 1984
* USBWA College Player of the Year: 1984
* Naismith College Player of the Year: 1984
* John R. Wooden Award: 1984
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: 1984
* Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: 1991
* Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 75 Players of All-Time
* Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century


believe you can fly?
I do
Be Golden

~Happy Bday Lavar Burton!

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, West Germany), professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley. He is also well-known for his portrayal of Geordi La Forge on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as the host of the PBS children's program Reading Rainbow.

I would watch this daily in the summers of the 80's...
I had many favorite episodes, but this was my favorite and prolly the most memorable...



Read a book
&
Be Golden

~Today in 1941 Duke Ellington records the ever-popular "Take the A Train"

"Take the A Train," the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, was recorded on this day in 1941. The song marked the beginning of a decades-long partnership between Ellington and a shy young songwriter named Billy Strayhorn.

You live in New York, you don't own a car, you ride the subway. And if you're really unlucky, you have to ride the A train, which ranks at the bottom of the 20 subway lines in the city. It's the line most prone to breakdowns, dirt and delays. But it has one advantage over all the other lines: It's the quickest way to Harlem and the district of majestic mansions where Harlem's royalty once reigned, called Sugar Hill.

"Take the A Train" was written by a kid who lived in Pittsburgh named Billy Strayhorn. Strayhorn was a soda jerk and drugstore delivery boy by day, a musician by night, and a composer all the time.

In 1938, Strayhorn was introduced to Duke Ellington, who asked the young musician to play for him after a show.




A beautiful timeless jazz song...

take a listen
Be Golden

~Feb 13th 2005, a Posthumous Ray charles wins 8 grammy Awards

Feb 13th 2005,

The late Ray Charles has topped this year's Grammy Awards by chalking up eight wins.

Charles scored his multiple successes with his duets album Genius Loves Company, which was recorded during the final months of his life.

He won album of the year, record of the year and best pop collaboration for his ballad with Norah Jones, Here We Go Again, as well as best pop album.




September 23, 1930 - Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, GA.
1937 - Living in Greenville, FL, is stricken with glaucoma, which results in blindness.
October, 1937 - Enrolls in Florida's State School for Deaf where he studies composition, classical piano, organ, trumpet, alto sax and clarinet.

1946 - Begins his professional career playing with local bands around Jacksonville, FL.
1948 - Moves to Seattle, WA and using the stage name R.C. Robinson, forms light jazz and blues combo The Maxim Trio.
1949 - Changes his professional name to Ray Charles and releases his first single, the self-penned "Confession." Several singles follow on the Swingtime Record label.



I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
-Ray Charles

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.
-Ray Charles


Be Golden

~Re:Session Skatedeck Art Show March 27th

(click for larger image)


Im painting a sk8 deck for this show, come out and check out all the great artworks...

1006 s michigan ave first floor
exhibition dates: March 6th-March 31st

Reception the evening of March 27th 2009


Be Golden