#09-10

Roy James Brown (September 10, 1920 or 1925 – May 25, 1981) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and musician, who had a significant influence on the early development of rock and roll and the direction of R&B. His original song and hit recording "Good Rocking Tonight" was covered by Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, James Brown, the Doors, and the rock group Montrose. Brown was the first singer in recording history to sing R&B songs with a gospel-steeped delivery, which was then considered taboo by many churches. In addition, his melismatic, pleading vocal style influenced such notable artists as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Elvis Presley, Jackie Wilson, James Brown and Little Richard.

Early life and education

Brown was born in Kinder, Louisiana. Some sources report his birth date as September 10, 1925, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc gave the date as September 10, 1920, on the basis of information in the 1930 census and Social Security records, and stated that 1925 is incorrect.

Like many R&B singers, he started singing gospel music in church. His mother was an accomplished singer and church organist. After a move to Los Angeles in the 1940s and a brief period as a professional boxer in the welterweight category, he won a singing contest in 1945 at the Million Dollar Theater, covering "There's No You", originally recorded by Bing Crosby. In 1946, Brown moved to Galveston, Texas, where he sang in Joe Coleman's group, performing mostly songs from the Hit Parade, in a nightclub called the Club Granada. His repertoire included a song he wrote, "Good Rocking Tonight".

After being rejected by the armed forces because of flat feet, he secured his first major job in a club in Shreveport, Louisiana, singing mostly pop ballads, such as "Stardust" and "Blue Hawaii". The owner of Bill Riley's Palace Park hired him, as Brown told an interviewer for Blues Unlimited, because of his appeal as "a Negro singer who sounds white." It was at the Palace Park that Brown started developing a blues repertoire, learning contemporary R&B tunes such as "Jelly Jelly" (recorded by Billy Eckstine). He returned to New Orleans in 1947, where he performed at the Dew Drop Inn.

Career

Brown was a fan of the blues singer Wynonie Harris. When Harris appeared in town, Brown tried but failed to interest him in listening to "Good Rocking Tonight". Brown then approached another blues singer, Cecil Gant, who was performing at another club in town. Brown introduced his song, and Gant had him sing it over the telephone to the president of De Luxe Records, Jules Braun, reportedly at 4:00 in the morning. Brown was signed to a recording contract immediately. He recorded the song in a jump blues style with a swing beat. It was released in 1948 and reached number 13 on the Billboard R&B chart. Harris recorded a cover version of the song, and his record rose to the top of the Billboard R&B chart later in 1948. Presley also covered the song for Sun Records in 1954; it was re-released by RCA Victor when his recording contract was sold to that label in 1956.

Brown continued to make his mark on the R&B charts, having 14 hits from mid-1948 to late 1951 with De Luxe, including "Hard Luck Blues" (1950, his biggest seller), "Love Don't Love Nobody", "Rockin' at Midnight", "Boogie at Midnight", "Miss Fanny Brown", and "Cadillac Baby", making him, along with Harris, one of the top R&B performers for those three years.

After his popularity peaked, Brown began to experience a lull in his career. Doo-wop and R&B groups were quickly gaining popularity as the standard sound of R&B in the early to mid-1950s. The decline of his fortunes coincided with his winning a lawsuit against King Records for unpaid royalties in 1952, one of the few African-American musicians to do so in the 1950s. This has led some, such as the writer Nick Tosches (in his book Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll, which contains a chapter on Brown) to believe that Brown may have been blacklisted. Brown's other misfortunes included trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. When confronted by the government for unpaid taxes he owed, he approached Elvis Presley for help. Presley wrote him a check on a brown paper bag, but it wasn't enough to keep Brown out of prison for tax evasion.

Brown had a brief comeback through Imperial Records in 1957. Working with Dave Bartholomew, he returned to the charts with the original version of "Let the Four Winds Blow", co-written with Fats Domino, who would later have a hit with it.

Brown returned to King Records, but his popularity had diminished by 1959. He found sporadic work, making appearances wherever he was wanted, and he made some recordings through the 1960s. To supplement his income, he sold the rights to "Good Rocking Tonight". "I was selling door to door," he once reminisced, referring to his stint as an encyclopedia salesman.

In 1970, Brown closed The Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival. As a result of the crowd's positive reaction, he recorded "Love for Sale", which became a hit for Mercury Records.

Later life and death

In the late 1970s, a compilation album of his old recordings brought about a minor revival of interest in his music. In 1978 he made a successful tour in Scandinavia following the releases of Laughing but Crying and Good Rocking Tonight. Shortly before his death he performed at the Whisky a Go-Go in West Hollywood, California, he and headlined the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1981.

Brown died of a heart attack, at Pacoima Lutheran Memorial Hospital, near his home in the San Fernando Valley, on May 25, 1981. The Reverend Johnny Otis conducted the funeral. He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the same year.

Legacy

Two of Brown's songs, "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1" and "Mighty Mighty Man" are featured in the 2008 video game, Fallout 3. "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1," "Butcher Pete, Pt. 2", "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Mighty Mighty Man" are featured in the 2015 sequel, Fallout 4.

Azon gondolkodtam, hogy amikor valaki úgy védi magát a fájdalomtól, hogy bizonyos részeit, az érzelmeit vagy egy fájdalmas gondolatkört egy traumát egyszerűen elhatárolja, eltávolítja magától és egészében elutasítja, az ugye azért problémás, mert nem azonos a gátlásossággal vagy az introvertáltsággal és a lehasítás az idő előrehaladtával egyre inkább visszafordíthatatlanná válik. Mert mindent mindig tanulunk, tapasztalunk, átformálunk, alkalmazunk, változtatunk, gyakorlatot, készséget szerzünk, építjük magunkat. Ez így van az érzelmekkel, az intimitással, szexszel, társas kapcsolatokkal, az egész személyiségünkkel. A mag kialakul, a többi változik. Amit lehasított magáról a mag szinten, ott nem nő semmi. Azokban a dolgokban amiket elutasítunk, azokban nem fogunk épülni. Minden ott marad befagyasztva. És ez nem olvad fel, nem egy mese, hogy jön a csupaszív lángolva szerelmes akárki és megolvasztja a kisfiú szívében a jégszilánkot. Az ilyen az egy kibaszott jéghegy. És a befagyott fájdalom vonalán az ember nem lesz érettebb. Nem tanulja meg kezelni a dolgokat, csak a jéghegyet tudja kezelni. Én ilyen vagyok! Mondja az illető, és tényleg olyan... van benne egy jéghegy. Erre figyelmeztetett egyszer a pszichológus, hogy a pszichológia nem mese, hogy kibányászod a másikat (vagy magadat) a burkaiból, az élethazugságaiból és ott a csodás, tökéletes partner egy idealizált valaki aki mindvégig ott lapult. (és persze te voltál a kitartó, aki végül elnyerte jutalmát), nem. Ha véletlenül is úgy esne, hogy sikerül kibányászni, akkor meg kéne várni amíg felépül a traumból ami miatt inkább eltávolított mindent magától.. És, ha véletlenül tényleg úgy alakulna, hogy kibányásztad, segítettél, kitartottál amíg felépül (ennek amúgy rettenetesen kicsi az esélye), És végig ott voltál amíg behozta a lemaradásait és megtanulta amit más egy élet alatt... nos... semmi, de a legcsekélyebb biztosíték sincs arra, hogy akkor majd, egészségesen téged választ. Miért tenné? Hálából? Na, de nem is ez a lényeg, hanem az, hogy veszélyes. Azok, akik úgy védik magukat, hogy az érzelmeiket lehasítják a személyiségükről és csupán panelekkel és közhelyekkel kommunikálnak, ők konkrétan bármi áron meg fogják védeni magukat a szembesüléstől. Bánthatnak. Nem csak szóban. Nem csak úgy, ami túlélhető. De ez csak egy eszmefuttatás, mert elgondolkodtam valamin, hogy az ajtóról le kéne szedni a festéket a hőlégfúvóval, és az olyan erős, hogy egy jéghegyet is megolvasztana... és hopp valahogy átkötődött... De hogy visszakössem a címhez. Valamennyire mindannyian vagy bárki képes rá, hogy bizonyos dolgokat bezárványozzon. Ezekkel a kényelmetlen baszokkal szoktunk pszichológushoz menni (meg más dolgokkal persze, de ezekkel is). Szóval ez tulajdonképpen normális, csak mintha lenne, aki annyira óvatos, hogy túl nagy darabot vág ki magából. Aztán megtanul a nélkül a része nélkül élni. És megtanulja azokat a panelekt, amikkel elfedi a hiányt. Én hülye meg hadonászok a hőlégfúvómmal. A másik ember meg sosem élt máshogy. Neki minden rendben van. Hiszen ezt akarta. Ezt építette. Valójában pont így akart élni.

Vannak, akik hisznek benne, hogy minden emberben van valami jó, mélyen elrejtve. De nem mindenkiben van. Az emberiség egy jelentős része él úgy, hogy nincs benne elrejtve a "jó". Őket nem lehet jobb emberré szeretni. És ott vannak ők, akikben benne van, de nem férnek hozá. Őket sem lehet jobb emberré szeretni. Ha el is éred benne a jót, nem érti, hogy minek örülsz, mert ő maga, belülről nem éri el. Akik megpróbálnak másokat szeretni a nehézségek ellenére, azok néha jobb emberré válnak, de néha csak harcedzettebbé vagy tapasztaltabbá. "A szeretet mindent legyőz" misztériuma sok ember rabsága. Talán, akik hisznek benne, azt gondolják, hogy van valaki, aki őket jobb emberré tudná szeretni. Néha nem miatta, hanem mellette vagy ellene lesz az ember jobb, mint volt. Tényleg, mint a kövek a tengerben. Egymáshoz csapkod minket a hullámzás aztán csiszolódunk egymáshoz szorulva. Mindegy, hogy szereteből vagy gyűlöletből, csak a pszichofizika kikerülhetetlen törvényei miatt. Mit köszönhetek? Jobb író lettem Többet mosok kezet A merevségeim minőséggé váltak Megszelidítettem a fájdalmat Kaptam egy biztos pontot amiből kiindulva megváltoztattam a fél életem Azért, kellettem hozzá én is. "Ő" sosem gondolná, hogy benne bármi miattam változott. Ez nem változik soha. :)

tegnap a pszichológus, hogy A. maga annyira jószívű mindenkivel. Igazán jószívű. És mindenkinek ad. Most már meg kéne tanulnia elfogadni. Hagyja, hogy segítsenek magának! Én nem érzem ezt a jószívűséget. Egyszerűen csak van az élet, és az ember hagyja a többieket is boldogulni, és támogatja őket abban amit csinálnak.  Ha senki sem engedi a szorgalmi utat a saját életén keresztül, akkor senki nem jut el sehova. Ez nem jószívűség, csak a felsimerése annak, hogy nem várhatunk egymásra, hogy majd akkor, ha ő, majd akkor én is. Csinálni kell ezeket, hogy felszabadulhassanak azok az emberek, akikben az van, hogy majd ha ő is, akkor én is.  Hát, itt van nektek. Szabad az út! Még ízlelgetem ezt, hogy: A. maga igazán jószívű! Pedig inkább azt kéne ízlelgetni, hogy: Hagyja, hogy segítsenek magának!

Georgia Blanche Douglas Camp Johnson, better known as Georgia Douglas Johnson (September 10, 1880 – May 14, 1966), was an African American poet, one of the earliest African-American female playwrights, and an important participant in the Harlem Renaissance.

Early life

Johnson was born in Atlanta to Laura Douglas and George Camp (her mother's last name is listed in other sources as Jackson). Her mother was of African and Native American descent, and her father was of African-American and English heritage.

Much of Johnson's childhood was spent in Rome, Georgia. She received her education in both Rome and Atlanta, where she excelled in reading, recitations and physical education. She also taught herself to play the violin, which developed into a lifelong love of music that appears in her plays, which make distinct use of sacred music.

Johnson graduated from Atlanta University's Normal School 1896. She taught school in Marietta, Georgia. She left her teaching career to pursue her interest in music in 1902, attending Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. She wrote music from 1898 until 1959. After studying in Oberlin Johnson returned to Atlanta, where she became assistant principal in a public school.

Marriage and family

On September 28, 1903, Johnson married Henry Lincoln Johnson, an Atlanta lawyer and prominent Republican party member. They had two sons, Henry Lincoln Johnson, Jr., and Peter Douglas Johnson (d. 1957). Johnson claimed her husband was not very supportive of her writing, preferring her be to a home-maker instead. Her husband's job as a lawyer forced them to live in Washington, D.C., away from the literary center in Harlem. He died in 1925 when she was aged 45 and she was left to take care of their sons, who were teenagers at the time. Even though her husband often criticized her career as a writer, she published two poems dedicated to him: "The Heart of a Woman" (1918) and "Bronze" (1922). Johnson lived in Washington for the last 50 years of her life. After her husband died, she struggled at first with some temporary jobs. As a gesture of appreciation for her husband's loyalty and service to the Republican party, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Johnson as the Commissioner of Conciliation in the Department of Labor.

Career

Johnson's husband accepted an appointment as the Recorder of Deeds from United States President William Howard Taft, and the family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1910. It was during this period that Johnson began to write poems and stories. She credited a poem written by William Stanley Braithwaite about a rose tended by a child, as her inspiration for her poems. Johnson also wrote songs, plays, short stories, taught music, and performed as an organist at her Congregational church.

Poetry

She began to submit poems to newspapers and small magazines. Her first poem was published in 1905 in the literary journal The Voice of the Negro, though her first collection of poems was not published until 1916. She published four volumes of poetry, beginning in 1916 with The Heart of a Woman. Her poems are often described as feminine and "ladylike" or "raceless" and use titles such a "Faith", "Youth", and "Joy". Her poems appeared in multiple issues of The Crisis, a journal published by the NAACP and founded by W. E. B. Du Bois. "Calling Dreams" was published with the January 1920 edition, "Treasure" in July 1922, and "To Your Eyes" in November 1924.

Plays

Johnson was a well-known figure in the national black theatre movement and was an important “cultural sponsor” in the early twentieth century, assembling and inspiring the intellectuals and artists who generated the next group of black theatre and rising education (16). Johnson wrote about 28 plays. Plumes was published under the pen name John Temple. Many of her plays were never published because of her gender and race. Gloria Hull is credited with the rediscovery of many of Johnson's plays. The 28 plays that she wrote were divided into four sections: "Primitive Life Plays", "Plays of Average Negro Life", "Lynching Plays" and "Radio Plays". Several of her plays are lost. The first section, “Primitive Life Plays,” features Blue Blood and Plumes, which were published and produced during Johnson’s lifetime.

In 1926, Johnson's play "Blue Blood" won honorable mention in the Opportunity drama contest. Her play "Plumes" also won in the same competition in 1927. Johnson was one of the only women whose work was published in Alain Locke's anthology Plays of Negro Life: A Source-Book of Native American Drama. Johnson's typescripts for ten of her plays are in collections in academic institutions. Blue-Eyed Black Boy is a 1930 lynching genre play written to convince Congress to pass anti-lynching laws. This lesser known play premiered in Xoregos Performing Company's program: "Songs of the Harlem River" in New York City's Dream Up Festival, from August 30 to September 6, 2015. "Songs of the Harlem River" also opened the Langston Hughes Festival in Queens, New York on February 13, 2016.

Anti-lynching activism

Although Johnson spoke out against race inequity as a whole, she is more known as a key advocate in the anti-lynching movement as well as a pioneering member of the lynching drama tradition. Her activism is primarily expressed through her plays, first appearing in the play Sunday Morning in the South. This outspoken, dramatic writing about racial violence is sometimes credited with her obscurity as a playwright since such topics were not considered appropriate for a woman at that time. Unlike many African-American playwrights, Johnson refused to give her plays a happy ending since she did not feel it was a realistic outcome. As a result, Johnson had difficulty getting plays published. Though she was involved in the NAACP's anti-lynching campaigns of 1936 and 1938, the NAACP refused to produce many of her plays claiming they gave a feeling of hopelessness. Johnson was also a member of the Writers League Against Lynching, which included Countée Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, Jessie Fauset, and Alain Locke. The organization sought a federal anti-lynching bill.

Salons

Soon after her husband's death, Johnson began to host what became 40 years of weekly "Saturday Salons", for friends and authors, including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Anne Spencer, Richard Bruce Nugent, Alain Locke, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Angelina Weld Grimké and Eulalie Spence — all major contributors to the New Negro Movement, which is better known today as the Harlem Renaissance.

She was especially close to the European-American writer Angelina Grimké. Johnson called her home the "Half Way House" for friends traveling, and a place where they "could freely discuss politics and personal opinions" and where those with no money and no place to stay would be welcome.

She died in Washington, D.C., in 1966.

In September 2009, it was announced that Johnson would be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.

Major works

Poems

The Heart of a Woman (1916)

Bronze (1922)

An Autumn Love Cycle (1928)

Share My World (1962)

Plays

Blue Blood (1926)

Plumes (1927)

Frederick Douglass (1930s)

Paupaulekejo (1926)

Starting Point (play) (1930s)

A Sunday Morning in the South (1925)

And Yet They Paused (1938)

A Bill to Be Passed (1938)