#jaaamaccordingly

This is Denmark Vesey (c. 1767 - 7/2/1822). Denmark’s exact birth date & place are not known, but it is possible that he was born into slavery in St. Thomas, was enslaved in Bermuda, then brought to Charleston, South Carolina where he purchased his freedom after winning a lottery. He was around 32 at the time, he was a successful carpenter, but couldn’t buy freedom for his family. Vesey was one of the founders & taught at the new African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in 1817, the Hampstead Church, one of the first Black congregations in America. He never stopped socializing with enslaved people (Charleston was majority Black) and Vesey eventually made plans for a revolt. After the successful Haitian Revolution (1791-1804, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, a former slave), Whites, refugee slaveholders, & free people of color fled to port cities including Charleston. Some brought enslaved Africans with them, also bringing stories of the revolution with them. Also, Vesey likely knew, as he was literate, about the 1820 Missouri Compromise and South Carolina’s 1820 law that made purchasing freedom more difficult. It is said that thousands of enslaved Africans & free Blacks were ready for the revolt, which included killing all White slaveholders, liberating slaves, & sailing to Haiti to live in a free Black nation. With the help of many co-conspirators including Gullah Jack, an enslaved African Methodist & conjurer, Vesey organized the revolt (Gullah Jack was key in recruiting African-born slaves, as he was African-born, & provided amulets for protection). A couple of slaves told the plot to their masters. Vesey was captured Vesey on June 22, 1822. Whites searched for those involved with the revolt for weeks. They were “tried” and Vesey and 5 others were executed first. Gullah Jack was executed days later. The church was burned down, although the congregation kept meeting in secret until 1865, the end of the Civil War. The first new church was built, with the help of Denmark’s son, Robert Vesey; this church is the Emanuel AME Church. Salute Denmark Vesey, a leader & organizer. #denmarkvesey #blackhistorymonth #mrkblackhistory #jaaamaccordingly (at Hampton Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuLvkssHykq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mfv9h8wgdry8

This is the Apollo Theater, built in 1913-1914. It opened as Hurtig and Seamon’s New (Burlesque) Theater, and was for Whites only, like many American theaters of the time. In 1933 it closed and Sidney Cohen reopened it as the 125th Street Apollo Theater, a Black-oriented theater managed by Morris Sussman. In 1935, Frank Schiffman (who managed another Black theater in Harlem, the Lafayette) became Sussman’s partner. Schiffman and Leo Brecher took over in 1935 and their families operated the Apollo into the late 1970s until it closed in 1976. The Apollo was also a Chitlin Circuit stop, the touring route for Black musicians at the time. The Apollo opened in 1978 under new management. In 1981, prominent Black lawyer, Civil Rights activist, politician, and businessman Percy Sutton (11/24/1920 - 12/26/2009) was the chairman of Inner City, and bought the Apollo for $225,000 at a bankruptcy sale. He presided over a $20 million renovation, including television studios (for Showtime at the Apollo, a syndicated tv show; peace to Kiki Shepard). Sutton was an intelligence officer for the Tuskegee Airmen in World War 2. He was also Malcolm X’s attorney; he found a cemetery for Malcolm X to be buried in after cemeteries refused his body after Malcolm X’s assassination in 1965. In 1983, the Apollo became a New York City Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Apollo is best known for its use a concert hall & Amateur Night. Howard “Sandman” Sims & CP Lacey have done the work of removing bad acts from the stage. A list of people to play at the Apollo is a whole account of posts. Some musicians that got their big break at the Apollo: Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie, Luther, Aretha, Isley Brothers. Jimi Hendrix won an amateur night in 1964. Since 1991, the State of New York has owned the Apollo and a non-profit, Apollo Theater Foundation, handles daily operations. Salute the Apollo Theater, a legendary place & truly unique. #apollotheater #blackhistorymonth #mrkblackhistory #jaaamaccordingly (at Apollo Theater) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuOjY8iHPxO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1nu0qhtsmu8o6

This is Parliament-Funkadelic. The whole thing started with George Clinton (@yolikegeorge) and some of his friends out of a barbershop in Plainfield, New Jersey. The original band was: George Clinton, Fuzzy Haskins, Ray Davis, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas as the “Parliaments”, a doo wop group formed in the 1950s. Their touring band was Billy Nelson on bass, Eddie Hazel on lead guitar, Tawl Ross on rhythm guitar, Tiki Fulwood on drums, and Mickey Atkins on organ. There were contract disputes about the band name so the band became known as Funkadelic & got into a mix of rock, blues, r&b, soul, with doo-wop influenced vocals, all grounded by the funk. They also moved to Detroit (Clinton did some writing at Motown for a time before the move). The first Funkadelic album came out in 1970 and so did the first Parliament album (the next Parliament album didn’t come out til 1974). My parents introduced me to PFUNK, mostly my Pops. PFUNK is my favorite music collective. For years, it was basically the same people in two bands with very different sounds. Then the same collective also spawned many spinoff groups and albums as well; for a time, The Funk Mob was probably making more music than any group of musicians in the world. I’d never heard Black musicians, besides Jimi Hendrix, going off like Funkadelic. I love drums & bass and I played trumpet in middle school so Parliament drew my ear with the horns on top of the funk. I first saw a Bootsy album as a kid and then heard it, and I was immediately drawn in. This group of musicians and songwriters crafted a full storyline with characters in different settings that took place over many albums, characters that have lasted now for decades. Parliament-Funkadelic represents the reality that Blackness is whatever I decide it is, for me. There are hundreds of people involved over the years, many of them are on my favorite musician list, and they have crafted an entire richly creative ecosystem with music. Salute Parliament-Funkadelic, innovators and legends. #parliamentfunkadelic #pfunk #blackhistorymonth #mrkblackhistory #jaaamaccordingly (at George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuYpMqmHP5Q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rnrhmbcej9e3

This is Peggy Jones aka Lady Bo (7/19/1940 - 9/16/2015). Peggy Jones was born and raised in Harlem. She studied tap and ballet dancing, along with opera, while she was a student at the High School of Performing Arts in NYC (the same high school from Fame). She already played guitar before she met Bo Diddley, but only for about two years, and during a stop at the Apollo Theater, he was surprised to see a woman walking with a guitar so he decided to talk with her. Jones recounts that Diddley had never seen a Supro guitar and laughed at it because he was fronting on her skills. She checked him, which made him stop; they played something together and that’s how she got the gig. Jones played guitar and sang with Bo Diddley from 1957-1961. Diddley taught her his tunings and styles and Jones became a key component of Diddley’s sound. She could play lead or rhythm, and would switch back and forth during songs, sometimes trading parts with Bo Diddley. You can hear her on “Hey! Bo Diddley”, “Road Runner”, and “Aztec” which she wrote and played all the guitar parts. She left Diddley’s band to work on her own band, The Jewels. Jones is probably the first woman guitarist in a highly popular band. Black musicians playing blues then rhythm-and-blues are the originators of what is called rock-and-roll or rock music. Jones was right there in the first major wave of Black musicians as they crafted a style that is still heard in music. Long live Peggy Jones, a pioneer. #peggyjones #ladybo #bodiddley #blackhistorymonth #mrkblackhistory #jaaamaccordingly (at Harlem) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtYUQqBHhEu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1c4d9kawtjyzu

Newnewnewnew music. Maxi-single, taking it back. “I’ma Be Good Regardless” is a 3-song single, a mediation, an affirmation, and a reality. I could elaborate, but when you hear it you’ll get it. Available on @bandcamp for now, other streaming platforms later. The latest release in my quest to drop something every month of 2020. Peace y’all. Love y’all. #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly #imabegoodregardless (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFwleWugGgB/?igshid=1oddc8xwncd3a

💜👑 The Purple Crown Saturday Night is back again. . 9PM-10PM EDT catch The Purple Crown Show on @wqrtfm WQRT.org . 10PM EDT catch The Purple Crown Mixshow on Twitch. . Funkin’ your Saturday up one mo’ time. We have a good time y’all, shout out to my regulars. Come through and kick it for a bit tonight. #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly #thepurplecrownshow #djing #seratodj #twitch #explorepage #basementparty (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFnMlsIAZzN/?igshid=nfmcl4uwl2ee

More flowers, a suite. 🌸🌺🌹 . Daisies. Zinnia. Dahlia. Zinnia. Hibiscus. Rose. Hibiscus. Taken September 16, 2020 here at home. It’s been a good season. Lots of colors and varieties this year at the Unofficial, Unorganized, Unnamed Flower Festival. Play Stevie Wonder “Power Flower” on repeat. #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly #mrkgarden #flowers #explore #stillreading #unofficialunorganizedunnamedflowerfestival (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFit_fEACSV/?igshid=xl8jedrls8nk

💜👑 “It’s Saturday, ooh ooooooooooh!” (c) Luda! If you know you know. The Purple Crown Saturday is back again, starting at 9PM EDT with The Purple Crown Show on @wqrtfm WQRT.org. The Purple Crown Mixshow starts around 10PM EDT on Twitch. We gets busy baybeeee! Come through and kick it. Links in bio. Love y’all. #purplecrownsaturday #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly #wqrt #twitch #djing #livestreamdj (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFCtLGfAmpL/?igshid=1ok4ebb0wfqu8