By Phin Upham Henley was born in Gilmer Texas in 1947, and raised in Linden near the Arkansas Louisiana border. He had piano lessons as a child and his father had a love for music, keeping records in the house and playing an eclectic set of tunes. Henley fondly recalls the music of post war…
By Phin Upham Casey Kasem was born in 1932. He is originally of Lebanese descent, born Kemal Amin Kasem. He had aspirations as a child of becoming a professional baseball player, but turned to radio hosting after he joined his high school radio broadcasting club. Kasem was drafted into the army at the age of…
By Phin Upham The 70s were a strange time for race relations. African Americans were looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the rest of the American community, finding new roots in order to deal with a troubled past. It was this attitude that led to the formation of black-owned entrepreneurial organizations that were focused…
By Phin Upham James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, was born in a shack in Barnwell, South Carolina. His parents split when he was very young, so he spent his childhood living with his aunt Honey, who was the madam of a brothel. Brown grew up during the Great Depression, so he was often working…