Profile: Dizzy Gillespie

A jazz trumpeter and composer, Dizzy Gillespie played with Charlie Parker and developed the music known as “bebop.” His best-known compositions include “Oop Bob Sh’ Bam,” “Groovin’ High,” “Salt Peanuts” and “A Night in Tunisia.” Synopsis Born on October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, Dizzy Gillespie, known for his “swollen” cheeks and signature (uniquely angled) trumpet’s bell, got his start in the mid-1930s by … Continue reading Profile: Dizzy Gillespie

Profile: Maya Angelou

  Maya Angelou was a poet and award-winning author known for her acclaimed memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and her numerous poetry and essay collections. Who Was Maya Angelou?   Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou (April 4, 1928 to May 28, 2014), known as Maya Angelou, was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist best known for her 1969 … Continue reading Profile: Maya Angelou

Profile: Palmer Hayden

Palmer Hayden was an African American painter whose work became known during the Harlem Renaissance. Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman in Wide Water, Virginia, he was a prolific artist of his era. He depicted African American life, painting in both oils and watercolors. As a young man, Hayden studied at the Cooper Union in New York City and also practiced independent studies at Boothbay Art Colony … Continue reading Profile: Palmer Hayden