“You make your mistakes to learn how to get to the good stuff.” ~Quincy Jones Luciano Pavarotti, Jack Nicholson, and Quincy Jones Listen as President George W. Bush Delivers Remarks in the East Room of the White House to Celebrate the 2001 Kennedy Center Honorees (NAID 452026727) On November 3, 2024, legendary music producer and … Continue reading Tribute to Quincy Jones
Today's post was written by Kaitlin Rogers, archives technician at the National Archives in College Park. “I know those challenges that come up from time to time in life are our little learning tools, our little stepping stones. If we didn't have those things in our life, how would we learn anything? We would just … Continue reading Happy Birthday Gladys Knight!
Cover photo: A Great Day in Hip Hop, Harlem, New York, by Gordon Parks, 1998 This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop. Rap, a genre of popular music rooted in funk, disco, and soul that encompasses the cultures of Black and Brown people is one part of Hip Hop … Continue reading “To the Hip Hop and You don’t Stop”: A Tribute for the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop
First Lieutenant James R. Europe and the 369th Infantry Regiment Band playing for patients in the American Red Cross Hospital No. 9, Paris, France, September 4, 1918. (NAID: 55200536 Local Identifier: 111-SC-20417) The musical career of American jazz bandleader, composer, and arranger James Reese Europe (1881-1919) was as influential and unique as it was tragically … Continue reading James Reese Europe: America’s Jazz Ambassador
Joy is defined as an emotion of great delight or happiness that is often caused by a positive or an extraordinary experience. Joy can be good for one’s health and wellness. Scientists and psychologists have studied the effects of joy on people, and determined that joy can prevent stress, improve heart health, reduce pain, and … Continue reading Experiencing Black Joy through Federal Records
“You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off.” ~Aretha Franklin On August 16, 2018, legendary singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin passed away at the age … Continue reading R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Tribute to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin
