With her stage name of only Wiyaala, she is an Afro-pop singer from Ghana. She sings in her native language of Sissala, English, and various other Ghanaian languages, often combining them in one song. After a breakout year in 2013 with many music awards, Wiyaala became an ambassador for UNICEF. In that capacity she has… Read more »
Category: Rock & Pop
Common and John Legend, “Glory”
The rapper Common was initially approached to write a song for the movie “Selma” about that pivotal campaign during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The movie depicts the marches from Selma to Montgomery calling for voting rights, a protest which led to President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Common invited John… Read more »
Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers is a band that began in in the U.S. South with fun, rocking music with crude and humorous titles and lyrics. By the mid-2000s, however, their focus began to get into some deep issues, including unpacking this history of racism in the South. As a white band they have been taking on the… Read more »
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Michael Jackson was one of the most-widely known singers in the world. He began in a singing group as a child with his brothers, The Jackson 5. As he reach adulthood he launched a solo career that exploded into a global phenomenon. His dancing, including his famous “Moonwalk,” was groundbreaking and electrifying. Though he was… Read more »
Edwin Starr (1942-2003)
Edwin Starr was one of the singers to come out of Detroit’s Motown Records. Born in Tennessee and raised in Ohio, he moved to Detroit to become part of the dynamic music scene. He had many Soul and R&B hits, but his big #1 hit was “War.” Those powerful lines immediately jump to mind and… Read more »