It’s Black History Month and I dare to say that few places in America hold the amount of black history that the Apollo Theater in Harlem does. The names of those who started there reads like a Who’s Who of American music.
Billie Holiday
Like Vandross, Holiday left us much too soon (she died at age 44). But, before she died, she left us with a catalog of incredible recordings and still serves as an inspiration for jazz and pop singers today.
Robinson first performed at the Apollo in the ‘60s as part of the Motown Review. As the lead singer of The Miracles and a solo artist, he had 37 Top 40 hits from 1960 until 1987. In 1999, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “The Godfather of Soul,” “The King of Soul,” “Soul Brother Number One” – all these titles describe James Brown. His career spanned more than four decades and many hits that are still popular today.
Diana Ross & The Supremes
The Supremes, headed by Diana Ross, were the most popular girl band of the ‘60s. They have sold over 100 million records and have had 12 number one singles hit the Billboard Hot 100. Although they never won a Grammy, three of their songs are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Two of their songs “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” are in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Marvin Gaye
Another singer that began with Motown, Marvin Gaye saw more success as a solo artist. His hits of the ‘70s made him popular, but he exiled himself to Europe during the early ‘80s. His last hit “Sexual Healing” was recorded before he was shot to death by his father in 1984. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Rolling Stone named him the 6th greatest singer of all tie and he is ranked at #18 on the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Aretha Franklin
What music icon like the Apollo would be complete without having hosted the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin? Rolling Stone listed her as the #1 greatest singer of all time. She has 18 Grammys (not counting the two honorary Grammys). She has had 20 No.1 hits and 45 Top 40 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100. She’s had 14 million selling singles (the most for any female singer) and has had 10 #1 R&B albums – also more than any other female singer. She became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987).