On November 3rd, in 1973, emcee, writer, actor, director, film editor and original member of the Hip Hop group Onyx-Sticky Fingaz AKA Tropical AKA Trop (Kirk Jones) was born in Brooklyn, NYC (Flatbush). He was an original Lo-Life member as well, this is where his name Sticky Fingaz came from. His crew would call him that because he was good at boosting (retail theft). The ‘Lo’ in Lo-Life is short for Polo, which is the brand the crew would boost. He also wanted to be a Dee Jay at first, around his early teens he got some tables and started doing his thing. By the time his family moved to Jersey, and he was attending school in Manhattan, he started battling fellow classmates that wanted to emcee.
His cousin-Fredo Starr had a barbershop called the Nu Tribe and he used to hang out there a lot. He eventually moved from Jersey to Queens, living with Fredo (1990). Sticky was good at art and cutting heads, but he put more energy into his music and side-hustles. He was rhyming solo at first, but then he and Fredo did a few cuts together on Profile (Ahh, and We Do it Like This). Later that year they’d add on Big DS & Suave, meet Jam Master Jay, and form the Hip Hop collective Onyx. By 1993 they’d released their debut on JMJ Records-Bacdafucup. He went on to do solo work, act, direct and edit films. Sticky has an original voice and style that's very energetic and recognizable from other emcees. When you hear him, you know it’s him. He’s 45 today.
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On November 3rd, in 1973, Death Metal guitarist and personality, sampler workstation user, the 7 Mask wearer and member of Slipknot-Mick Thomson AKA Mr. Seven AKA #7 AKA Number Seven AKA Log was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He was not an original member of the band and got his start with Slipknot when he replaced their guitarist Craig Jones in 1996. He’s been in the band ever since. He met them when they were called Body Pit, a Death Metal band from the early 90s. After Jones left, Thomson became the primary sampler for the group.
He used a lot of sound-bytes and beat loops in their music. Thomson has always liked Heavy Metal, but he also credits the Beatles as being one of his major influences. The 1999 Revolver LP was very difficult for Thomson to make due to limited equipment, inner strife between the band, and lack of money. To set himself apart from the mass of Metal guitar players, Thomson wore a hockey mask like Jason. He later switched it to the Hannibal Lecter style mask. It’s now his staple look. He says the mask is very symbolic of his personality overall. Someone that’s intelligent and dangerous when not contained. He’s 45 today.
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On November 3rd, in 1972, two beautiful voices were joined together in holy matrimony: singer, guitarist and songwriter-James (Vernon) Taylor (Boston born Chapel Hill raised) wed Carly (Elisabeth) Simon (singer, actress, songwriter, children’s author, musician, Bronx, NY native). This was a big year for Taylor who had just released his One Man Dog LP on the first of the month. It featured singing and writing credits by Simon. Two days later, a judge was hitching them up in Simon’s Manhattan apartment. The night of their wedding, Taylor was scheduled to perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
He took Carly with him on stage, and they announced their union to the crowd of cheering spectators. The couple stayed married for 11 years. In that span, they created tons of music. Taylor released 6 solo LPs and Simon 7. They also had two children-a daughter Sally Taylor & son Ben Taylor. Both of their children have successful music careers like their parents. Taylor and Simon were definitely a match at the time. They both were more Folk Rock or Soft Rock oriented, making romance oriented and hard times music. Both of them have won several awards for their music, and Simon has won some for her acting and writing. It’d been their 46th anniversary today if they could’ve made it work.
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On November 3rd, in 1991, a 'good and free' concert was going on at the Golden Gate State Park in San Francisco, California. The show was assembled to honor the the life of the seminal music promoter-Bill Graham (Wulf Wolodia Grajonca). I’d mentioned his death a few days ago in the October 25th TOV post. He was killed in a helicopter crash. He’s largely responsible for cultivating the Haight & Ashbury music scene, as well as introducing Rock stars to the rest of the world. His record label-Fillmore Records, put out San Francisco bands like Cold Blood & Tower of Power.
He learned early on that money could be made off of promoting shows, and stuck with that business until his accidental death in 1991. Some of the acts that performed at the concert were: Crosby Stills & Nash, Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead & Journey. Acts that Graham promoted included: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Tower of Power, Jefferson Airplane, Chuck Berry, The Fugs, Country Joe & the Fish, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Rod Stewart, Elvin Bishop, Bob Dylan, Santana, The Doobie Brothers and Graham Central Station (too many to name them all). He was a promoter that gave back, by holding numerous free concerts. Its only fitting that they honored him the same way.
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On November 3rd, in 1915, a person responsible for breaking almost all of the ‘Color’ barriers in radio broadcasting-Hal Jackson (Harold Baron Jackson-DJ radio personality) was born in the Low Country of Charleston, South Carolina. He migrated north to Washington, D.C. and graduated from the HBCU-Howard University. He began his professional career as a sports announcer for the Bisons and Negro League Games. He became the first Black host at Washington, D.C. station WINX. He also worked at WOOK-TV, hosting a Blues & Jazz program called The Talk Show. He influenced local 60s Dee Jay Petey Greene.
He left D.C. in the early 50s, and by 1954, he’d broken another barrier-becoming the first Black DJ to host three different daily shows on three different stations. His work ethic was high caliber to say the least. He decided to partner with Percy Sutton (Malcolm X’s lawyer) in 1971. They created the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC) and then purchased WLIB-FM in 1972. They changed the letters to WBLS (The Total BLACK Experience in Sound) and became the first Black owned radio station in New York City. They own several other stations under the WBLS ICBC moniker in major cities across the US: Philly, San Fran, Columbia, Jackson, Pittsburgh and Fort Lauderdale. Jackson also became the first Black inducted into the National Association of Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in 1995. He passed away in 2012 at age 96.
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Honorable Mention: On November 3rd, in 1905, Howard University graduate, painter, illustrator and Harlem Renaissance graphic artist-Lois Mailou Jones was born in Boston, Massachusetts. The award winning painter and illustrator, received more love for her art overseas than at home. She was an innovator, being the only Black woman painter during the 1930s and 40s. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and attended Harvard. She passed in 1998. She was 92.
On November 3rd, in 1979, an act of domestic terrorism occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina-The Greensboro Massacre...The Communist Workers’ Party (CWP) held an Anit-Klan rally with other protesters in the streets of Greensboro. It was dubbed the ‘Death to the Klan’ march where outspoken CWP members called for the beating and chasing out of town the Klan. A shouting match ensued between KKK on-lookers, American Nazi Party (ANP), and CWP. 11 people were wounded and 5 were killed when the KKK and ANP members opened fire on the crowd of protesters. They even wounded some of their own. Shameful.
On November 3rd, in 1987, the guy who took a knee-Colin Kaepernick was born in beer & cheese country-Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a graduate of John H. Pitman High in Turlock, California. He attended college and played quarterback for Nevada. He was a 2nd round 36th pick in NFL 2011 draft, going to the 49ers. He no longer plays because of the kneeling incident. It has caused a lot of noise and overt resentment from the opposition…can you say Ali in his prime…Vietnam…ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me N…S.O. He’s 31 today.
On November 3rd, in 1997, the Heavy Metal band Metallica got away from a gold-digging fan. They came out of a court agreement on top where a fan had alleged he lost his sense of smell after attending one of their concerts…While at the show, he crowd surfed…at some point, the crowd dropped him on his head…he couldn’t smell anymore shortly after. The crowd surfing mishap had taken place four years prior in 1993 at a live show. Glad they didn’t have to pay anything. Dude should be ashamed of himself.
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