John Hersey High School ARC

Last month we highlighted Elvis Presley. He may have been the “King of Rock and Roll,” but in no way did he invent the music. In fact, he merely copied the music that had been invented and played in the Black community for years.   Not to diminish the importance of Elvis, though. He would eventually develop his own style. But more importantly, he introduced Rock and Roll to a whole new audience. Billboard , January 1, 1949 Public Domain Like Blues and Jazz before it, Rock and Roll music was developed by Black musicians in Black communities. But it was not known as Rock and Roll, however. It was, at the time, called “rhythm and blues,” or “R & B.” Which, according to Little Richard , stood for “real Black.” To White America, however, it was called “Race Music.” Major record labels refused to record it. White-owned establishments did not put the music in their juke boxes. White performers did not record the music, either. At least, not yet. This was a pattern that had played o...

Something special happened making the new episode of Bookmarked.  As always, we change the background in every episode. Since Olivia and Viktoria mention St. Patrick's Day, we recorded 2 minutes of a live stream outside of Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland.  And we noticed a happy couple. The footage was captured at 9am Central time, which would have been 3 pm in Dublin, After having their picture taken outside of Temple Bar, the moved to the sidewalk to share their happy news with family and friends. Their happiness is palpable. Watch the entire episode below, and see the footage as an extra at the end of the episode. It has all the feels. In the episode, Olivia and Viktoria talk about Natasha Preston, with playful banter about their differing opinions. This may be the best episode of Bookmarked yet. So, if you know anyone who got engaged in Ireland on March 13, tell them that they've been Bookmarked!

My first exposure to Jerry "The Iceman" Butler came from a K-Tel commercial for an album called Superbad   in 1973 that I saw when I was a kid. I didn't know much about him at the time.  It wasn't until I was much older that I became a fan. Although Jerry Butler was born in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1941, and grew up in the  Cabrini Green housing projects. It was in church where he met Curtis Mayfield. Together, in 1958, they joined with three other singers to form "Jerry Butler and the Impressions." After leaving the group a couple of years later, Jerry Butler went solo and received the moniker "The Iceman" from a Philadelphia DJ, to highlight his cool, baritone voice. The name stuck. Betty Everett, too, was born in Mississippi. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago in 1957 to pursue a music career. In 1964, she produced a hit single. You probably know it, because it has been covered by many people including Linda Ronsta...