Jollie Hollie Short Biography

     Sister Souljah was born in Bronx New York, raised in the projects. She is a graduate of Rutgers University where she earned a degree in

Born on May 9, 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma Joy Harjo comes from two well known ancestries; Native American and Canadian (Joy). In her early years she was more involved with her painter family then her native

She was born in 1937 in Jacksonville, Florida, to Billy Daniels a jazz musician. Growing up she was always surrounded by music. She has said that her dad influenced her taste in music from an early age. He would play soothing blues and jazz tunes during her early life. When she was 17, Daniels decided to get her first radio job at a rhythm and blues station in Jacksonville. While at night she would sing at locals nightclubs. Daniels was popular for her

Lena Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Teddy and Edna Scottron Horne. After her father left her at the age of two in order to pursue his gambling career; her mother leaving soon after that to pursue her acting career; she went to live with her grandparents. Through her grandparents influence she became involved with organizations like the NAACP, at an early age.

Carrie Underwood is considered to be one of the most well known and popular female artists in the country music industry.  She was born in Muskogee, OK on March 10, 1983.  Not only is she a singer, she is also a famous singer -songwriter and actress.  Growing up and being raised on a farm she loved doing things outside, going on adventures and singing.  Immediately after graduating high school, she attended NSU (Northeastern State University) which is located in Tahlequah, OK.  In college, she put her dreams on hold of becoming a singer and majored in broadcast journalism.

Lizzie was born and grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was the youngest daughter of Andrew Jackson Borden, who was a very successful Banker

up in a family where her family was constantly working hard on a farm to get by. As time went

Whitney Houston grew up in humble beginnings, with fame on her side, helping her to become the modern-day tragic hero that the public knows. According to Biography, “Born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New

Marjorie Joyner was born on October 24, in 1896 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Her parents Emmanuel Stewart a schoolteacher, and Annie Daugherty Stewart were descended from slaves. When she was teenager she moved to Chicago, and she grew up in poverty. Her parents divorced soon afterward. When she moved with her mother, it was further derailed by cleaning and waitressing jobs. Joyner attended Englewood High School on the South Side.

She was raised in Checotah, by her mother Carole, and her father, Stephen (Knapp). Growing up in the country, she enjoyed things like playing on dirt roads, climbing trees, and of course singing (Fabian). Carrie was an excellent student, she attended Checotah Public Schools and graduated high school in 2001, as the Salutatorian. Carrie later attended Northeastern State University, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to major in mass communication. In 2006, she graduated with a Bachelors degree (Knapp).

Josephine Baker was born in St. Louis in 1906 to an impoverished family. Suffering abuse by employer and experiencing the East St. Louis Race Riots of 1917, she vowed to find a way out of her bleak existence. At 14 she joined a traveling dance act and eventually found her way to New York where she gained popularity on Broadway. Despite her growing fame she experienced racial discrimination and when offered the opportunity to perform in Europe, she jumped at the chance to escape the prejudice she experienced in the US.

The early life of Rosa Parks was calm. Her parents were farmers and she went to elementary school in Pine Level, Alabama. She also worked on her family’s farm, along with her parents, and all of these facts are explained in Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist by Mary Hull. As  Rosa Parks was growing up, she shaped herself as a hard worker.

The story of Minnie Riperton is truly inspirational. Minnie was a successful, expressive song writer and singer. She influenced so many people over her career. She was born and raised in Chicago, IL and the youngest of eight siblings. She became involved in the school choir and musicals and knew she was destined for stardom.

Holliday was born on August 14th in 1857 in Griffin, Georgia. He had no living siblings, a year before he was born, his sister died as an infant. He was loved by his parents, Henry Holliday and Alice Holliday. Doc was born with a cleft palate and had a surgery to fix the problem but he still had speech issues. Alice was worried about what others would think of her son so she spent a lot of her time helping him with his speech impediment. During this time, she also taught him good etiquette and polite manners.

She was born in the Bronx but spent the first five years living in Georgia. She then moved to housing projects in Yonkers. Her life was very rough there being exposed to abuse, and alcohol. She grew up with an alcoholic mother and an abusive father. Mary J Blige’s father left her and her mother when she was 4.