by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest) Happy Music Monday! In the weeks since Beyoncé’s recent Country releases, there’s been much debate on her Country bona fides, though the sista has never been shy about voicing her Texas pride. From Beyoncé’s history with the genre, from the song “Daddy Lessons”, from her 2016 album Lemonade, to the Stetsons worn by Destiny’s Child, many Country devotees ignore her roots and those of other Black artists. While talking to a good friend and colleague last week, he pointed out that it’s not musician ..read more

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest) Happy Holidays, you all. We are half way through Hanukkah, with Christmas and Kwanzaa coming up quick. We’ve offered several funky and soulful and jazz and reggae seasonal playlists over the years. Search Spotify by “marlonwest” and they are all still there to enjoy this Yuletide Season. This Music Monday offering features holiday-themed songs that have all been dropped in 2023. There are new tracks from new and emerging artists like Cliff Beach, Samara Joy, Fitz and The Tantrums, and the ever ..read more

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Editor-in-Chief Last fall GBN came out with its first physical product: the A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022, published by Workman Publishing. We are excited to announce that, with your support, its sequel is on the way — the  A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023! Written by yours truly, the A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2023 is filled with fresh new facts, history, bios, quotes, jokes and trivia in easy-to-read daily entries. The 2023 calendar’s official drop date is Tuesday ..read more

According to Variety.com, award-winning musical artist H.E.R. will play Belle in ABC’s upcoming hybrid special celebrating the 30th anniversary of Disney‘s animated musical classic Beauty and the Beast. H.E.R. is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including last year’s Song of the Year Grammy for “I Can’t Breathe” inspired by George Floyd, from her 2021 album Back of My Mind. In 2021, H.E.R. also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Fight For You” from the film Judas and the Black Messiah. “I can’t believe I get to be a part of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ legacy,” H.E.R. said ..read more

Baird Steptoe Sr. was recently elected to a three-year term as president of the International Cinematographers Guild, according to Variety.com. Steptoe has served for some time on the guild’s national executive board and was most recently a second national vice president. Steptoe’s credits as a first assistant cameraman include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Sixth Sense and Brewsters Millions. To quote Variety.com: The ICG, otherwise known as Local 600 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, is the largest of the 13 IATSE locals that bargain the Basic Agreement for f ..read more

by Jeff Meier (FB: Jeff.Meier.90) If you are a regular listener of Good Black News’ Music Monday playlists, we’re sure you’ve noticed by now that we’ve got some serious Stevie Wonder fans in the house. In 2020, we even celebrated his 70th birthday with a whole month of fantastic playlists (some links below). And now that Mr. Wonder’s birthday week again (on this Friday the 13th), we’ve got a new playlist to share – this one built around songs that he composed for other artists – it’s called “Written By Wonder, First Sung By Another”: Open in Spotify This playlist is comprised of over 90 ..read more

[Photo: GBN Contributor Joyce Lakin (l) and GBN Editor-in-Chief Lori Lakin Hutcherson (r) in Maui, 2005] Good Black News wants to take a moment on this day to honor and remember the women who gave us life, who nurtured and raised us, and also offered us solace, counsel, wisdom, humility and humor. To all the mothers out there – be they Aunties, Grandmothers, Cousins or Friends – thank you for all you do! And to one mom out there in particular — Joyce Lakin — we want to thank you for all of the above and also for agreeing to put together a playlist of some of your all-time favorite songs to sha ..read more

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson) History was made 42 years ago in May 1980 when the burgeoning Star Wars franchise added the character of Lando Calrissian to its universe played by 1970s heartthrob Billy Dee Williams. To read about it and see links to sources, read on. To hear about it, press PLAY: https://goodblacknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GBNPADpod050422.mp3 [You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out here on the main website. Full t ..read more

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson) In today’s Daily Drop, we explore the term “Afrofuturism” and its origin. To read about it and see links to sources, read on. To hear about it, press PLAY: https://goodblacknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GBNPADpod050322.mp3 [You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out here on the main website. Full transcript below]: Hey, this is Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, h ..read more

[Billie Holiday, from March 23, 1949. Photographer: Carl Van Vechten. from the Yale University Archives at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library] by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson) In continued celebration of #JazzAppreciationMonth, today we drop in on Billie Holiday, the singer and artist who not only influenced peers and progeny alike with her innovative interpretation of and phrasing in songs, but also composed several of her signature songs which became jazz and blues standards in the decades that followed. To read about Holiday, read on. To hear about her, press PLAY: ht ..read more