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Culture Crawl 327 “Mullets Optional”
Orchestra Iowa presents “An Evening of Symphonic Rock with Mickey Thomas,” February 24. Thomas is the former lead singer from Jefferson Starship, and his band will accompany the Orchestra on a rhythmic ride through some of the best Classic Rock, not only Starship tunes, but also Joan Jett, Foreigner, and many more. Tickets at www.orchestraiowa.org.
Legendary Fingers Stilled
Ron DeWitte, one of Iowa’s most celebrated blues and rock guitarists, passed away February 16 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 68. A Cedar Rapids native, Ron formed his first band, called The Tremelos, when he was just thirteen. He graduated from Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and would go on to join The Legends, …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #6: Jack Johnson
They crowned Jack Johnson the first Black heavyweight champion in 1908, but the fight had just begun. The Black community was overjoyed, seeing Johnson’s title as a major step toward equality. Whites in America, however, were often near panic. Even the New York Times wrote that “thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret [Johnson’s] victory …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #5: Dinah & Night Train
Singer Dinah Washington and her seventh husband, football legend Dick “Night Train” Lane, were an unlikely pair. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she was madly in love with Night Train. They each fought bigotry in their own ways – Washington by challenging segregation in the music industry, Lane by changing the perception of …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #4: Amanda Rudolph
The year was 1948, and the DuMont company had recently created a TV network to help build demand for their line of television sets. Actress and singer Amanda Randolph was the first African-American woman to star in a network television show. The program was The Laytons, and Randolph was one of the stars. It only …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #2: Coltrane’s “Alabama”
On Sunday, September 15, 1963, four Klansmen planted dynamite under the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four young girls and injured many others. History records this incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. Coltrane, his heart broken, was driven to tears, anger, and frustration. But instead of …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #1: Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey & Mamie Smith
Three pioneering women lay claim to Blues royalty. Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith made an impact on American culture that still resonates today. Mamie Smith became in 1920 the first Black musician to make vocal blues recordings. A savvy marketer, she exploited the new medium of radio to reach audiences across the country …
Culture Crawl 326 “I Am Not An Animal!”
The Iowa City Community Theatre presents “The Elephant Man” Feb. 23 – March 4. It’s a bit of a passion project for director Liz Tracey, who saw David Bowie in the title role on Broadway in the 80s. She says that the role of John Merrick is especially tough, as the actor uses his body, …