Maya Angelou studied dance under Alvin Ailey and Pearl Primus. She was also a composer, and wrote songs for Roberta Flack.

Beat Street was the first American film to feature two soundtracks. The film was released in 1984.

Lena Horne, who was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, was an acclaimed actress, activist, and singer. In 1933, at the age of 16, she joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club, New York City. This was her entry into the entertainment industry. Interestingly, she is said to come from the lineage of former U.S. Vice President, John Calhoun.

“Sylvia Robinson (then Vanderpool), arranged, played, and produced the first huge hit for Ike & Tina Turner, ‘It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.’ But in the 1960s, women simply didn’t work behind the mixing consoles of recording studios, and Sylvia Vanderpool received no credit for what she may very well been: American pop music’s first female record producer.” -From, “The Big Payback” By: Dan Charnas