Anneographies » 1929

November 11 Birthday: LaVern Baker

Anne — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:09:07 +0000

LaVern Baker, musician

Nov. 11, 1929-Mar. 10, 1997

Shake, Rattle and Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)

“Tweedle Dee,” a top song recorded in 1954 and “Jim Dandy,” a 1956 hit made Baker, a jazz-and-R&B-vocalist-turned-rocker famous. As an African American, Baker suffered backlash from her early records being labeled “race records.” But she continued to record and eventually the barriers came down.

Read more about Baker’s life and music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

October 21 Birthday: Ursula Le Guin

Anne — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:31:36 +0000

Ursula Le Guin, author

Oct. 21, 1929-

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Best known for her Earthsea fantasy series, Le Guin is featured as “U” in this collective biography of women.

Visit Ursula Le Guin’s web site to read more about the Earthsea series, current work and other facts.

August 12 Birthday: Katharine Lee Bates

Anne — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:30:30 +0000

Katharine Lee Bates, author of words to America the Beautiful

Aug. 12, 1859-Mar. 28, 1929

Purple Mountain Majesties: The Story of Katharine Lee Bates and “America the Beautiful” by Barbara Younger, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (Turtleback Books, 2002)

Where do ideas come from? In this case, from majestic scenery. Inspired by view from Pikes Peak, Katharine Lee Bates began to write a poem that would become a national treasure.

View images from Pikes Peak Cam Top Peak Pics in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a sense of Bates’ wonder.