By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — After hitting a season low against Alabama, the Vanderbilt Commodores are playing their best basketball of the SEC part of their season. Their 88-80 victory over Florida Saturday on the road evened their conference mark at 6-6, the same as the Gators. Both teams are also 13-12 overall for the year. But with wins over Ole Miss, Tennessee and Florida, Vanderbilt is surging as they head into the final three weeks of the conference race. A huge plus for Vanderbilt has been Center Liam Robbins. Originally projected to miss four to six weeks with…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Michael Jackson has joined the list of superstars whose life and career provide the foundation for a biopic. It was announced last week that longtime film and television director Antoine Fuqua would be the person in charge of an upcoming Jackson biopic. The website and Shadow and Act were the first to announce that in addition to Fuqua, Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, has been chosen to star in the production. The 20-year old is the son of Jermaine Jackson, The film is titled”Michael” A studio release said “Michael will give audiences the never-before-told and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The great actor Forest Whitaker has greatly enjoyed himself in the EPOX series “Godfather of Harlem.” The third season, now streaming, promises looks at some iconic characters and key periods in Black history. The show has its critics, as some debate the wisdom of making a gangster’s life the central focus of a long-running TV show. But Whitaker, an Oscar winner, brings stature and dignity as well as nuance to a difficult role and character. He portrays Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, Godfather of Harlem. The show’s third season finds Bumpy at a crossroads. With…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands completed a dream year Sunday, February 5, by taking two Grammy Awards at the 65th annual ceremonies in Los Angeles, making the band the first HBCU marching band to win multiple honors from the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences. While Fisk University’s Fisk Jubilee Singers in 2021 were the first HBCU ensemble to win a Grammy award for their LP “Celebrating Fisk (The 150th Anniversary Album),” TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands took Grammys in various categories. “The Urban Hymnal” won both the Best Roots Gospel…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Hockey actually has a uch longer and richer connection with Black history than many realize. There was a Black professional hockey league decades before the NHL. This week the Nashville Predators wore a special jersey to honor Black History Month. As explained on the Predators’ website, third year Tennessee State Professor of graphic design Eric Jackson was stunned when he got an email from Nashville Predators Graphic Designer Courtney Gilliam – a former student of Jackson’s from his days at Middle Tennessee State University. Gilliam asked Jackson if he’d be interested in designing a…
The Houston Texans have taken a unique approach to the issue of hiring Black head coaches. While many other teams in the NFL have yet to hire their first, the Texans are working on their third one in three years. Last week they announced the signing of former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans to a six-year deal as their new head coach. Under Ryans, San Francisco led the NFL in total defense last season, reaching the NFC title game before injuries to both starting quarterbacks derailed any chances they had at making the Super…
NASHVILLE, TN — Barrett Strong, the first major hitmaker and star and the man whose ascension helped launch Motown Records, passed last week at 81. Though known as helping make the Detroit-based label a global sensation, Strong was born in Mississippi. He began recording for Gordy’s label, Tamla Records, in the late 1950s, and in 1960 his recording of Berry Gordy’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” became the first hit for either artist. Though it wasn’t a chart topper, it peaked at number two on the R&B singles chart and No 23 on the Hot 100, It was later recorded…
NASHVILLE, TN — The group of distinguished performers who have achieved EGOT status has a new member. This past weekend Viola Davis joined this select crew. The current star of “The Woman King” won the Grammy for Best Audiobook Narration and Storytelling Recording, for the narration of her book, “Finding Me.” She won two Tony Awards, one for her 2001 role in “King Hedley II” and in 2010 for her role in “Fences”. She reprised the same role for Denzel Washington’s 2016 adaptation of “Fences,” earning her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Davis’ Emmy came in 2015 when she…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators go into the NHL All-Star break with plenty of momentum, as they wrapped their final two home games of the first half with victories. Following a 2-1 win earlier in the week over Winnipeg, they completed a season’s sweep of the New Jersey Devils with a 6-4 victory on Thursday. Matt Duchene had a goaland an assist, while both Colton Sissons and Juuso Parssinen had two assists. The Predators had 11 different players contributing in one way or another in the scoring. They also got 35 saves from Juuse Saros, who…
For every step forward that the NFL takes, it also seems to take two backward. On the general manager front, the recent hiring of Ran Carthon by the Tennessee Titans increased the number of Black general managers in the league to eight, with six of them having been hired within the past year. But just as the league was taking bows for making progress in that area, the Carolina Panthers reminded everyone that when it comes to head coaching jobs, there still remains an unwillingness on the part of ownership to give deserving Black candidates a fair shake. Steve Wilks…