There weren’t an abundance of Black sports anchors on the airwaves, either broadcast or cable, in 1980. But a fledgling news network called CNN (Cable News Network) introduced a man who became a broadcasting icon. Though CNN was a news channel, they had a few shows that veered away from their regular programming of straight national and international news. One was a show called “Sports Tonight,” and it featured a young, erudite and often hilarious Black sportscaster named Fred Hickman. Hickman, who died last week at 66, was such a natural talent that not only was he among the first…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Blues vocalist and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd has demonstrated consistent excellence and imagination as a stylist and a soloist, creating a sound that has a firm foundation in traditional blues, while also incorporating influences from rock and pop. Now the Shepherd approach will be spotlighted, along with his current and past music, in a new documentary film that will get a Nashvile premiere Monday night at the Belcourt Theatre. Shepherd, who’s earned five Grammy nominations, is featured in the production Trouble Is…25’.” Proceeds will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Tennessee, This…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Few sequels or follow-up films in recent years have been more anticipated than the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Coming nearly four years after “Black Panther,” what should be one of the year’s biggest selling films makes its debut in many theaters Friday. It’s set in the aftermath of King T’Challa’s death. As his family and the rest of the kingdom mourn, they’re thrust into a fight to protect their small but mighty nation as it finds itself under attack from nefarious world powers. Once again, the film will also be available to stream…
A 25-year quest for Dusty Baker finally ended Saturday night. When the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 of the World Series. Baker had previously held the dubious distinction of the most wins in managerial history (2,093) without a World Series title. He’d come close before, and is the only manager to win 100 games with teams in both leagues, as well as the only one to lead five different teams to division titles. But he’d never been the ultimate winner until Saturday night. He joined Cito Gaston and Dave Roberts at the only Black managers…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Trumpeter and bandleader George Tidwell has been a major part of Nashville’s jazz and popular music community for decades, having arrived here from Memphis in 1963, and established his prominence as a studio musician, arranger, and of course, jazz soloist. He’ll be in the spotlight this weekend at the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Jazz Cave, 1012 Buchanan Avenue. The Tidwell Sextet also includes pianist Lori Mechem and bassist Roger Spencer, with the rest of the band members to be announced later this week. Tidwell’s led many groups in Music City through the years. and frequently…
By Ron Wynn Daniel Kaluuya is becoming part of the Marvel universe. The Oscar winner this week joined the cast of Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a sequel to the groundbreaking “Into the Spider-Verse” which also nabbed an Academy Award. He will be voicing the role of Hobart “Hobie” Brown, a.k.a. Spider-Punk. The film follows Miles Morales as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, plunged into the multiverse where he joins forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-folks to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered. Additional cast includes Shameik Moore…
As The World Series began for the 118th time last Friday night, Major League Baseball made history. But it wasn’t the kind of history to celebrate. For the first time since 1950 neither of the participating teams, the Houston Astros or Philadelphia Phillies, had any American Black players on their active roster. The only Black American participant was Houston manager Dusty Baker, who is in his 25th year as a major league manager following a distinguished 19-year playing career. Baker, who was on a World Series winner as a player but not as a manager, had this response when asked…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Vols head to Athens, Georgia Saturday for a showdown with the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Both teams will enter the game undefeated, and Georgia has been at the top of the polls for much of the season. Tennessee will enter the contest ranked either second or third, depending on which poll you choose. But should Tennessee defeat Georgia, they will be the consensus number one. Both teams come in off big victories. Georgia rolled over Florida 42-20, while Tennessee had an ever easier time with 177th ranked Kentucky, defeating them 44-6. They scored early and often…
An old issue got a boost from a new and unexpected source last week. At at the latest NFL meetings, some new voices were heard, and they weren’t the usual speakers. Instead four of the NFL’s top white head coaches spoke directly to the owners, urging them to stop excluding worthy Black candidates from the head coaching ranks. John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens, Pete Carroll from the Seattle Seahawks, Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and and Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts didn’t hold back in their statements to owners about the importance of hiring Black coaches…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It took several years to return, but finally the reworked, updated version of “The Game” debuted last year on the CBS streaming service Paramount +. It didn’t take nearly as long for the decision to be made on renewing it. Paramount + announced last week that a premiere date had been set for the second season. It will begin December 15. Paramount + released this description, saying “The Game” offers a modern-day examination of Black culture through the prism of pro football. The team tackles racism, sexism, classism and more as they fight for…