Integration came late to a lot of Southern colleges, and in particular the huge ones. That change was even slower when it came to the coaching profession. But over the last month, two major colleges have made major coaching hires that signal, at least for now, a new day in terms of hiring practices. Both the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee have hired Black men for roles that previously were mainly or only held by white ones. Memphis named Kerrick Jackson as their new baseball coach, the first Black man to coach that sport in school history.…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Saxophone lovers will get a treat this Friday at Rudy’s Jazz Room with a special tribute to a living legend and showcases from two of the area’s finest saxophonists. The evening begins at 5:30 with a tribute show. “The Music of John Coltrane & Friends” spotlights Chicago drummer John Hanrahan heading a group that will perform some of Coltrane’s finest tunes. Hanrahan has extensive experience in both jazz and blues circles, and will be heading a quartet. Tickets for this show are $14 at the door. Prolific saxophonist Don Aliquo has played with numerous…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Traditional gospel, which was the musical foundation for the sound that later became soul, doesn’t get much of the spotlight these days as the larger ensembles and contemporary ensembles are now most dominant in religious music circle. But fans of vintage, down-home gospel will be thrilled by what they see and hear in the new documentary “Stay Prayed Up,” which will be available on digital platforms next Tuesday and is currently being shown in some theaters. The acclaimed documentary, which is directed by D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning, had its debut at the Telluride…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — So far 2022 has been a very good year for the Nashville Sounds, but lately they’ve encountered rough going. They fell behind early Sunday against the Norfolk Tides and ultimately lost 7-2, dropping consecutive series for the first time this season. The Sounds continue to draw well, attracting over 8,000 (8,165) for the Sunday afternoon contest at First Horizon Park. But they were behind early and never were able to catch up. It was a sub-par outing for Sounds’ starter Dylan File. He took his third loss of the season, giving up five runs…
Deion Sanders has only been head coach at Jackson State since 2020, but he’s already more than proven the value of his addition to their athletic team. The July cover of Sports Illustrated magazine features on its cover Sanders, his son QB Shedeur, and top recruit Travis Hunter. Sanders called it “a monumental moment” for HBCUs last week in discussing it, as well as once more dismissing claims that his school had done anything either illegal or unethical in recruiting Hunter, the player universally regarded as the nation’s top recruit out of high school this season. “We’re so clean we’re…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Jennifer Hudson made history Sunday night at the Tony Awards, achieving something only 16 others in show business history have duplicated: becoming an EGOT winner. She earned a Tony for producing “A Strange Loop.” Hudson added that to previous Emmy, Grammy and Oscar wins, becoming the 17th performer to win all these awards. She joins a group whose ranks include Rita Moreno, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Mike Nichols, Mel Brooks, Alan Menken and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Her previous wins included the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2006’s “Dreamgirls,” a pair of Grammys for…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Vocalist/actress Melba Moore has enjoyed an extraordinary career stretching across multiple decades. But rather than dwell on her lengthy list of accomplishments in theater, television and music, Moore prefers to talk about her newest project, the LP “Imagine.” For one thing, it is on her daughter Melba Charli Huggins’ (a Fisk graduate) independent label. For another, she says this project was far different than any she’s ever done. “For one thing we didn’t have anyone telling us that we couldn’t do this song or that song,” Moore told the Tribune during a phone interview…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — A historic site in Nashville will be the place where a third annual celebration will occur this weekend. Organizers for the Third Annual Music City Freedom Festival promise it will be the biggest yet. It’s also appropriate that the celebration is accelerating as Juneteenth is now a national holiday, the first time that’s been the case. For those unaware of the history, June 19, 1865 was the date that emancipation occurred for slaves in those states that were in rebellion against the Union. It has been celebrated annually in various parts of the United…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Volunteers fell behind early, but staged a dramatic late inning rally to defeat Georgia Tech 9-6 Sunday, winning the Knoxville Regional and advancing to the Super Regional. But it was far from easy for a Tennessee team that many of its supporters continue to prematurely tout as the greatest college team ever despite the fact they’ve yet to win anything except the SEC regular season and tournament titles. But they did prove their mettle by overcoming an early four-run deficit against a Georgia Tech team that seemed determined to force a second…
The NBA is far from perfect, but there is one area where they are miles ahead of their competitors in the NFL and MLB. That’s in regard to opportunities for Black coaches. Over the last year there have been 12 coaching openings (a 13th opened Sunday when Quinn Snyder resigned from the Utah Jazz) and eight of those have been filled by Black coaches. Currently, barring any new firings or resignations this week. half the league’s 30 franchises (15) have Black head coaches. Contrast that with MLB’s current two (Houston’s Dusty Baker and Los Angeles’ Dave Roberts) or the long,…