Many people are aware of the long and distinguished Tennessee State tradition in football. Whether it’s the coaching excellence of such names as John Merritt or Joe Gilliam Sr., or the exploits of such players as Hall-of-Famer Richard Dent, Ed “Too Tall” Jones or Jim Marsalis, TSU football is a nationally known and greatly respected commodity. However the Tigers also have an equally impressive, though much lesser touted and recognized tradition of greatness in basketball. From the coaching genius of John McClendon to the on-court dynamic play of Dick “Skull” Barnett, Leonard “Truck” Robinson, Carlos Rogers and Anthony Mason, the…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Steve McQueen has made history while arousing emotions and audience response in such past films as “12 Years a Slave” and “Widows.” He won an Oscar for the former in 2013, becoming the first Black director of an Academy Award winning film. But one thing that McQueen, who grew up in West London and whose parents are Grenadian and Trinidadian, had never previously done was turn his cameras inward and explore life in the world where he was born and raised. But that’s now changed with the debut of his anthology series “Small Axe.”…
Whether Nashville’s Mookie Betts wins the National League MVP award this week or not, he’s emerged this season as baseball’s top personality. This should not be confused with its best overall player, though a case could clearly be made as well for Betts that way. But after leading the Dodgers to their first World Series win in 32 years (and a good case could be made he should have been World Series MVP also) Betts has become a rare transformative player in a sport where few names are known beyond the circles of hardcore fans and those who root for…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s hard to find many positive things to say about a season when a team has lost all five games it’s played while also losing a host of players to injuries and COVID-19 opt-outs. The Vanderbilt Commodores knew it would be rough going facing an all-SEC schedule, and standing at 0-5 as they head to Lexington for a Saturday game against Kentucky, the odds on them pulling out at least one victory don’t look very good. The best thing that can be said is they are identifying some potential stars for the future, and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans get a chance to stretch their AFC South lead Thursday night as the second place Indianapolis Colts come to town. The Colts are furious at 5-3 after losing at home 24-10 Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens. The Thursday game is the first of two clashes between the Titans and Colts sandwiched around a game against the Ravens. With that tough schedule in front of them, it makes Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears that improved their season mark to 6-2 even more welcome. But it also highlighted some problems that…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Whitney Houston and Biggie Smalls AKA the Notorious B.I.G. were among six artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s during the Class of 2020 celebration. What is usually a star-studded, well-attended event this year was a virtual HBO special minus any performances. That was due to the impact of COVID-19. The event had originally been planned for May in Cleveland. There was also a very somber feel as Houston and Smalls, along with T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, were posthumous honorees. Houston was inducted by Alicia Keys. Keys credited Houston with helping…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — At 86, Charley Pride’s days as a major country hitmaker are behind him. But his groundbreaking achievements remain among the most historic and important in any field of music. Among many other firsts, Pride was the first Black artist to win the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Entertainer of the Year award. Now he has been honored by another Black artist who’s been able to benefit from the path that Pride forged. Darius Rucker. who served as co-host of this year’s CMA awards, formally presented Pride with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award on the…
By Ron Wynn Seldom has a 16-minute segment from a television show become as such a discussed factor on the national landscape as Dave Chappelle’s monologue on last weekend’s “Saturday Night Live.” It has totally overwhelmed mention of anything else on the broadcast, and has been the subject of commentaries, retrospectives and think pieces on websites ranging from entertainment to politics, mainstream, alternative and Black locales. Chappelle has been called everything from thoughtful and irreverent to scathing, offensive and knowledgeable for his wide-ranging comments that covered everything from the election to the virus, Trump and the reactions of those who…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Vocalist Alecia Nugent thrilled and delighted bluegrass fans with a trio of outstanding LPs on Rounder between 2004 and 2009. Hailed for her assertive, rangy voice and masterful way of storytelling and delivering lyrics, Nugent became a welcome addition to the Nashville music scene. She made some 71 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, even once joining her father Jimmy Nugent, whose vintage bluegrass and country sound shaped her approach growing up in Hickory Grove, Louisiana. But after being on stage from her childhood days to 2009, Alecia Nugent made a life-altering decision. With…
Ordinarily, when a coach gets his first win it’s not that big a deal, but in the case of Mel Tucker at Michigan State, last Saturday’s 27-24 upset victory over arch-rival Michigan in Ann Arbor was huge. First, he became only the second MSU coach to beat Michigan in his first game against them. The only other Spartans’ coach to accomplish that feat was the great Nick Saban some 25 years ago, when his squad also pulled an upset. But the difference there is they were playing at home. Tucker’s squad was on the road, going against a team ranked…