Johnnie Cochran: OJs and No Js

On June 16, 1994, America was transfixed by a slow moving, white Ford Bronco creeping down the 405 freeway in Los Angeles pursued by a phalanx of police vehicles and news helicopters. The owner of the vehicle would be arrested in his driveway and charged with murder.

Carl Gordon, Late Bloomer

In his late 30s, Carl Gordon found himself twice-divorced, stuck in a dead-end manual labor job with the feeling that his life was going nowhere. By the time he died this week at age 78, he’d appeared in 26 TV shows and movies and a slew of Broadway productions.

Robert Johnson: Legend and Reality

Robert Johnson (1911–1938) is widely celebrated as the greatest of the early Mississippi bluesmen, a primary inspiration for rock stars such as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Led Zeppelin, and countless more in the worlds of blues, rock, and jazz. His sparse recorded output and the sketchy details surrounding his life have also inspired a mythology that sometimes obscures the reality of his artistic accomplishments.

Harold Dow and Asthma Fatalities

When TV journalist died due to an asthma attack, many were shocked. But just how rare is death from asthma?

Miles Davis' Sidemen

Miles Davis  (1926–1991) is widely regarded as one of the most important musicians of the 20th century, being at the cutting edge of bebop, hardbop, and fusion, just to name a few of the jazz movements he helped shape. Along the way, he influenced generations of musicians, including many sidemen who would enjoy influential and successful careers of their own. We take a look at some of the celebrated sidemen who’ve joined Davis in that great jazz combo in the sky.

Richard Pryor's Forgotten TV Career

Richard Pryor is remembered either as a brilliantly raunchy stand-up comedian or as a star of family-friendly films. But he also twice starred in shortlived TV shows.

Florence Griffith Joyner: Fastest Woman on Earth

Florence Griffith Joyner was one of the most talented and colorful athletes of the 1980s. On her birthday, we take a look back at the record-setting sprinter known as Flo-Jo.

Charles Mingus: Requiem for an Underdog

I didn't get Charles Mingus.

Zora Neale Hurston: Genius of the South

In the summer of 1973, a young writer made a pilgrimage south to Fort Pierce, Florida, to visit the final resting place of an artist whose novels, plays and essays had inspired so much of her own writing. She arrived at the Garden of Heavenly Rest to find the segregated cemetery abandoned, weed-choked and overgrown with brambles, and it took her some time to locate the unmarked grave she sought. But find it she did, and before leaving she placed the stone she and a fellow scholar had paid for with their own money. The marker was modest, but its message was not.

Eartha Kitt: The Most Exciting Woman in the World

What does it take to be the most exciting woman in the world? Beauty certainly doesn't hurt. A gift for singing, dancing and acting can help, too. How about a great sense of humor and a love for social justice? Add a seductive purr of a voice, mix well, and you've got , the performer once called "the most exciting woman in the world."

David Ruffin, Temptations Showman

David Ruffin was lead singer for The Temptations on some of their best-loved hits.

Sam Cooke, King of Soul

On his birthday, we look back at the life of the man called the King of Soul.

Frederick Douglass: An American Narrative

Frederick Douglass celebrated his birthday on Valentine's Day. Two centuries after he was born, we're looking at his early years fighting for the abolition of slavery.

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Marvin Gaye personified the changing landscape of R&B in a career that spanned not just the tumultuous 1960s, but 26 years that saw the art form go from innocent street corner doo-wop to the sexually charged soul music of the 1980s. No mere dabbler or genre-hopper, with each reinvention Gaye broke new ground and created classic records still in heavy rotation around the world. He scored 41 Billboard Top 40 hits in all—including reworked material released nearly two decades after his death. According to Forbes , in 2008 he ranked 13th in posthumous performer earnings, pulling in $3.5 million in royalties, a tribute to how much his music remains with us.

CrazySexyCool: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, songwriter and rapper with TLC, died nine years ago today. We commemorate the anniversary with a look at her talent – and her lifelong struggle with loss.

Sugar Ray Robinson: The World's Best Fighter

Here are 20 facts you may not know about Sugar Ray Robinson , the boxer once called the greatest fighter of all time.

Nick Ashford's 'Solid' Songwriting

I can't be the only person who's got Ashford & Simpson's "Solid" playing on constant repeat in my brain today.

Walter Payton's Sweet NFL Career

On Nov. 1, 1999, the NFL lost one of its all-time greatest players, running back Walter Payton .

Ed Bradley's Incisive Interviews

During his illustrious career, television journalist took home 19 Emmys and won numerous other awards such as the Peabody and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award—and for good reason.

Buck O'Neil Loved Baseball

Baseball legend Buck O'Neil would have been 100 years old today. He may not be quite as well known as Jackie Robinson, but he was every bit as much a barrier-smasher...

World's Greatest Stand-up: Richard Pryor

At the very top of Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians, the funniest of them all, is Richard Pryor.

James Brown's Funky Christmas

The Godfather of Soul James Brown arecorded three Christmas albums during his career, injecting his soulful style into holiday classics and new songs. The 1995 album "James Brown's Funky Christmas" takes the best of"James Brown Sings Christmas Songs" (1966),"A Soulful Christmas" (1968), and "Hey America It's Christmas" (1970), and puts them together in one, funky holiday playlist.

Alice Coltrane's Beautiful Music

Alice Coltrane (1937–2007) was a multi-talented jazz musician, bandleader, and composer—she sang, played piano and organ, and was one of the few harpists in the history of jazz.

Jackie Wilson, Mr. Excitement

Question: How do you choose just one song with which to remember Jackie Wilson, who ?

Civil Rights Giants Whitney Young and Ralph Abernathy

Two notable men deserve a nod today, both giants of the civil rights movement: Ralph Abernathy (March 11, 1926–April 17, 1990) and Whitney Young (July 31, 1921–March 11, 1971).

The Tuneful Tammi Terrell

Tammi Terrell was just 24 when she died of a brain tumor, . But during her too-short life, she recorded some of —both as a solo artist and in duets, most notably with .

Inspired by Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass was more than just a great singer – he was an inspiration.

Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit

In 1939, took a bold step—bold even for a Black woman who rose from a troubled childhood in a segregated country to become one of the most celebrated singers of her time. In that year, disgusted with the racism she saw all around her, she recorded “Strange Fruit.” The song’s bluntly poignant descriptions of lynchings of Black people were shocking and eye-opening, and it became Holiday’s deeply effective closing song for her live performances.

Jump for June Pointer

June Pointer (1953–2006) was the youngest of the Pointer Sisters—and she was the first of the famous singing sisters to pass away.

Ella Fitzgerald, Glamour Girl

We've got to beg to differ with Ella. The way we see it, not only did Ella Fitzgerald have an amazing talent; she was absolutely gorgeous too.

Sammy Davis Jr.: Mr. Show Business

Sammy Davis Jr. (1925–1990) was a performer all his life, beginning on vaudeville when he was just three years old. As he grew up and grew famous, he wowed us with his multifaceted talent: he could sing, dance, act, and do spot-on impressions—all with ease.

Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits

We are remembering disco queen Donna Summer by putting on our dancing shoes and listening to a few of her greatest hits.

Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"

The play that "changed American theatre forever," according to The New York Times , started with a few short lines from a long poem.

Curtis Mayfield: The Sound of Civil Rights

Curtis Mayfield, born 70 years ago today, wrote music that inspired a generation and a movement...

Ain’t No Man Like Levi Stubbs

Levi Stubbs was a singer and a gentleman.

Remembering Luther Vandross, 15 Years Later

sang songs that made us fall in love – with his music, and with each other.

Isabel Sanford's Piece of the Pie

In 1981,  moved on up and broke one of the glass ceilings of show business when she became the first black woman to win an Emmy for lead actress. It was a pinnacle in a rich career… one that included critically acclaimed movie roles and viewer favorites on TV. Eight years after her death, we remember the pioneering actress.

Lovin' Minnie Riperton

Long before Mariah Carey became famous for her five-octave vocal range, there was another, a singer who could do five octaves and then some. Carey was barely out of diapers when Minnie Riperton was being celebrated for her rare five-and-a-half-octave range and her amazing ability to enunciate even in her very highest register.

Sherman Hemsley: Movin' On Up

When learning of Sherman Hemsley's death yesterday, many fans mourned for the loss of George Jefferson, Hemsley's on-screen alter ego, almost as much as they did for Hemsley himself...

The Whole World is Watching

During the tumultuous , 1968 stands out as a turning point, with new modes of political action actively courting television news media.

Smokin' Joe Frazier

When we think of boxing superstar , a few legendary fights immediately come to mind.

John Lee Hooker: Boom Boom Boom Boom

Bluesman John Lee Hooker (1917–2001) was best known for an iconic song that perfectly embodied his trademark "talking blues" style.

Althea Gibson, Tennis Trailblazer

In the 1950s, Althea Gibson joined the ranks of trailblazers like , and when she became the first Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour. Her 1956 Grand Slam win was a crucial step in ushering in the integration of professional sports.

Michael Clarke Duncan, Gentle Giant

Michael Clarke Duncan's death took us by surprise yesterday...

Barry White's Candlelit Rendezvous

Back in the '70s, Barry White's songs were the gold standard for setting a romantic mood...

The Legend of Ray Charles

In the more than 60 years since his first success, (1930–2004) has become legendary… and I mean that in the truest sense of the word. Like the tales of Paul Bunyan or King Arthur, the story of Ray Charles seems to have picked up a few magical qualities along the way.

The Tom Bradley Effect

Elected to an unprecedented five terms as mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley remains one of the nation's greatest racial pioneers 14 years after his death. His legacy has particular resonance today as L.A.'s first Latino mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, modeled his coalition building campaign on that of Bradley's. On a national level, Barack Obama's presidential campaign represents a step-level jump for African-American political dreams, much the same way that Bradley's audacious, long-shot hopes of becoming mayor of a major city with a small Black population did in 1969. And on November 4 when voters cast their ballots, pollsters will be anxiously waiting to see if Obama is impacted by a phenomenon that has come to be known as the "Bradley effect."

Nipsey Russell: The Poet Laureate of TV

Nipsey Russell wasn't called the Poet Laureate of Television for nothing. The frequent game show panelist and celebrity roaster truly had a way with rhymes...

Get Teresa Graves!

Teresa Graves was one of the great glass-ceiling breakers of the 1970s, achieving new heights for Black women when she became the first to star in an hourlong TV drama series.