Recently, Passion Lowe has information about my ancestors. I found out that she is my 6th cousin living in California. We both are descendants of my 6th great-grandfather parents of the free African American Burwell Williams and Winifred Woodson-Bozeman (b. 1791) from Southampton County, Virginia. So, how did the journey start? Long ago, my maternal ancestors lived in Southampton County, Virginia. Burwell Williams and Winifred Woodson-Bozeman had a son named John Burwell Williams (b. 1815), and his wife was Mary Williams (b. 1824). Their daughter was my 1st cousin named Mary L. Williams (1855-1905). She had a child with Eddie Drew Kello named Roa Lester Kelle Williams (1876-1920). He lived from October 22, 1876, to November 13, 1920. In the 1880 United States Federal Census Records, we find that Rao Williams was raised by Mary Williams at Berlin and Ivor, Southampton County, Virginia. He was also known as Rassie Williams too. He married Violet Ramsey (b. 1887) and their following children are: Susie Kelle Williams (b. 1900), Claudia Ann Williams (1902-1936), Samuel B. Williams (b. 1904), Ras C. Williams (b. 1906), Daisey D. Williams (1910-1976), Carrie Elizabeth Hunt Williams (b. 1911), and Sylvia Margaret Davis (1912-1994). Claudia Ann Williams lived from 1902 to 1936. She married Charlie Foster and had the daughter of Marion Elizabeth Foster (1920-2014). Marion Elizabeth Foster lived from October 5, 1920, at Newport News, Virginia to February 21, 2014. She married Arceanious Herbert Felton in Norfolk, Virginia on July 24, 1936. Their child was LaVonne Harriet Felton (1936-2001). Marion had a child with Enrich Alfred Jasper (b. 1919) named Enrick Alfred Jasper Jr. (1944-2009. He was a military veteran). She married Joseph Murphy (b. 1918) and George Foster (1921-1996). She made a child with Rufus C. Wheeler named Ruthie Charlesetta Wheeler (1951-2005). Marion Elizabeth Foster's son with Joseph David Murphy Sr. was Joseph David Murphy Jr. (1964-2009). Marion Elizabeth Foster's child of Ruthie Charlesetta Wheeler married Lemuel Kinney (B. 1948). Their son is Lemuel Kinney Jr. (b. 1966). Marion also married Hary Irvin Wells (1925-2010) later on in her life, and they have the child of Passion D. Wells Lowe (b. 1985). By the time of Marion Foster and Passion Lowe, this family lives in California in San Diego and other cities in Southern California. Passion Desiree Lowe is my 6th cousin.
Beyonce's seventh studio album of Act 1: Renaissance is highly popular in 2022. It's an album that takes huge risks, but it's filled with a mixture of old school and new school sounds. It is right to comment on the album from an unbiased perspective. This is about the music. It was released to the general public on July 29, 2022, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. After years of waiting, Beyonce fans love it when this new work has been shown to the world. This album is one of her trilogy project involving diverse music. Beyonce, at this time, has nothing to prove. She is the most influential musician of the 21st century and one of the greatest artists of our time. This album deals with the time of reflection involving COVID, family, and life in general. Wiring and producing on the album came from her, Nova Wav, The Dream, Tricky Steward, Hit Boys, No I.D., etc. Beam, Grace Jones, and Tem are guest vocalists. Beyonce recorded the album in Atlanta, New York state, Connecticut, North Hollywood, and Jamaica. The album has a mixture of dance, house, disco, pop, and R&B. The break-out single was Break My Soul which was released on June 20, 2022. The song reached number one on many charts worldwide, including the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Beyonce, Trickey Stewart, The Dream, Jens Christain Isaken, and Jay Z. It was produced by the former four. It samples Big Fredia's 2014 bounce song Explode, written by Big Freedia and Adam Pigott including Robin S.'s house song Show Me Love (written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane). American singer Crystal Waters, who helped to make house music mainstream in the 1990's, said that she was ecstatic when she heard Break My Soul and showed gratitude for Beyonce for helping shine a light on underappreciated house singers. Former President Brack Obama featured the song as the first track on his Summer 2022 playlist. Beyonce wanted her new album to have a time of joy and escape from the injustice and isolation that happened over the year. She dedicated the album to her children, her husband Jay Z, and Uncle Johnny, her late gay cousin who battled HIV. Jonny was the nephew of Beyonce's mother Rina. Beyonce and her sister Solange called him "Uncle" He inspired Beyonce to learn about the house and dance music found in the Renaissance album.
Beyonce was on a horse on the album cover. The horse looks crystal. Some people say that it's similar to John Collier's 1897 painting Lady Godiva and to the photographs of Bianca Jagger riding the horse. There is another cover image with Beyonce atop the same horse with a white cowboy hat with a silver headpiece. Renaissance is unlike any album that Beyonce has done. It has beats and sounds from Chicago house, electro house, Afrobeats, disco, R&B, etc. It's an album that celebrates black culture and it has elements of escapism, confidence, sexual expression, and pleasure. It merges the sexual freedom of the album Beyonce mixed with the introspection about life found in Lemonade. Most critics have loved the album. Early on, there have been the Kelis and J. Lo issues. Kelis has gotten what she wanted, and that controversy is over. As for J. Lo, I will say that Beyonce has made Lemonade. J. Lo has never made anyone close to Lemonade artistically or lyrically. J. Lo is the person who said All Lives Matter, and she has used black culture for a long time and later moved on to mainstream society. To me, Renaissance is a hybrid, experimental album that some folks will like it or not. It depends on your taste. It is her bravest work that she ever released, and she went totally left in terms of the sonic content. You can tell that she has a love for disco and house music, including dance music too. Dance music is one of the most underrated genres in the world. Beyonce also eliminated an ableist slur from the album. The album honors black LBGT+ culture and it shows a new generation of the diverse aspects of black music in general. Much of the songs like I'm That Girl and Cozy shows her confidence. Church Girl is a song that focuses on the experiences of black people in the church. Virgo's Groove is one of her best songs on the album vocally. Renaissance will be debated for years and decades to come. What is true is that Beyonce hasn't stopped in her goal of being the best of what she can be.
This year is the 35th year anniversary of A Different World. It all began in 1987. A Different World was unlike any show in television history. It was a show that was ahead of its time. I always mentioned that this show certainly inspired me to be more socially and politically conscious about the world. The greatness of the show was it presented to the world a diverse amount of black people personality wise and social-wise. In real life, we know people who act like a Dwayne Wade, a Whitley Gilbert, a Ron Johnson, a Jalessa Vinson-Taylor, a Kimberly Reese, or a Freddie Brooks. The series started to center around Denise Huxtable (played by Lisa Bonet) in its first season. Its story focused at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. The show inspired people at HBCUs for years and decades to come. After Lisa Bonet left the series in the first season, the remainder of the series focused on many cast members like Whitley Gibert-Wayne (played by Jasmine Guy) and math genius Dwayne Wayne (played by Kadeem Hardison). The show was spin off from The Cosby Show. The show called about race and class issues, sexual assault, the Equal Rights Amendment, and HIV/AIDS. Marisa Tomei was in the first season. By the 2nd season, Debbie Allen (who is an alumna of Howard University) changed the whole show to make it more realistic. She was the chief creative force. Denise was pregnant by the summer of 1987 as she was dating Lenny Kravitz back then. By the 2nd second, Cree Summer and Charnele Brown came on the show Marie-Alise Recasner was in the first season. Legendary people like Glynn Turman and Lou Myers were anchors on the show for years. Many celebrities on the show were Kim Wayans, Jenifer Lewis, Diahann Carroll, Patti LaBelle, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rosalind Cash, Ron O'Neal, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Halle Berry, Richard Roundtree, Ev Vogue, HeavyD, Jesse Jackson, Trina McGree, David Alan Grier, and other human beings.
By the end of the show in July of 1993 (near the start of my 5th-grade year), I was near the end of my time in elementary school. From tackling issues like racism, poverty, HIV/AIDS, apartheid, the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion, sexism, rape, domestic violence, colorism, and the issue of music, A Different World stands on its own as a classic television show. I like the Wedding episode, the episode exposing racism after the football game, and the new characters coming up during the show's last two seasons too. Debbie Allen helped to re-invent the show to make it more realistic and honest about the multifaceted black American experience. It gave an eye-opening look at HBCUs too. A Different World contributed to an increase of black people going into Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As part of my childhood, A Different World was one of the greatest television shows in human history.
The 2022 film of Elvis is a biographical musical drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann. He co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. Elvis Presley is known for his role in rock and roll. Also, the film focuses on Elvis and his manager Colonel Tom Parker. The film has Austin Butler as Elvis, Tom Hanks as Parker, and Helen Thomason, and Richard Boxburgh as co-stars. The film was started to be created by 2014. Luhrmann wanted to direct an Elvis Presley biopic. The trailer of the film has been emotional. Before going and evaluating the elephant in the room, it's time to give a summary of the film. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2022, and was released in Australia on June 23, 2022. America saw the film released on June 24, 2022. The film has many fashions, and some people questioned the historical accuracy of Elvis. People have praised Butler and Tom Hanks' performances in the film. It has grossed $261 million worldwide making it the second highest-grossing music biopic of all time behind Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). The film starts in 1997 when Elvis Presley's former manager, Colonel Tom Parker is on his deathbed after suffering a stroke. He looks back on the life of Elvis fighting gambling addiction. He was destitute. Elvis started out living his childhood in the poorest areas of Mississippi raised by his mother Gladys.
The movie showed Elvis reading the comic book adventures of Captain Marvel Jr. He moves with his parents in Memphis, Tennessee. Some of his peers criticized him for loving the African American music of Memphis' Beale Street. Parker back in the day was a carnival person who wanted to be a modern day P.T. Barnum. Although Parker is partnered with country singer Hank Snow, Parker immediately realizes Elvis' crossover potential when he hears the white artist sounding unique on the groundbreaking single, "That's All Right." That night, he sees Elvis at a Louisiana Hayride performance, finding him a talented musician with charisma.
Parker persuades Elvis to let him take exclusive control of his career, beginning a meteoric ascent that sees the Presley family lifted out of poverty. Ordinary Americans are divided as to their opinions on the singer, with Southern Democrat-minded citizens (including segregationist Mississippi Senator Jim Eastland) worried that his music will corrupt their children and calm racial hostility. Eastland calls Parker to an informal hearing, during which he questions Parker about his mysterious past. Back in the 1950's, the country was much more conservative, so Elvis's dancing was considered too controversial by many back then.
After Elvis' charged dance moves at a concert, the singer finds himself facing potential legal trouble. Parker persuades the government to draft Elvis into the US Army instead to avoid any legal entanglements. During his military service in West Germany, Elvis is devastated by his mother's alcoholism-induced death. He only recovers when he meets Priscilla Beaulieu. After his discharge, he resumes his movie career, and years later, he married Priscilla.
As the popular culture of the 1960s passes him by, Elvis is heartbroken by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Although he wants to become more politically outspoken in his music, Parker only allows him to release frivolous feel-good songs. Elvis eventually decides to revamp his image with the help of an outside group of consultants, hijacking a Christmas special by recording various political and emotionally-charged songs. Network sponsors are infuriated and threaten litigation, while Parker is disgusted, believing Elvis to have been "brainwashed by hippies." Regardless, Elvis’s instincts are proven correct when the show is a massive hit.
After the special, Elvis headlines at the largest showroom in Las Vegas, the International Hotel, and then resumes concert tours. Parker's control of Elvis' life becomes even stronger as he refuses Elvis' request for a world tour and tricks him into signing a contract for a lengthy Las Vegas casino residency. Elvis discovers that Parker cannot travel abroad because he is a stateless illegal immigrant; having surrendered his original Dutch citizenship, he would not be able to return to America after leaving. When he attempts to fire Parker, the manager responds by suing him for an impossibly large sum of money. They argue, and Parker convinces Elvis that the two need each other. They rarely see each other afterwards, though Parker continues in his role as manager.
Elvis' behavioral issues and prescription drug addiction overtake him, and a despondent Priscilla divorced him in 1973, taking their daughter Lisa Marie with her. Elvis continues a rigorous schedule of shows that leaves him increasingly exhausted. Shortly before his death in 1977, Elvis expresses his greatest fear to Priscilla: that no one will remember him after he is gone.
The movie ends with real-life footage of Elvis at one of his final shows. Elvis (who has massive health issues by the 1970's) sings "Unchained Melody". He ends the performance triumphantly, to thunderous applause. As he finishes his recollection, Colonel Parker dies, impoverished and alone, while Elvis is beloved worldwide and is the best-selling solo artist in history. The soundtrack of the movie of Elvis is diverse from his music, Big Mama Thorton, Doja Cat, Eminem, CeeLo Green, Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Swae Lee, and other artists. The truth about the film Elvis is that it showed his complex life. Elvis was a very talented person with flaws and a sense of trying to adjust to changing times in America. Lisa Marie Presley or the daughter of Elvis praised the film as "nothing short of spectacular." Priscilla or Elvis' ex-wife praised the film too including Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough (who is an actress and filmmaker).
Elvis Presley's life represents a transition from the old school music of the early 20th century to the explosion of rock and roll during the 1950's and the 1960's. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam observed: “In cultural terms, [Elvis’s] coming was nothing less than the start of a revolution” (Halberstam, The Fifties). When Elvis appeared on the Milton Berle Show in April 1956, he was watched by more than 40 million viewers, one out of every four Americans. Elvis was raised in the First Assembly of God Church in East Tupelo, Mississippi. By high school, Elvis didn't sing or attend church regularly. Elvis, as a child, would try to pray to his dead twin brother Jesse. Also, Elvis would curse and blaspheme God behind his mother's back. B.B. King knew Elvis as Elvis learned the blues from black people on Beale Street in Memphis. Elvis loved to perform and record gospel songs, but he embraced New Age beliefs later in his life. Pastor Hamill, former pastor of First Assembly of God in Memphis, says that Presley visited him in the late 1950s, when he was at the height of his rock & roll powers, and testified: “Pastor, I’m the most miserable young man you’ve ever seen. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need to spend. I’ve got millions of fans. I’ve got friends. But I’m doing what you taught me not to do, and I’m not doing the things you taught me to do” (Steve Turner, Hungry for Heaven, p. 20). Ultimately, drug abuse, unfortunately, contributed to Elvis Presley's passing. He used amphetamines, Benzedrine, LSD, marijuana, and other drugs including pills. The life of Elvis shouldn't be mocked or ridiculed. We learn lessons in life, and in our lives we learn about human lives in order to better our own lives. We can't let our mentalities be just about ourselves alone. Life is about caring about others too.
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