Saturday Soul: Gloria Jones, "Heartbeat"

Gloria Jones never reached the solo success of contemporaries Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner but she ripped through songs like "Heartbeat" with a throaty vigor, that was one part gospel and another part pure unadulterated soul.

Her two landmark musical achievements were the NBA equivalent of an "alley-oop:" She co-wrote Gladys Knight and The Pips' Grammy-nominated, "If I Were Your Woman;" and her 1964 original recording of "Tainted Love" would later inspire Soft Cell's 1981 cover and subsequent uber international hit.

Here's former Gospel singer turned "Northern Soul" Queen Gloria Jones performing "Hearbeat" circa 1965.



Watch Jones take 'em to church!

Saturday Soul: Barbara Lynn, "You'll Miss a Good Thing"

File under: Girls with guitars.

Seeing a sista rock out in formal attire had to be just as surprising to early 60's audiences as it is to us today, but for Barbara Lynn it was just another day at work.

Here she is performing her 1962 hit, "You'll Miss a Good Thing," which was later popularly covered by Soul icons Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and Tejano/Country legend, Freddy Fender.




If you pass this one up without a click, you might be missing a good thing...

The Black Model Museum: The First American Covergirl

Forty years ago, marked the first time a black woman ever appeared on the cover of a national American women's magazine. The pioneering face on the cover of the August 1968 issue belonged to Katiti Kironde, then a college student at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Though not a model, Katiti's cover was a financial success and would open the floodgates for many model firsts in the years to follow: Jolie Jones, Mademoiselle '69; Daphne Maxwell, Glamour, '69; Jane Hoffman, Cosmopolitan, '69; Elizabeth of Toro, Harper's Bazaar, '69; and Beverly Johnson's coveted, American Vogue cover of '74, struck the last blow to the long-standing tradition of exclusion.

Thanks to Katiti's historic cover and the efforts of women and men in front of, and behind the lens, we've never known a world where diversity was blatantly not welcomed to the publication party. And we think that's something worth celebrating.

Today we're gonna party like its 1968!

Saturday Soul: PP Arnold

PP Arnold paid her soul dues as one of the original members of The Ikettes, those energetic women who were the must-see staples of nearly every Ike and Tina Turner performance.

With some pull from Mick Jagger, Arnold ventured out on her own and moved to Europe where she recorded the first released version of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut is The Deepest, " her biggest hit of 1967.

It's always a pleasure discovering little gems like this one. Enjoy!

The Birth of Rosa Parks

(1955 booking photo of Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Alabama)

On this day in 1913, Rosa Parks, aka "The Mother of The Civil Rights Movement," was born. Her single effort of resistance in 1955, spawned the movement that would change the United States of America forever and we are eternally grateful.

If one little woman from the segregated Tuskegee, Alabama south could change a nation, imagine what kind of greatness we are all capable of.

The Cocoa Lounge celebrates the life and work of Rosa Parks today. Happy Birthday!

Cocoa Lounge Legends [#002]: Judy Pace

From The Cocoa Lounge


Judy Pace, trailblazing actress.

Judy Pace started her career by entering a beauty pageant and failing to win in a single category. A student at Los Angeles City College, Judy had hopes of earning a degree in sociology when a leg condition that she had suffered from as a child returned. She was hospitalized for months, during which time she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress.

Pace found small roles in The Candy Web (1963), The Fortune Cookie (1966) and was a regular on the now classic tv hit, Peyton Place from 1968-1969. She would also co-star in the acclaimed, but short-lived series, The Young Lawyers. During the Black Action film explosion, Judy starred in the Ossie Davis-helmed Cotton Comes To Harlem (1970), Cool Breeze (1972) and The Slams (1973) (with Jim Brown ). She co-starred in the first-ever made-for-televsion film, Brian's Song (1971) as the on-screen wife of Billy Dee Williams.

Judy Pace's star rose quickly, but unfortunately, after 1973 she would be seen in very few films. She later married Baseball Hall of Famer Curt Flood, a marriage that lasted until his passing in 1997. Since then she has carried the torch for Flood, becoming a spokesperson for free agency in professional sports. Judy also co-founded The Kwanzaa Foundation with Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols.

We'd love to see Judy Pace return to the screen in a major role to push the doors she opened for young black actresses in the 60's, for today's actresses now in their 60's. Woman Power Style!