Say It Loud

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American musician. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is referred to by various honorific nicknames, some of which include "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business", "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and "Soul Brother No. 1" In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.

Brown eventually signed with King Records' Federal subsidiary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and issued a re-recorded version of "Please, Please, Please" in March 1956. The song became the group's first R&B hit, selling over a million copies.

The Deele is an American band from Cincinnati, who achieved success in the 1980s with such hit singles as "Body Talk" and "Two Occasions". When the group began recording in the early 1980s, the lineup consisted of Indianapolis native Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds along with Cincinnati musicians Antonio "L.A." Reid, Carlos "Satin" Greene, Darnell "Dee" Bristol, Stanley "Stick" Burke, and Kevin "Kayo" Roberson.

The group would record three albums in total during the 1980s, scoring several hit singles. The above-mentioned Street Beat album was released in 1983, and the following year, a single from this album, "Body Talk" became The Deele's first hit, reaching #3 on the R&B chart and #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

Louise Shropshire was an American composer and the original composer of the song that changed the country during the civil rights movement, “WE Shall Overcome.”

In the early 1950s, Louise Shropshire met Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. Finding much in common; Shropshire and King became good friends and established a strong and loyal spiritual alliance. Dr. King grew very comfortable with the Shropshire family and lodged at the Shropshire home when in Cincinnati. In addition, with the financial support of her husband’s successful bail bonds business, Shropshire held many fundraising events in her home and in Cincinnati hotels, several of which were attended by Dr. King himself. Funds were raised at these events to help bail out Civil Rights activists, who had been incarcerated during the Birmingham Campaign and Montgomery bus boycott. As a close friend of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and devout member of the African American Baptist Church, Louise Shropshire was instrumental in helping to establish the Greater New Light Baptist Church (GNLBC) in Cincinnati.

Philippé Wynne (aka Philippe Escalante Wynn; né Walker; April 3, 1941 – July 14, 1984) was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group members Bobby Smith and Henry Fambrough). Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", and "One of a Kind (Love Affair)".

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in the New Orphanage Asylum for Colored Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wynne went to Detroit in the early 1960s and began his musical career with his brother Michael Walker as a gospel singer. He soon switched to R&B and attained some measure of success, singing with Bootsy Collins's Pacemakers in 1968 and with James Brown's J.B.'s shortly thereafter.

What began as an idea just two years ago, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame officially opens this Saturday at noon.

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame
Grand Opening & 2023 Induction Ceremony

Saturday, July 22, 12 p.m.
Next to the Andrew J Brady Center
25 Race St.

The 2023 Induction Ceremony honors

• The Deele

• James Brown

• Philippé Wynne

• Louise Shropshire

With a special celebration performance by The Ohio Players.

In April 2021, Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece introduced the idea, calling for a way to celebrate the legacy and untold stories of music artists, songwriters, producers, and musicians from Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and Southwest Ohio. That July, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners agreed to create an international state-of-the-art, outdoor interactive permanent tourism attraction and exciting music corridor on the banks of the Ohio River.

“From a gravel lot covered with rocks to becoming one of the greatest world-renowned outdoor Black music tourism attractions is historic,” said Reece. “Through the interactive elements and use of the latest technology, we will connect our rich black music legacy as inspiration to the generations of future music legends to come.”