A legend of the San Francisco drag scene. Out and Latino, Sarria dedicated his life to fight for queer rights and even ran as the country's first known openly gay candidate for public office. An international drag charity that he helped found continues his legacy ...
Kitty O’Neil (1946-2018) was a racecar driver, stunt legend, and daredevil. Known as "the fastest woman in the world," O’Neil broke the land speed record in 1976, clocking an average of over 512 mph in a three-wheeled rocket car across Oregon’s Alvord Desert. The first ...
On a trip to Germany, Buddy Guy met some of his musical heroes, including John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. Meeting them was a huge achievement for Guy; he said, “I don't care if I ever get a chance to make a record or ...
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Today, the world knows Holly Near as a dedicated women's rights activist and folk singer - but the roots of Near's feminism are lesser known. It wasn't until she joined Jane Fonda's Free the Army tour, in her early twenties, that Near was exposed to ...
A gender-bending, famed blues musician and drag king who was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. She performed with drag queens and openly loved women, until later in life when she was pressured to conform to 1950s social standards.
Buddy Guy’s first guitar cost his father two dollars and only had two strings on it. He would go to sleep with it in his hand, walked around with it and played until his fingers almost bled. He taught himself his favorite John Lee Hooker ...
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When Trockadero dancer Phillip Martin-Nelson was a child, his autism was so severe that he couldn’t speak. After discovering ballet, Martin-Nelson made strides in his behavior and communication. It inspired him to become a ballet teacher himself and give back to the community. In the ...
This much about Buddy Guy is well known: at 84, he’s the last living member of the blues’ Greatest Generation of electric guitarists (the group that includes Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King, John Lee Hooker et al., and well, ok, spans a couple of ...
In 1974, the gay liberation movement was in full swing in New York City. Four years had passed since the first gay pride parade marched 15 blocks from Greenwich Village to Central Park. The march evolved into a daily fight for the queer community to ...
Buddy Guy discusses his disbelief at having won "eight or nine Grammys," starting with one for his song "Damn Right I've Got the Blues."
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