The Worldly Warblers

The dark side of history: https://thememoryhole.substack.com/

Esther's Follies is a modern-day vaudeville theatre located on 6th Street in downtown Austin, Texas. The group is named after actress Esther Williams.[1] Acts incorporate magic, juggling, singing, dancing, and sketches on current events. The show is fast-paced, and most of the acts incorporate a comedic theme.

The show lasts about one and a half hours with a short intermission, and runs every evening from Thursday to Saturday. The original Esther's Follies building burned down in 1982; the group traveled to several different locations before establishing its current home on 6th Street.[2] 2017 marked Esther's Follies' 40th anniversary of performances. The cast has changed significantly since its inception but still includes the founders, Michael Shelton and Shannon Sedwick, who continue to make appearances during the show. Austin counterculture figure Kerry Awn was a regular performer with Esther's Follies for 30 years until 2011.[3]

Blackberri (born Charles Timothy Ashmore;[1] May 31, 1945 – December 13, 2021)[2] was an American singer-songwriter and community activist. His music focused on issues such as civil rights, LGBT rights, and pollution.[3] During the AIDS epidemic, Blackberri worked in HIV education and prevention in Black communities.
Early life

Blackberri was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Baltimore.[4]

Blackberri was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1965.[1] He was discharged in 1966 for being gay. Blackberri stated "I was under investigation because one of my shipmates turned me in ... they had evidence, they arrested me, went through my personal belongings and found incriminating letters and other things."[4] He got stranded in New York City, washing dishes and doing drugs.[3]
Career
Blackberri performing at a 2016 event in Oakland

Blackberri studied voice at University of Arizona and sang the blues.[3] In Tucson, he started a rock band, Gunther Quint, with his first song "Frenchie", about a one-night stand before his discharge. While living in a feminist collective in 1970, he was named Blackberri, and changed his name legally.[4][5]

Blackberri moved to San Francisco in 1974 and joined Breeze[clarification needed] while busking to earn money. He dated Reiner, a blues guitar player from the East Coast.[4] In 1975, Blackberri's performance at the Two Songmakers concert was broadcast on KQED. This was the first gay-themed music featured on television in San Francisco.[6] In 1981, he released Blackberri and Friends: Finally.[4] He contributed to films Tongues Untied, Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, and Looking for Langston.[2]

During the AIDS epidemic, Blackberri supported HIV education and prevention in the African-American LGBT community.[4][6] He was a death counselor at San Francisco General Hospital AIDS Ward through the Shanti Project.

In 2002, he received a Lifetime Achievement AIDS Hero Award at San Francisco Candlelight Vigil.[4] In 2017, he received the Audrey Joseph Entertainment Award from San Francisco Pride.[2] In 2019, his song "Eat the Rich" was included in Patrick Haggerty's Lavender Country.[7]
Personal life and death

Blackberri was a Lucumi priest who traveled to Cuba thirteen times.[1]

He had a heart attack in October 2021, and died on December 13, 2021, at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California, at age 76.[2]
References

"Blackberri Interview". The OUTWORDS Archive. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
Laird, Cynthia (December 14, 2021). "Singer-songwriter Blackberri dies". The Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
Trott, Walt (August 16, 1984). "Blackberri still sings for causes". The Capital Times. p. 44. Retrieved September 26, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Bullock, Darryl W. (November 21, 2017). David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music. Abrams. ISBN 9781468316254.
Harrington, Lee; Kulystin, Tai Fenix, eds. (2018). Queer Magic: Power Beyond Boundaries. Mystic Productions Press. ISBN 9781942733775. Retrieved December 16, 2021. "I legally changed it in… '70… maybe '74 is when I changed it. Maybe '75. But, anyway, even before I legally changed it I had become Blackberri in 1970 or '71."
"Meet the LGBTQ+ Elders Who Rioted, Organized and Lobbied to Change History". KQED. June 10, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2021.

Gormley, Shannon (January 23, 2019). "More Than 40 Years After Recording the "First Gay Country Album," Lavender Country is Releasing a Follow-Up". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackberri.

Blackberri at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
Blackberri discography at Discogs Edit this at Wikidata

Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International

VIAF

National

United States

Categories:

1945 births2021 deathsAfrican-American activists20th-century African-American male singers20th-century American male singers20th-century American singers20th-century American LGBT people21st-century American LGBT peopleAfrican-American songwritersAmerican male singer-songwritersAmerican military personnel discharged for homosexualityAmerican SanteríansGay military personnelAmerican gay musiciansAfrican-American LGBT peopleMilitary personnel from BaltimoreMilitary personnel from Buffalo, New YorkSingers from BaltimoreMusicians from Buffalo, New YorkSinger-songwriters from CaliforniaSinger-songwriters from New York (state)Singers from San FranciscoUnited States Navy sailorsUniversity of Arizona alumniSinger-songwriters from MarylandAfrican-American United States Navy personnel

Charlie King (born 1947) is an American folk singer and activist.
Biography

He was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts and cites the folk music revival of the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War era as his musical influences.

His songs have been recorded and sung by other performers such as Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Peggy Seeger, Chad Mitchell and Judy Small. Honors include an "Indie" award for one of the top three folk recordings of 1984.

In May 1998 the War Resisters League gave their Peacemaker Award to Charlie and to Odetta. Pete Seeger nominated Charlie for the Sacco-Vanzetti Social Justice Award, which he received in November 1999.[1]

Charlie King has released a dozen solo albums since 1976. He has also released three albums with the touring ensemble Bright Morning Star, and numerous compilation albums with other artists.

Folk legend Peggy Seeger said, "If we had more Charlie Kings in the world I'd be less worried," to which Tom Paxton added, "Luckily, we have him!"

King regularly performs at Camp Kinderland in Tolland, Massachusetts.