Then, learn about Sam Moore, probably the most famous Miami musician you didn’t realize had Miami roots. Miami’s “Soul Man” grew up in Overtown, which was dubbed the “Harlem of the South” in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Sam grew up seeing local artists collaborate with big names like Aretha Franklin and Nat King Cole.
With musical partner Dave Prater, who he met at a Liberty City club, he wrote Soul Man. The song became one of the most iconic songs of the Memphis R&B genre (which many people mistakenly think started with the 1980s film Blues Brothers).
Sam brought his musical talents to the civil rights movement as well, traveling with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to rallies and using his music to psych people up before the speeches.
Today, as a solo artist, he’s performed with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Sting, standing out for working with artists from all genres. He won a Grammy in 1968 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
You can learn a whole lot more about Sam’s role in Overtown and music history at the HistoryMiami exhibit “The Art of Soulebrity,” which is running through April 15.
Sam’s the last of our series looking at black leaders who have shaped Miami. Missed some of the previous folks? You can find them here.
Did we make any meaningful progress on gun control legislation in the last 24 hours?
BUT…
The House Rules Committee is set to pick up the discussion on bills that focus on a similar set of issues today. While there’s been some progress, there’s a lot for all of us to keep an eye on – and reasons to keep our legislators’ phone numbers handy.
BTW this is how we’re defining “progress” on gun control legislation: Any announced plan or direction that identifies specific policy changes or any filed or approved legislation.
Fact check, please. Broward Deputy Sheriff Scot Peterson says he didn’t go into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when the shooting began on Feb. 14 because he thought the shooting was happening outside, and the order when that happens is to “seek over and assess.” Lookin’ to fact check him, media companies sued for access to security video footage of the outside of the school during the shooting. (Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel)
Laying down the law. SoFlo Republican billionaire, donor, and fundraiser Mike Fernandez says he won’t give any more money to political candidates who don’t support more limitations on “military-type weapons.” That’s a big deal – since 2014, he’s donated about $7 million, which went to about a dozen candidates (including Gov. Rick Scott) and a dozen PACs in 10 different states. (WLRN)
All the fancy water. The Miami area has a higher percentage of coworking spaces than any other city in the U.S. We now have 59 coworking spots in the 305, with five WeWork locations. Whoa. (Miami Herald)
Read carefully, folks. Shady Internet people have spoofed the Miami Herald twice since the Parkland shooting. Once, they doctored tweets from a local reporter to make it look like she was asking to see photos of dead bodies and asking about Cruz’s race. Then, someone made a fake Herald article hinting that there were more school shootings coming to Miami-Dade. Both went viral, showing just how scary the attempts to discredit media can be – and how important responsible media outlets like the Herald are. (McClatchy)
Shhhh. Local music scene leaders have something to say to you when you go to an acoustic show. STFU. (Miami New Times)
Case closed. Last month a woman accused Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola of groping her on a date and the state attorney’s office picked up the case. But in the weeks since the accuser refusing to speak to prosecutors about the allegations. Now, the case has been dropped. (Miami Herald)
‘Bout to melt away. The Museum of Ice Cream will be packing up and moving on to new cities April 29. Get on it. (Miami.com)
Alexa, make Miami better. City of Miami Mayor Suarez gave his “state of the city” yesterday, and said that under his leadership, the city will go all-in on tech, from wooing Amazon to putting in Tesla charging stations to tackling crime using geofencing. (Miami Herald)
We’re gonna go find ourselves a nispero.