Gaye Adegbalola (born Gaye Todd; March 21, 1944, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States)Gaye Adegbalola

All Media Guide RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

(2007); retrieved August 2, 2008. is an American blues singer and guitarist, teacher, lecturer, activist, and photographer.

Early life

Adegbalola's father, Clarence R. Todd, was the first

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

school board member in Fredericksburg, as well as a jazz musician. He founded a performing arts group for black youth called "Souls of Shade", today known as "Harambee 360° Experimental Theater."Johnson, Virginia
African American History in the Rappahannock Region
, ''HistoryPoint.org''. Retrieved August 2, 2008. Her mother, Gladys P. Todd, was an early organizer of local

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

in Fredericksburg and she frequently brought home old

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

records from her job at the Youth Canteen to give to young Gaye. Abegbalola attended a segregated highschool called Walker-Grant High School, and she graduated as her class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

in 1961. During her time at Walker-Grant High School, she participated in numerous sit-in protests and picket lines as a member of the civil rights movement.Miller, Dan
"Nothing but the blues"
''

Washington Blade The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...

'', May 28, 2004. Retrieved August 1, 2008. She later attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

, where she graduated with a B.A. in biology.

Career

Adegbalola's occupations after college included being a

technical writer A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers researc ...

for TRW Systems, a biochemical researcher at Rockefeller University, and a

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...

Harlem Hospital Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 272-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded in 1887. The hosp ...

where she was also the local union representative.Adegbalola, Gaye
Bio
''Adegbalola.com''. Retrieved August 2, 2008. These were all in sharp contrast to her first job as a teenager, where she worked at a laundry mat for forty-five cents an hour. From 1966 to 1970, she was involved in the Black Power Movement in New York and she organized the Harlem Committee on Self-Defense, where she met individuals such as

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," wh ...

.Lehoczky, Etelka
"Gaye Ol' Time - blues singers Gaye Adegbalola"
'' The Advocate'', February 15, 2000. Retrieved August 1, 2008. In 1970, Adgbalola returned to Fredericksburg, where she taught science, gifted and talented and creative thinking courses in local schools. She helped her father direct the Harambee Theater, sometimes acting in performances herself, until his death in 1977. That same year, Gaye began studying guitar after already mastering the flute while she was in her high school's band.Adegbalola, Gaye; Faye, Andra; Rabson, Ann. Conan, Neal
"Saffire, Uppity Blues Women"

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: ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial i ...

'', April 27, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2008. In 1978 she received her Master of Education in Educational Media from

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...

, and in 1982 was honored as Virginia's Teacher of the Year. She spent much of the rest of the 1980s conducting teachers' workshops on motivational and teaching techniques.

Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women was a three-woman blues musical ensemble in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1984 by Ann Rabson, Gaye Adegbalola and Earlene Lewis. Lewis separated from the band in 1992 and was replaced by Andra ...

was first formed as a duo in 1984 by Adegbalola and her guitar teacher, Ann Rabson, with Earlene Lewis joining later to form a trio. Lewis was replaced by Andra Faye in 1992. Saffire recorded their first album, ''Middle Age Blues'', on their own label in 1987, with songs including "They Call Me Miss Thang" and "Middle Age Blues Boogie". The following year, Adegbalola became a full-time blues performer and in 1990 the band recorded its first album for

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

, and they won the "Song of the Year" W.C. Handy Award for their song "Middle Age Blues Boogie". During the 1990s, Adegbalola held workshops on various aspects of blues music and worked as a blues music reporter for the ''World Cafe'' program on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

. In 1998, she co-founded the Steering Committee of the Blues Music Association. Her first solo album, ''Bitter Sweet Blues'', was recorded in 1999. In addition to her own original compositions ("You Don't Have to Take It (Like I Did)," "Big Ovaries, Baby" and "Nothing's Changed"), the album had cover versions of songs by

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock a ...

, Smokey Robinson,

Ma Rainey Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early blues recording artist. Dubbed the "Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of s ...

and

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

. Adegbalola was nominated for two Outmusic awards in 2005.Shapiro, Gregg
"The Gaye Blues : Out blues singer Gaye Adegbalola releases a new compilation"
''OutSmart'', March 2006). Retrieved August 1, 2008. Adegbalola's song "Big Ovaries, Baby" was used in episode 23 of ''The War On Democracy!''

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

. Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women disbanded amicably in 2009, but Adegbalola continues to pursue solo projects. Adegbalola was honored as one of the

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and ...

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of th ...

for 2018.

Personal life

In 1992, Adegbalola was diagnosed with

uterine The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...

and cervical cancer, and fortunately she eventually recovered. In 2000, in a short piece on her work and career in '' The Advocate'', Adegbalola came out as a lesbian. She had been with her life partner, Suzanne Moe since 1991. In the late 1960s when she was living in Harlem, Adegbalola married Olumide who was at the time the manager of the original Last Poets. Her son, Juno Lumumba Kahlil was born in 1969, and later made his own mark in the

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

/ industrial music world. Soon after, Adegbalola and Olumide divorced. Her surname, Adegbalola, was given to her by a

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

priest she met in 1968.Adegbalola, Gaye
Article #22: What's The Difference Between Being Black And Being Gay???? ... When You're Black You Don't Have To Tell Your Mother
, ''Adegbalola.com'', spring 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2008. The surname translates to "I am reclaiming my royalty," and Gaye uses the name to signify her

pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

in her black heritage.

Discography

* Bittersweet Blues (1999) * Neoclassic Blues (2004) ** With Roddy Barnes * Blues Gone Back (2006) ** With Juno Lumumba Kahlil aka DJ Blacula – The Junabomber * Gaye Without Shame (2008) * Blues In All Flavors (2012) ** Parents' Choice Gold Award in Music * The Griot (2019) * Is It Still Good To Ya? (2019) * Satisfied (2023)

References

External links

Gaye Adegbalola's official website

Official website of Saffire The Uppity Blues Women
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adegbalola, Gaye 1944 births 20th-century African-American women singers Activists for African-American civil rights American blues singers American educational theorists American music educators Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Contemporary blues musicians American lesbian musicians African-American LGBT people LGBT people from Virginia Lesbian singers Living people People from Fredericksburg, Virginia Singers from Virginia Virginia State University alumni African-American guitarists American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba musicians Guitarists from Virginia 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century African-American women singers American women music educators 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people American LGBT singers