Although not eligible to enlist in the Union army prior to President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Black soldiers numbered around 185,000 — about 10% of Union forces — by the time the Confederates were defeated in April, 1865. Their duties were largely separate but not equal: White soldiers were paid almost twice as much per month […]
With roots in traditional blues, jazz, and gospel, rhythm and blues (often referred to as R&B) is a term coined by Billboard writer Jerry Wexler in 1949 to describe what his magazine had previously referred to as “Race Music” when ranking Black artists on its charts. The genre gained popularity with the WWII migration of […]
No doubt about it: Denver (and Colorado) loves its music — especially its rock and roll. In summer, the Centennial State absolutely explodes with sound, from multi-day festivals to free street performances to sold-out shows at its most iconic outdoor ampitheatre. There are far too many concerts to count, but some of the best can […]
Last June saw the founding of the Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit. Celebrating its first anniversary, the circuit connects five historic mountain opera houses. These historic venues are a reminder of the days when rough and rugged mining towns competed to construct elaborate buildings to showcase their newfound riches and support their aspirations of culture […]
When the first drive-in — the Camden Theater in Pennsauken, New Jersey — opened in 1933, movies with sound had only been around for six years. The popularity of these open-air cinemas spread slowly, but by the late 1950s there were more than 4,000 outdoor screens across the country. It was in this heyday that […]
Ireland’s Great Famine, which lasted from 1845 to 1852, was a powerful driver of immigration. Although two million refugees made the long sea journey during that time, they were neither the first nor last. It’s estimated that since 1820, more than six million Irish people have emigrated to the United Staes. Though present in Colorado […]
Some of the world’s worst criminals reside at Florence’s supermax penitentiary , the nation’s most secure federal prison, including Mexican drug lord El Chapo, Al-Qaida cofounder Mamdouh Mahmud Salim and FBI agent-turned spy Robert P. Hanssen. But the Centennial state has its homegrown ‘heroes,’ as well. Running from the law is a time-honored Colorado tradition, and […]
The best of Jewish cinema will take center-stage — or screen, if you will — at the 27th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival. Showcasing cinema from 14 countries, the festival will screen 39 films, including nine short films and one television mini-series. The in-person festival will be held March 11 – 19 at the Elaine […]
In the beginning was the Word. In the beginning of every play — before the set, the costumes, the makeup — are the words that make the story, the story that ultimately becomes the play. Lovers of words and the stories they create converged February 25 at 26 at the DCPA’s Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex […]
Hot, hot, hot: Egyptomania was all the rage in the Roaring ’20s when British archaeologist Howard Carter “discovered” the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. American audiences breathlessly devoured developments of the excavation, which was documented in detail by newspapers, magazines and movie news-reels. This wasn’t the first time the ancient civilization was front-page news — […]