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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter[1] and dance and music producer.[2] He is best known as part of the house production duo Mood II Swing.[3][4]
In 1997, he co-wrote and co-produced Ultra Naté's hit song "Free",[5] a dance-pop-influenced disco track released on the Strictly Rhythm label. The song peaked at number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts,[5] and charted in several other countries.[6][7] The song has appeared on several '90s music compilation albums[8][9][10] and was featured on the soundtracks for Chasing Liberty and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Springsteen was signed to EMI Music Publishing in London for several years after co-writing and co-producing the hit recording "Free" by Ultra Nate in 1997. He entered the music business at 16, after then-manager Vaughan Mason, who had hit recordings, procured a single deal with the now-defunct Chrysalis Records UK, after Lem and his younger brother won a talent contest at New York City's Apollo Theatre. Vaughan taught Lem songwriting, analog synths, and analog recording, before the digital era. Lem's style incorporates the music he grew up on, from soul/R&B to pop to disco/dance. Lem even has some rock influences but does not claim to be a rock-and-roll musician or producer.
Springsteen formed the music production company Mood II Swing[11] with John Ciafone in 1993 after the pair began to work with Little Louie Vega of Masters At Work. In addition to productions with Masters At Work and Nuyorican Soul,[12] Mood II Swing was commissioned by major and independent labels worldwide to remix dance versions of songs from 1993 – 2003. Their notable remixes include BT's "Remember", King Britt's "The Reason", and Ultra Naté's Found A Cure, which they also wrote and produced originally.[13]
Mood II Swing produced many remixes in the 1990s and early 2000s,[14][15] remixing about 300 tracks and producing about 100 original songs. Their music was included in the Strictly Rhythm 25 Year Anniversary compilation, Strictly DJ T: 25 Years Of Strictly Rhythm, released in March 2015. Their original productions as Mood II Swing include "Closer" and "All Night Long". Their original track "Do It Your Way" and their original production "Closer" featuring Carol Sylvan were included on For The Love Of House Volume 2, released by Defected Records in 2013.
In 1993, under the name Urbanized, Lem & John entered the world of dance music, producing the song titled "Helpless" featuring vocalist Silvano, which Mercury Records picked up from the NY independent label, Maxi Records. The late manager Jazz Summers, who represented Lisa Stansfield at the time, signed it to the UK's Big Life Records and became interested in developing an Urbanized album that never materialized.
In 1995, Lem Springsteen produced The Wall of Sound, featuring Gerald Lethan's single Run to Me,[16] and a live band album called Storybook, featuring Gerald Lethan. However, the label wasn't interested in pushing a live band neo-soul type album.
In 1995, Springsteen was listed in the production credits for a track on Janet Jackson's remix album Janet Remixed, on which he played keyboards for David Morales on his remix of "Throb". The album went platinum in the UK. He also played and sang background vocals for Satoshi Tomiie's remix of "Romantic Call" by Queen Latifah and Patra. He played experimental keys for KRS-One's production for Mad Lion, recorded at Bass Hit Recording Studios in New York City. He's done dance remixes for major and independent artists in America and Europe. Mood II Swing's most noteworthy vocal remix is "Don't Mess With My Man" by Lucy Pearl.[citation needed]
Mood II Swing dissolved in 2008 in order for Springsteen and Ciafone to pursue individual interests. In 2010, Springsteen set up an indie imprint called Urban Lounge Music and has released several solo tracks and remixes, including Joi Cardwell's "Feels Like Heaven", Vanessa Daou's "Trouble Comes", and Information Society's "Running 2K14".
www.lemspringsteen.com
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter and dance and music producer. He is best known as part of the house production duo Mood II Swing. In 1997, he co-wrote and co-produced Ultra Naté's hit song "Free", a dance-pop-influenced disco track released on the Strictly Rhythm label. The song peaked at number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts, and charted in several other countries. The song has appeared on several '90s music compilation albums and was featured on the soundtracks for Chasing Liberty and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Lea Lorien is an American female singer/songwriter from New York City, New York who is the daughter of guitarist Carlos Alomar and singer Robin Clark (both were performers on David Bowie's 1975 Young Americans album, which featured Alomar's guitar performance on "Fame"). She is the uncredited vocalist on David Morales' 2004 number one Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play song "How Would U Feel", from the 2 Worlds Collide CD, on which she performs four other tracks. The song charted at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004. It also went on to feature in the "Episodes from Liberty City" expansions for Grand Theft Auto IV as the first track to play on the reformatted version of the Vladivostok FM radio station. Lea Lorien's "Not Easy" appears on Independent Soul Divas released September 2008 (Lola Waxx Records (UK)). The song first appeared on Lem Springsteen's Terminal Love album on which Lea was a featured vocalist. She is also the voice of Sunny Funny in the sequel to the original PaRappa game, PaRappa the Rapper 2 for the PlayStation 2.
"Free" is a song by American recording artist Ultra Naté, released on March 31, 1997, through record label Strictly Rhythm. It was co-written by Naté, Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone, while production was held by both Springsteen and Ciafone. "Free" was served as the lead single from her third studio album, Situation: Critical (1997). Musically, the song is a house-influenced song that incorporates strong 1990s soul, dance-pop, garage and disco. The accompanying music video was directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, depicting Naté in an abandoned hospital. "Free" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who commended Naté's vocal ability and the production, and has received several accolades since its release; it has been noted as one of the best dance anthems during the 1990s decade. It became Naté's most successful single to date, charting in many countries around the world. "Free" reached number-one in Italy, and peaked inside the top ten in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It also charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 75, but reached number-one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Ultra Naté performed the song in various TV-shows, like the British music chart television programme Top of the Pops, where she performed several times. "Free" won her two awards in the categories of Best House/Garage 12-inch and Best Pop 12-inch Dance Record at the 1998 International Dance Music Awards. In 2025, Billboard magazine ranked "Free" among "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" and "The 50 Best House Songs of All Time".
"Beautiful People" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Barbara Tucker, who co-wrote it with India, Lem Springsteen and "Little" Louie Vega, who along with partner Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, co-produced the track. It was released on March 2, 1994, as her first single by Strictly Rhythm Records, and was also Tucker's first of seven number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, reaching the top spot on April 16, 1994. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 23, while it topped both the Music Week Dance Singles chart and the UK Club Chart. Mixmag featured "Beautiful People" in their list of "The 30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018, and Pitchfork featured it in their list of "The 30 Best House Tracks of the '90s" in 2022.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
