Gaye Adegbalola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gaye Adegbalola
Adegbalola in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Gaye Todd
Born	(1944-03-21) March 21, 1944 (age 81) Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Blues
Occupation(s)	Singer guitarist
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Alligator

Gaye Adegbalola (born Gaye Todd on March 21, 1944) is an American blues singer and guitarist. She is also a dedicated teacher, speaker, and activist. Gaye is known for her powerful music and her work to help others.

Early Life and Learning

Gaye Adegbalola was born on March 21, 1944, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her father, Clarence R. Todd, was a jazz musician. He was also the first Black person on the school board in Fredericksburg. He started a performing arts group for young Black people called "Souls of Shade." Today, this group is known as "Harambee 360° Experimental Theater."

Gaye's mother, Gladys P. Todd, was an early leader in the local civil rights movement. She often brought home old jazz records for young Gaye.

School Days and Activism

Gaye went to a separate high school for Black students called Walker-Grant High School. She was the top student in her class when she graduated in 1961. While in high school, she took part in many sit-in protests and picket lines. These were important actions in the civil rights movement.

After high school, she went to Boston University. There, she earned a degree in biology.

Music and Career Highlights

After college, Gaye Adegbalola had many different jobs. She worked as a writer for TRW Systems. She was also a researcher at Rockefeller University. Later, she worked as a scientist studying bacteria at Harlem Hospital. She even represented her local union there. These jobs were very different from her first job as a teenager, working at a laundry for a small wage.

From 1966 to 1970, she was involved in the Black Power Movement in New York. She helped organize the Harlem Committee on Self-Defense. During this time, she met important people like Audre Lorde.

Returning Home to Teach

In 1970, Gaye returned to Fredericksburg. She taught science and creative thinking classes in local schools. She also helped her father direct the Harambee Theater. Sometimes, she even acted in the plays herself. She continued this work until her father passed away in 1977.

That same year, Gaye started learning to play the guitar. She had already learned the flute in her high school band. In 1978, she earned her Master's degree in Educational Media from Virginia State University. In 1982, she was named Virginia's Teacher of the Year. She spent much of the 1980s leading workshops for teachers. These workshops focused on ways to motivate students and improve teaching.

Forming Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women

In 1984, Gaye Adegbalola and her guitar teacher, Ann Rabson, formed a blues duo. They called themselves Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women. Later, Earlene Lewis joined them to make a trio. In 1992, Andra Faye replaced Earlene Lewis.

Saffire recorded their first album, Middle Age Blues, in 1987. It included songs like "They Call Me Miss Thang." The next year, Gaye became a full-time blues performer. In 1990, the band recorded their first album for Alligator Records. They won the "Song of the Year" W.C. Handy Award for their song "Middle Age Blues Boogie."

Solo Work and Recognition

During the 1990s, Gaye led workshops about different parts of blues music. She also reported on blues music for the World Cafe program on National Public Radio. In 1998, she helped start the Steering Committee of the Blues Music Association.

Her first solo album, Bitter Sweet Blues, came out in 1999. This album had her own songs, like "You Don't Have to Take It (Like I Did)." It also included cover versions of songs by famous artists like Bessie Smith and Nina Simone.

Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women decided to stop performing together in 2009. However, Gaye Adegbalola continued to work on her own music projects. In 2018, she was honored as one of the Library of Virginia's Virginia Women in History.

Personal Life and Heritage

In 1992, Gaye faced a health challenge. She was diagnosed with a type of cancer, but she thankfully recovered.

In the late 1960s, while living in Harlem, Gaye married Olumide. Her son, Juno Lumumba Kahlil, was born in 1969. He later became known in the goth/industrial music world.

Her last name, Adegbalola, was given to her by a Yoruba priest in 1968. In the Yoruba language, it means "I am reclaiming my royalty." Gaye uses this name to show her pride in her Black heritage.

Discography

• Bitter Sweet 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)