Meet All the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame Inductees So Far

Louise Shropshire

The newest inductee into the Black Music Walk of Fame and the first of 2023, Louise Shropshire was a local composer known for her hymn, “If My Jesus Wills,” which is credited for inspiring the Civil Rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”

The granddaughter of slaves, Shropshire was born Louise Jarrett to a family of sharecroppers in Coffee County, Alabama, in 1913. When Shropshire was around 4 years old, she and her family moved to the West End in Cincinnati. She showed a gift for music early in her life and would go on to compose many hymns and become the choir director at her Baptist church – her skills at which would draw the attention of “the father of Black gospel music,” Rev. Thomas Dorsey.

Dorsey met Shropshire at the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC) in Cincinnati in 1935 and was so impressed by her talents that he asked her to direct the mass choir segment of the NCGCC and perform with her family singing group, The Humble Three. Shropshire and Dorsey would remain friends after this meeting, and even composed the hymn “Behold the Man of Galilee” together.

Shropshire would also later open her own music store, You Name It Sound Shop, and launch her own record label. In the ‘50s, she met and befriended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would adapt Shropshire’s most famous hymn, “If My Jesus Wills,” to help unite the Civil Rights movement.

Louise Shropshire

Shropshire composed “If My Jesus Wills,” sometime between 1932 and 1942 and had it copyrighted in Cincinnati in 1954. The lyrics – "I'll overcome, I'll overcome, I'll overcome someday. Oh yes, if my Jesus wills, I do believe I'll overcome someday." – played a critical part in the formation of “We Shall Overcome,” called “the most powerful song of the 20th Century” by the Library of Congress. However, the folk musicians, like Pete Seeger, who copyrighted “We Shall Overcome” copyrighted it as a derivative work and never named Shropshire as the original composer. It wouldn’t be until Shropshire’s grandson, Robert A. Goins Shropshire, asked his former bandmate and music producer Isaias Gamboa to help prove his grandmother’s claim.

Gamboa said he was skeptical at first, but it became apparent that Louise Shropshire’s famous hymn was the origin of “We Shall Overcome.”

“The melodies are different because her song was a choral arrangement. … The song ‘If My Jesus Wills’ was very popular and was sung all over the country at the time, and there were cities that had different iterations of the song,” Gamboa told UC Magazine. Gamboa also wrote a book called We Shall Overcome – Sacred Song on the Devil’s Tongue that traces the choral history of “If My Jesus Wills."

Beyond her musical influence during the Civil Rights movement, Shropshire was also an activist during the era. Her husband, Robert Shropshire Sr., ran a successful bail bonds business, which Louise would use to help raise funds to bail out other activists. Her legacy for helping others now lives on in her grandchildren’s nonprofit, the Louise Shropshire Foundation, and Gamboa’s We Shall Overcome Foundation. A mural, called A Song of Freedom, dedicated to Shropshire and her work can be found at 3630 Reading Road in Avondale, and the University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library is home to a collection of documents from Shropshire’s life, including her original compositions.

Bootsy Collins

Legendary funkateer Bootsy Collins was one of the Black Music Walk of Fame’s inaugural inductees in 2021. Born in Cincinnati, Bootsy is one of the best representatives of the Queen City’s music scene, especially in the heyday of King Records. He’s largely heralded as the greatest bassist in the funk and R&B genres and is recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as the fourth-greatest bassist of all time.

Throughout his 50-year career, Bootsy has played bass with James Brown, George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic and a host of other musical icons. His signature funky bass-driven songwriting style is the foundation of G-funk, an early ’90s subgenre of gangster rap perfected by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G.

Bootsy Collins

While Bootsy’s musical legacy is nationally renowned, he’s never forgotten his roots in Cincinnati. Considered one of the “Three Kings,” he’s been involved with efforts to preserve King Records’ legacy as an essential component in modern music history, and he’s performed half-time shows at Paycor Stadium during Bengals games, as well as released the song "Fear Da Tiger" ahead of the Bengals’ run at the Super Bowl in 2022.

And the starry-eyed musician isn’t slowing down anytime soon. For his 71st birthday, Bootsy released his latest album, Funk Not Fight, an anti-violence and bullying message that encourages art instead of conflict. In conjunction, Collins also launched a new radio show through Apple Music, and he’ll forever be immortalized thanks to a new Bootsy Collins action figure.

Otis Williams

Legendary doo-wop singer Otis Williams was part of the founding members and first class of inductees into the Black Music Walk of Fame in 2021. Williams was also crucial in maintaining the legacy of King Records.

Williams was born in Cincinnati in 1936 and started his career in music while attending Withrow High School in the ‘50s when he joined a singing group, featuring tenors Bob Smith and Rolland Bradley, baritone/tenor Joe Penn and bass Richard Parker on campus as a fill-in. They later became known as The Charms.

When Williams and the Charms were singing at a show in 1954, they caught the attention of Syd Nathan, the owner of King Records. Nathan only wanted to sign Williams at first, but Williams insisted the others be signed as well, leading them to be signed with King Records subsidiary Rockin’ Records in Florida.

Otis Williams

The Charms released their first record “Heaven Only Knows,” but didn’t see success until 1954 when they released “Heart of Stone” under the new King Records subsidiary, De Luxe Records. “Heart of Stone" topped the R&B charts, staying at No. 1 for nine weeks and selling over a million copies. It also made it to No. 15 on the pop charts.

The group had other R&B charters throughout the ‘50s and toured with big names like The Clovers and Big Joe Turner. But the group split in 1955 when De Luxe owner Henry Stone convinced the other members of the Charms that they could succeed without Williams, joining Stone’s new label Chart.

Williams continued singing with De Luxe, now credited as Otis Williams and His Charms, releasing another hit in 1956 called “Ivory Tower.” However, the group split up after Williams was drafted to the Army. Williams would record sporadically during leave. He retired from music in 1963, but returned two years later to record soul music for the label Okeh.

After another break from music in which Williams became a barber and moved to Nashville, he met Pete Drake, a producer for Stop Records, who bet Williams he couldn’t make a country album that would sell, giving rise to the 1971 album Otis Williams and the Midnight Cowboys.

In the ‘90s, Williams went back to his roots as a harmony singer and began touring with a new group of Charms. He was inducted to the United in Group Harmony Association Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2018 received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 'Celebrate the King: The Gala' at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine.

The Isley Brothers

One of the founding members and first inductees into the Black Music Walk of Fame is the band The Isley Brothers. Cincinnati-born brothers O’Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald and Veron Isley first formed the band as a teenage gospel quartet in the mid-’50s but quit performing after Vernon, 13 at the time, was hit and killed by a car while riding his bike. But in 1957, the three remaining brothers moved to New York City at the encouragement of their parents and hit it big as a rock and roll group, with their 1959 single and album “Shout!” becoming a massive success.

The Isley Brothers found success in rock and roll throughout the ‘60s and worked with and influenced some of music’s biggest names, like Jimi Hendrix, who toured with the Isley Brothers as a backing guitarist, and The Beatles (Paul McCartney once said, “If it were not for the Isley Brothers, the Beatles would still be in Liverpool.”). The group worked with Berry Gordy of Motown Records on two albums before forming their own label, T-Neck Records, and releasing their music independently, redefining the R&B genre forever.

The Isley Brothers

In 1973, the younger Isley brothers Ernie and Marvin joined the band, along with brother-in-law Chris Jasper, contributing to some of the group's biggest hits, including “That Lady,” “Fight the Power” (which was later used in Public Enemy’s song of the same name) and “Summer Breeze.” Never afraid of adapting with the times, the band covered the spectrum of R&B music, incorporating disco in the late ‘70s and the slow jams of the ‘90s, as well as soul and funk.

The Isley Brothers have won several Grammys throughout their six-decade-long career, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2014. They were also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. And today, you can still see Ron and Ernie Isley on tour. In 2022, the brothers released the album Make Me Say it Again, Girl with collaborations from Beyoncé, Earth, Wind & Fire, El DeBarge and Snoop Dogg. And in Pendleton, you can visit the mural dedicated to the Cincinnati natives, inscribed with their lyrics “It’s Your Thing, Do What You Want to Do.”

Dr. Charles Fold

Dr. Charles Fold, a revolutionary gospel artist from Cincinnati, was also included in the inaugural class and as a founding member of the Black Music Walk of Fame.

Fold was born in Lincoln Heights in 1938, and as a child, he taught himself how to play piano. In the ‘50s, he accompanied James Cleveland and the Meditation Singers of Detroit, later formally learning how to play the piano at the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music. But Fold had also found a love of singing gospel music, and in 1962 he and his group, the Gospel Messengers, recorded a single, “He’ll Fight Your Battles/Meet Me at the River of Jordan” for Peacock Records.

The group later signed with Savoy Records and recorded the album I’m Going to Make It for Savoy subsidiary Gospel Records. The title track of that album became one of Fold’s most popular songs.

Dr. Charles Fold

Fold later put together the choir the Charles Fold Singers, who came onto the national scene when they partnered with Rev. James Cleveland on “Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” the title track on a double album recorded at Bible Way Church of God in Christ in Cincinnati. That album made it onto Billboard’s Top Spiritual Albums chart and won Top Gospel Album of the Year in 1976.

In 2002, the Charles Fold Singers were inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Fold also remained an active member of Cleveland’s Gospel Music Workshop of America and was its Cincinnati chapter’s president, board member of the national organization and co-chairman of the international chapters. He was also the music minister at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church and was active in both church life and music until his death in 2006.

Midnight Star

This synth-funk group from Kentucky was part of the 2022 class of Black Music Walk of Fame inductees. Formed in the ‘70s at Kentucky State University, the band first featured brothers Reginald and Vincent Calloway, who played the trumpet and trombone, respectively. Belinda Lipscomb performed as their vocalist.

Midnight Star signed with RCA and in 1980 released their first album, aptly named The Beginning. Their second album, Victory was released under Solar’s label in 1982, and guitarist Melvin Gentry and drummer Bobby Lovelace joined the group, as did Kenneth Gant on bass and Bo Watson on the keyboard.

Midnight Star

Throughout the early ‘80s, the Calloway brothers’ production skills helped push Midnight Star’s songs onto the R&B charts, and their single “Freak-a-Zoid” made it to No. 2 on R&B chart in 1983, pushing its LP, No Parking on the Dance Floor, to platinum status, and “Operator” from their fourth album, Planetary Invasion, made it all the way to No. 18 on the Top 40 chart.

Unfortunately, after the departure of the Calloway brothers in 1988, Midnight Star’s star faded. They released their second-to-last album, Work it Out, in 1990 and then went dark until releasing their final album, 15th Avenue, in 2002. But Midnight Star’s members continued working on collaborations with each other, as well as touring. And in 2013, they put out the single “Unity,” a collaboration with Bootsy Collins, Shirley Murdock, Zapp and Eddie Levert.

Penny Ford

The daughter of former King Records producer and record executive Gene Redd Sr., singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Penny Ford’s musical roots in Cincinnati run deep. She was inducted into the Black Music Walk of Fame in 2022.

Ford was born in Cincinnati in 1964 and grew up being inspired by the musicians her father worked with, like James Brown and Kool and the Gang. She began learning piano at the age of 5 and performed in talent shows throughout the area.

During her summer vacation from school in 1979, Ford went out on the Parliament-Funkadelic's World Funk Tour with Zapp. The next year, she did shows in Japan, stopping in Los Angeles on the way back to Cincinnati for a job doing demos for Jobete, the music-publishing division of Motown Records. She became an in-demand vocalist and signed under Total Experience Records as Pennye Ford. Her first album Pennye had two songs hit the R&B charts, “Dangerous” and “Change Your Wicked Ways.”

Penny Ford

Other than being a solo artist, Ford was also the lead singer for the band Klymaxx, joined the SOS Band for a bit and then became the principal background singer for Chaka Khan, which ultimately led to her becoming part of the Eurodance band Snap!

Ford garnered international fame as Snap!’s lead singer. Their debut album, World Power, had four hits written by Ford – “The Power,” “Mary Had a Little Boy,” “Oops Up” and “Cult of Snap,” which together sold 9 million copies.

Ford left Snap! a year later and was the center of a record label bidding war. She ultimately signed with Columbia/Sony and released her second solo album, Penny Ford, in 1992. Around that time, she was also recording with British band Soul II Soul.

In 2006, Ford returned to Snap! and began performing with them again, continuing to do session and concert work throughout the United States and Europe.

Hi-Tek

Cincinnati hip hop icon Hi-Tek’s legend began when he established his singular production sound with Cincy’s own Mood, as well as his early work with Mos Def and Talib Kweli. From there, Tek became one of the more in-demand producers in Hip Hop, working with 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Dr. Dre, among many others. He was inducted into the Black Music Walk of Fame in 2022.

Hi-Tek was born Tony Cottrell in Cincinnati in 1976. His father is Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band.

Hi-Tek got his start in the ‘90s, learning how to craft beats from local mentors like Ravi T, J-Fresh, and Sen Sai. In 1992, he collaborated with Mood on the song “Hustle on the Side,” which helped the group get a record deal.

Through his work with Mood, Hi-Tek met Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli. The two became friends and collaborated under the name Reflection Eternal for the 2000 album Trains of Thought. Hi-Tek also produced most of the songs on Kweli and Mos Def’s 1998 album Black Star, putting him on the map as a producer

Hi-Tek

Rawkus, the label behind Trains of Thought and Black Star, gave Hi-Tek a solo spotlight in 2001 with Hi-Teknology, which featured up-and-coming MCs, including some from the Queen City. He also produced tracks for famous hip hop artists like Snoop Dogg and Blackalicious and R&B and soul singer-songwriter Raphael Saadiq.

In 2006, Hi-Tek released Hi-Teknology 2 under the label Babygrande. It featured artists like Nas, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and Kweli. Hi-Teknology 3 followed in 2007.

Wilbert Longmire

Wilbert Longmire was an R&B and soul jazz guitarist who came on the music scene in Cincinnati in the ‘60s. He was part of the 2022 class of inductees into the Black Music Walk of Fame.

Born in Alabama in 1940, Longmire’s family moved to Cincinnati when he was 3. Longmire’s early career included King Records studio work and stints in the bands of organists Hank Marr and Trudy Pitts, as well as sessions for 1969 albums by Jean-Luc Ponty and Gerald Wilson. Longmire’s first album as leader was 1969’s Revolution, released on the World Pacific Jazz label and featuring arrangements by Joe Sample of songs by The Beatles, James Brown and others.

After early ’70s work with saxophonist Rusty Bryant and organist Bill Mason, Longmire’s friend George Benson — a Jazz superstar following the release of his massively successful 1976 album Breezin’ — recommended Longmire to musician/composer Bob James, who was starting his own label, Tappan Zee Records. With help from James (whose “Angela” found success as the theme song of the TV show Taxi) and top-of-the-line session players like Michael and Randy Brecker and David Sanborn, Longmire (who also sang) released three albums for the label: 1978’s Sunny Side Up, 1979’s Champagne and 1980’s With All My Love.

Wilbert Longmire

Longmire returned to Cincinnati and became entrenched in the local Jazz scene, performing and acting (as he long had) as a supporter and mentor to other musicians. He is said to have offered a young Bootsy Collins one of his first jobs — following his death in 2018, just searching his name on Facebook brought up a wealth of heartfelt posts of gratitude and admiration from a variety of musicians in the area.

Longmire’s various recordings have been reissued and many tracks have been featured on compilations over the years, as he was considered a big part of the roots of jazz funk, smooth jazz and acid jazz. His releases are also popular among “crate-digger” DJs and producers — according to the site whosampled.com, artists like Atmosphere and The Foreign Exchange have used Longmire samples in their work.

Longmire contributed to Cincinnati jazz compilations released by the local J Curve label in the late ’90s/early ’00s, and in 2001 he was given a lifetime achievement award from the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Cammys alongside fellow guitarists Cal Collins and Adrian Belew.