Birthday Celebrations — October 11

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on October 11 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

R. Nathaniel Dett

Full name: Robert Nathaniel Dett

Born October 11, 1882 — died October 2, 1943

Canadian-born American composer, pianist, and educator.

Dett combined European concert forms with the musical resources of African American spirituals. At Hampton Institute he developed choral performance and music education while arguing that Black folk traditions deserved serious artistic study. His compositions and teaching helped carry those traditions into concert halls and formal musical training.

Art Blakey

Full name: Art Blakey; also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina

Born October 11, 1919 — died October 16, 1990

Jazz drummer and bandleader.

Blakey’s Jazz Messengers helped define hard bop and became an informal training ground for generations of musicians. Players including Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, and Wynton Marsalis developed in his bands. His forceful drumming and insistence on musical communication made performance and mentorship inseparable parts of his legacy.

Lester Bowie

Born October 11, 1941 — died November 8, 1999

Jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.

Bowie helped expand the expressive range of jazz trumpet through the Art Ensemble of Chicago and his group Brass Fantasy. Connected to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, he treated experimentation, theatrical presentation, and Black musical history as compatible parts of performance rather than separate categories.

Lennie James

Born October 11, 1965

Black British actor and writer.

James became internationally familiar as Morgan Jones in The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. He also created and starred in Save Me, extending his work beyond performance into authorship. His earlier television writing includes Storm Damage, which drew attention to young people navigating the care system.

Orlando “El Duque” Hernández

Full name: Orlando Hernández Pedroso

Born October 11, 1965 (1969 also listed)

Afro-Cuban baseball pitcher.

Hernández established himself in Cuban baseball before joining the New York Yankees. He became known for postseason pitching and played on four World Series championship teams, three with New York and one with the Chicago White Sox. His story connects Cuban baseball, migration, and success in the major leagues.

MC Lyte

Full name: Lana Michele Moorer

Born October 11, 1970

Rapper, songwriter, actress, and broadcaster.

MC Lyte’s 1988 album Lyte as a Rock established her as a pioneering solo woman in recorded hip-hop. Her precise delivery and direct storytelling continued through recordings including Ruffneck. Her later acting and broadcast work extended a career that helped enlarge the space available to women in rap.

Mike Conley Jr.

Born October 11, 1987

Professional basketball point guard.

Conley became a central playmaker during Memphis’s sustained run of competitive teams and later earned his first NBA All-Star selection in 2021 with Utah. His long career illustrates the value of organizing an offense, making decisions under pressure, and contributing consistently without always attracting the greatest public attention.

Cardi B

Full name: Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar

Born October 11, 1992

American rapper of Dominican and Trinidadian heritage.

Cardi B moved from social media and reality television into a major recording career with Bodak Yellow. Her debut album Invasion of Privacy earned the 2019 Grammy for Best Rap Album, making her the first solo woman to win that category. Her career reflects changing routes into music-industry visibility.