Birthday Celebrations — September 6

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 6 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Buddy Bolden

Full name: Charles Joseph Bolden

Born September 6, 1877 — died November 4, 1931

Cornetist, bandleader, and early jazz pioneer.

The National Park Service identifies "King" Bolden’s New Orleans band as generally the first to play the music later called jazz; no recordings survive, but every jazz musician since stands in his echo.

Sylvester

Full name: Sylvester James Jr.

Born September 6, 1947 — died December 16, 1988

Singer, disco pioneer, and LGBTQ trailblazer.

The "Queen of Disco" made "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" a dance-floor scripture and lived gender-defying decades ahead of his time, leaving his royalties to HIV/AIDS charities.

Michaëlle Jean

Born September 6, 1957

Journalist and former governor general of Canada.

A Haitian-born refugee turned acclaimed broadcaster, Jean became the first Black person to serve as Canada’s governor general, later leading the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

Michael Winslow

Full name: Michael Leslie Winslow

Born September 6, 1958

Actor, comedian, and vocal sound-effects artist.

The "Man of 10,000 Sound Effects" turned the human voice into a special-effects studio across the Police Academy franchise.

Rosie Perez

Full name: Rosa María Perez

Born September 6, 1964

Actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist.

From her Do the Right Thing debut to an Oscar nomination for Fearless, the Bushwick-raised Puerto Rican star also shaped hip-hop dance as In Living Color’s choreographer.

Macy Gray

Birth name: Natalie Renée McIntyre

Born September 6, 1967

Singer, songwriter, and actress.

Gray’s unmistakable rasp made "I Try" a Grammy-winning era-definer across a fearless genre-blending career.

CeCe Peniston

Full name: Cecilia Veronica Peniston

Born September 6, 1969

Singer and songwriter.

Peniston’s "Finally" became one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s and a permanent staple of celebration.

Darryl Anthony

Born September 6, 1969

Singer and member of Az Yet.

Anthony was a founding member of the Philadelphia R&B group behind "Last Night" and the hit cover of "Hard to Say I’m Sorry."

Daniele Gaither

Born September 6, 1970

Actress and comedian.

Gaither became MADtv’s longest-tenured Black woman cast member, with a busy voice-acting career beyond sketch.

Idris Elba

Full name: Idrissa Akuna Elba

Born September 6, 1972

Actor, producer, DJ, and humanitarian.

Elba created two of modern television’s defining characters — Stringer Bell in The Wire and Luther — en route to global leading-man status.

Justina Machado

Full name: Justina Milagros Machado

Born September 6, 1972

Afro-Puerto Rican actress.

Machado anchored One Day at a Time as Penelope Alvarez after her acclaimed run on Six Feet Under.

Anika Noni Rose

Born September 6, 1972

Tony-winning actress and singer.

Rose won the Tony for Caroline, or Change, starred in Dreamgirls, and voiced Tiana — Disney’s first Black princess.

Naomie Harris

Full name: Naomie Melanie Harris

Born September 6, 1976

British actress.

Harris earned an Oscar nomination for Moonlight and modernized Moneypenny in the James Bond films.

N.O.R.E.

Full name: Victor James Santiago Jr.

Born September 6, 1977

Afro-Puerto Rican rapper and media personality.

Half of Capone-N-Noreaga and the voice of "Superthug," N.O.R.E. reinvented himself as host of Drink Champs, hip-hop’s living-room archive.

Foxy Brown

Birth name: Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand

Born September 6, 1978

Rapper and songwriter.

A platinum star at 17 with Ill Na Na, Foxy Brown helped define an era when women commanded the rap charts.

Joseph Yobo

Full name: Joseph Michael Yobo

Born September 6, 1980

Nigerian footballer and national team captain.

Yobo anchored Everton’s defense for a decade and became the first Super Eagle to reach 100 caps, lifting the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Deborah Joy Winans

Full name: Deborah Joy Imani Winans

Born September 6, 1983

Actress and singer.

A member of gospel’s first family, Winans starred as Charity Greenleaf on OWN’s Greenleaf.

John Wall

Full name: Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr.

Born September 6, 1990

Five-time NBA All-Star point guard.

The 2010 first overall pick became the face of the Washington Wizards, known equally for end-to-end speed and deep charitable roots in D.C.