Langston Hughes, poet
Feb. 1, 1902-May 22, 1967
Langston's Train Ride by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins (Orchard, 2004)
When Hughes was eighteen, he took a train from Ohio to Mexico. During his journey he wrote one of his most famous poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. This is the story of that ride and creation of that poem.
PoetryFoundation.org hosts several of Hughes’ poems.
Don Everly, musician
Feb. 1, 1937-
Shake, Rattle & Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)
In a page of text devoted to The Everly Brothers, readers learn Phil and his brother Don started out singing country but crossed over to rock and roll. Wake Up Little Susie was one of their biggest hits.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, a timeline and short bio of The Everly Brothers is posted at RockHall.com.
