The Light of Lights
	Armstrong, Louis Black American jazz musician. Equally at home as a trumpet player (from which his nickname came "Satchmo") and as a singer, he was acknowledged as the worlds leading jazz musician of his day. He was a member of the Lodge Montgomery No. 18 Prince Hall Affiliation, New York. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans known as "the Battlefield" on August 4, 1901. By the time of his death in 1971, the man known around the world as Satchmo was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz - a uniquely American art form. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon, is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today. Louis Armstrong's achievements are remarkable. During his career, he:     * developed a way of playing jazz, as an instrumentalist and a vocalist, which has had an impact on all musicians to follow;     * recorded hit songs for five decades, and his music is still heard today on television and radio and in films;     * wrote two autobiographies, more than ten magazine articles, hundreds of pages of memoirs, and thousands of letters;     * appeared in over 30 films as a gifted actor with superb comic timing and an unabashed joy of life;     * composed dozens of songs that have become jazz standards;     * performed an average of 300 concerts each year, with his frequent tours to all parts of the world earning him the nickname "Ambassador Satch"; and     * became one of the first great celebrities of the twentieth century. Through the years, Louis entertained millions, from heads of state and royalty to the kids on his stoop in Corona. Despite his fame, he lived a simple life in a working-class neighborhood. To this day, everyone loves Satchmo - just the mention of his name makes people smile.
	Nathaniel (Nat) King Cole Black American Singer and pianist. One of the most popular of black entertainers. Nat 'King' Cole was initiated in Thomas Waller Lodge No.49 Los Angeles, Prince Hall Affiliation. Nat "King" Cole had two overlapping careers. He was one of the truly great swing pianists, inspired by Earl Hines and a big influence on Oscar Peterson. And he was a superb pop ballad singer whose great commercial success in that field unfortunately resulted in him greatly de-emphasizing his piano after 1949. Perhaps if his talents had been divided between two different people. Nat Cole grew up in Chicago and, by the time he was 12, he was playing organ and singing in church; his three brothers (Eddie, Fred, and Isaac) would become jazz musicians. After making his recording debut with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers in 1936, he left Chicago to lead the band for the revival of the revue Shuffle Along, and settled in Los Angeles when the show ended. Cole struggled a bit, put together a trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince, and eventually settled in for a long residency in Hollywood. In the early days (documented on radio transcriptions), most of the group's repertoire was comprised of instrumentals, although the trio often sang jivey novelty vocals together. However, by the time the trio had its first opportunity to record for Decca in December 1940, Nat King Cole had gained more confidence in his own singing. "Sweet Lorraine" resulted from that session and the trio soon became quite popular. In future years, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Ahmad Jamal would all form piano/guitar/bass combos inspired by Cole's group.
	Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III Black American entertainer, comic and storyteller The most groundbreaking and daring comic talent, Richard Pryor was also the most controversial. He explored issues of racial inequity of his time, with great insight and depth, tackling taboo topics that mainstream white America would have preferred swept permanently under the rug while reporting on the African-American experience -- warts and all -- with honesty and conviction. Around 1981 Richard Pryor joined Henry Brown Lodge No. 22, Peoria, IL.
	From Peoria, Illinois poverty to Hollywood affluence. From abandonment by his mother to adoration from millions of fans. From a childhood in a brothel to eight marriages (twice to the same woman) and seven children. From tragedy to triumph and back again, Richard Pryor has earned the status of Legend as a masterful storyteller, a multi-talented entertainer, a comic of acerbic wit, and a survivor with no self-pity. Born December 1, 1940, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III became one of the most influential comedians in the history of comedy. Few comics today will talk about their own careers without mentioning the inspiration they received from Pryor. A talented yet controversial man, most people either love him unconditionally or hate him passionately — but few ignore him. While serving in the Army (a brief stint 1958 to 1960 that ended when he had an altercation with a fellow G.I.), Pryor performed in many amateur shows. Upon his discharge, he got his first cabaret gig at his hometown Harold's Club, where he played piano and sang — badly. Quickly realizing that audiences preferred his jokes to his singing, Pryor began working as a professional comic in clubs throughout the Midwest. Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor went to New York in 1963 and gained recognition for his club work as a stand-up, performing on the same bill as such famous personalities as Bob Dylan and Richie Havens. While in New York, Pryor also garnered some mentorship from none other than the great Woody Allen. His first foray into Las Vegas was as the opening act for Bobby Darin at the prestigious Flamingo Hotel. But hipper and more controversial than Cosby and the other Vegas acts, Pryor found it difficult to conform to the constrained Vegas format and finally walked off stage during a show at the Aladdin in 1969. On a journey to hone his voice, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California and hung out with such counter-cultural writers and personalities as Ishmael Reed and Huey P. Newton. After a couple of years in Berkeley, Pryor hit Hollywood in touch with his very unique brand of comedy. He turned to films, starring in The Busy Body with Sid Caesar, and the classic Wild in the Streets, and released his first album, Richard Pryor. More movies followed, including Lady Sings the Blues, which earned him strong notice as Billie Holliday's drug-addicted piano player. On television, Pryor headlined and received high accolades for two series: The Richard Pryor Show (NBC, 1977), which contained one of the most talked about show openings in the history of television, and the children's show Pryor's Place (1984). His work also earned him such honors as NATO Entertainer of the Year Award (National Association of Theater Owners, 1982), Lifetime Achievement Honoree for the American Comedy Awards (1992), CableACE Best Entertainment/Cultural Documentary or Informational Special (1993), NAACP Hall of Fame Award (1996), and first recipient of the prestigious annual Mark Twain Humor Prize (1998). But starring on television was not enough for this versatile entertainer and he began writing for shows as well, among them Sanford and Son and The Flip Wilson Show. But Pryor is best known and loved for his live comedy where he presents the truth as he sees it in a hyperkinetic, expletive-laced, free-form style. His subject matter includes black life on the streets, the drug culture, sex, and other topical issues, including the many tragedies of his own life (cocaine addiction, tumultuous marriages, killing his car, two heart attacks and quadruple by-pass surgery, and the famous incident of setting himself on fire from which he suffered third degree burns over 50 percent of his body ). His visit to Kenya in 1979 was life-changing and resulted in a condemnation of the word nigger. His abandonment of the word in his stage performances attracted death threats, hate mail and attacks on his home from some deranged former fans. But he stuck to his beliefs, never losing any of his funny. But Pryor's comedy has more than entertainment value. When he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Academy Award-winner Louis Gossett, Jr. credited Pryor as "the single most reason for us making it in this business. He made it possible for us [black people] to be in this business on equal terms." Composer Quincy Jones called him "a pioneer. . . who made us understand the truth about us." Indeed, Pryor's material is so socially astute and confessional that he continually expands our notions of what may be perceived as funny. In 1986, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. But that didn't stop his performing. In 1992 he could still be seen live at the renowned Comedy Store in West Hollywood, making jokes about his afflictions and his wheelchair and still painting incredible verbal pictures that stimulated the imagination of the audience so much they they actually lived and felt the experiences with him. Richard Pryor may be sidelined by MS, but he is so adamantly opposed to the use of animals in researching even his disease that he used his Christmas card to discourage donations to charities that still fund such tests. He's been honored by PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for saving baby elephants in Botswana targeted for circuses. In 2000, as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was preparing to open at Madison Square Garden, Pryor gave the Big Top's first African-American ringmaster something to think about. "While I am hardly one to complain about a young African American making an honest living," Pryor wrote in a letter to Jonathan Lee Iverson, "I urge you to ask yourself just how honorable it is to preside over the abuse and suffering of animals." Brother Richard Pryor Pryor passed away on December 10, 2005, finally succumbing to his long bout with multiple sclerosis. He suffered a heart attack and died in a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 65. He was widely commemorated as an iconoclastic comedian who transcended barriers of race and opened the door for such followers as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, and Dave Chappelle.
	OTHER FAMOUS PRINCE HALL AFFILIATED FREEMASONS Bro:. Garrett A. Morgan, Sr. inventor traffice light and gas mask Bro:. Robert Abbot - Founder of the Chicago Defender Bro:. Richard Allen - Founder/first Bishop of the A.M.E. Church Bro:. Alexander T. Augusta - First African-American to head a hospital in the U.S. Bro:. Marion Barry - Former Mayor of Washington, D.C. Bro:. William "Count" Basie - Orchestra leader/composer Bro:. James J.G. Bias - Founder of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee Bro:. Henry Blair - First Black to recieve a U.S. patent Bro:. James Herbert "Eubie" Blake - Composer/Pianist Bro:. Edward Bouchet - First Black to be elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society Bro:. William Wells Brown - First Black to publish a novel Bro:. Ossie Davis - Actor/Director/Playwrite Bro:. Martin R. Delany - First Black to matriculate from Havard Medical School/First Black Major in the U.S. Army Bro:. W.E.B. DuBois - Educator/author/historian Bro:. Alexander Dumas - Author Bro:. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington - Orchestra leader/composer Bro:. Medgar Wiley Evers - Civil Rights leader Bro:. James Forten - Abolitionist/manufacturer Bro:. Timothy Thomas Fortune - Journalist Bro:. Alex Haley - Author Bro:. William C. Handy - Composer Bro:. Matthew Henson - Explorer Bro:. Benjamin L. Hooks - Former Executive Director of the N.A.A.C.P. Bro:. Jesse Jackson - Founder of the Rainbow Coaltion and Operation Push Bro:. Maynard Jackson - First black mayor of Atlanta Bro:. John H. Johnson - Publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines Bro:. Jack Johnson - First Black heavyweight boxing champion in U.S. Bro:. Absalom Jones - First Black Priest in the Episcopal Church in U.S. Bro:. Dr. Ernest Everett Just - One of the founders of Omega Psi Phi and renowned zoologist Bro:. Don King - Boxing promotor Bro:. Lewis Howard Latimer - Inventor of the carbon filament for light Bro:. Thurgood Marshall - Former Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court Bro:. Benjamin E. Mays - Former President of Morehouse College Bro:. Leon M'Ba - First President of the Republic of Gabon Bro:. Kweisi Mfume - Executive Director of the N.A.A.C.P. Bro:. Alexander Pushkin - Poet/Novelist/Playwrite Bro:. A. Philip Randolph - Founder and First President of the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Bro:. Charles Rangel - U.S. Congressman Bro:. Joseph Jenkins Robert s -First President of the Republic of Liberia Bro:. "Sugar"Ray Robinson - Former mid/light heavyweight boxing champion Bro:. Arthur A. Schomburg - Historian/Author Bro:. Rev. Al Sharpton - Civil Rights Advocate Bro:. Carl B. Stokes - First Black Mayor of Cleveland, OH Bro:. Louis Stokes - Former U.S. Congressman Bro:. David Walker - Author of "David Walker's Appeal Bro:. Booker T. Washington - Educator and Fonder of the Tuskegee University/Institute Bro:. Daniel Hale Williams - First surgeon to perform open heart surgery Bro:. Bert Williams - Actor/Comedian Bro:. Granville T. Woods - Inventor Bro:. Andrew Young - Former Mayor of Atlanta and U.N. Abassador Bro:. Lawrence Douglass Wilder - The First Black elected Governor in this country from Virginia.