I can tell James Earls Jones' voice from anywhere. Listening to CNN 24 hours a day to feed my electionitis, I find comfort when they run his spot ~ his voice is SO soothing. I close my eyes, and have a moment of peace and joy. I feel so honored to have lived in a time where I can appreciate his talent. My son has no respect for his career. But when I was his age, there were no other colored men who were great fine actors on television capturing my generation ~ Billy Dee Williams would come later! Of course there was Richard Pryor at that time. And well, my mother googled after Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, but I felt cozy staring into James Earl Jones' blue eyes and deep, deep, mesmerizing voice. There is nothing like good bass in a voice to make the knees week!
I have had my talent many years. And trust me, there have been many who have attempted to fool us. And let's not forget to honor the other great black voices of our time like favorite Avery Brooks and more recently Dennis Haysbert. I always listen closely for when the ads or trailers call for a deep voice and either James Earl Jones was unavailable, too expensive, and I can always flush them out. It is because he is one of my favorite actors. My earliest recollection of James Earl Jones is with Diahann Carroll!
Remember that!I was especially happy because I had a Diahann Carroll lunchbox.
It was very similar to this one ~ though my lunchbox was vinyl and pink. With Diahann Carroll as "Julia" the nurse, I was on top of the world ~ okay, I am showing my age!!
“Gabriel's Fire” (1990-1991), for which he won an Emmy Award in 1991, left me so impressed with his range! I was devastated when it went off the air.
He was The Great White Hope,
Darth Vader's voice, Mufasa and starred as Admiral James Greer in Harrison's Ford's stints as Jack Ryan!
So, James Earl Jones is my choice today to Honor for Black History Month!!! Be sure to catch his latest release Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins.
And for the most comprehensive listing of his works that I could find, click here at IMDB!
4 comments:
Thank you for writing these tributes for Black History Month! Living in Europe, I miss important celebrations such as these, which were a signifiant part of my childhood in America. Just curious, is Black History Month still widely acknowledged and celebrated in the US as it was in the late seventies and eighties?
Thanks for stopping in! Black History is still widely acknowledged and celebrated ~ And somewhat moreso. With the advances of technology, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Professor, Director, Editor, Wrtier, and famed historian has taken Black History to new heights. His series "American Lives" that began in 2006, chronicles some of our most beloved black celebrities as he extracts and traces their dna! It is highly anticipated, talked about, fun and informative. Check it out here:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/
And of course, there are celebrations all around. I hope we can keep you posted!!! Enjoy!
Hello. Thanks for commenting on my blog. You have a nice blog.
I know of James Earl Jones also. I always liked him. I remember seeing him in commercials a lot over the years. His voice can command an army.
I am predicting that Obama will win in this election. So some history may be made here maybe.
Hey Mike, thanks for stopping in! Obama as President would definitely be a wondrous mark for Black History ~
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