June is Black Music History Month

By Timothy Cox

for Westminster Patch

BALTIMORE, MD -- June is nationally recognized as Black Music Month (also known as African American Music Appreciation Month) in the United States.

This month is dedicated to celebrating the rich history and profound influence of Black musicians and their contributions to American music and culture. It was initially proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and has been celebrated annually with presidential proclamations for the past 46 years.

For June 2025, Black Music History month is significant primarily by the deaths of three major African-American musician-related personalities.

On June 3, Wayne Lewis, the lead singer and founder of soul vocal group, Atlantic Starr, died at age 68. Cause of death was not reported, but his brother Jonathan Lewis, said Wayne was running on a treadmill at a local gym, when he collapsed and transported by emergency officials where he was pronounced dead in his native White Plains, N.Y.

On June 9, iconic ‘60s bandleader/composer, Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone, passed away in his native San Francisco, at age 82 – cause of death was listed as COPD, or chronic lung failure.

On June 11, former Black Entertainment Televison & MTV personality, Ananda Lewis, died at age 52 of reported breast cancer.

Those three major deaths rocked the black music industry to its core in June 2025. Both Lewis deaths (no family relations), were unexpected and shocked many of their fans.

Though he wasn’t African-American, the music industry was also rocked by the unexpected death of music legend, Brian Wilson, founder of the 1960s surf band, the Beach Boys. Wilson, also 82 like Sly, died on June 11.

In other major Black-related entertainment news for June 2025, media mogul Byron Allen, settled a $10 billion discrimination law suit with McDonald’s. Allen had accused the fast-food giant of ‘racial stereotyping by excluding black-owned media from its advertising budget.

Additional June-related notes: Prince Rogers Nelson, was born June 7, 1958. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. He was born Aug. 29, 1958. He was 50 when he died. Prince was 57, when he died April 16, 2016.