A an online presentation of sculptor Alan LeQuire's Cultural Heroes--exhibited at Nashville Public Library January 23 - May 31, 2009.

1. Alan LeQuire: Nashville Public Library January 23 - May 31, 2009 Cultural Heroes

3. (1895 – 1937) Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Bessie Smith began as a street performer and became one of the most successful vaudeville artists of the 1920s. Her recordings have had a tremendous influence on many blues and jazz artists. Bessie Smith Bessie Smith By Alan LeQuire Painted plaster

4. (1915 – 1959) One of the greatest jazz vocalists of the twentieth century, Billie Holiday faced many hardships throughout her life. She was one of the first black female singers to work with a white orchestra and to perform at Carnegie Hall. Billie Holiday Billie Holiday By Alan LeQuire Painted plaster

5. (1912 – 1967) A prolific writer and performer, Woody Guthrie was a folk singer who transformed the ballad into a vehicle for social protest. He traveled the country during the Depression singing and writing about the hardships endured by poor people and migrant workers. Woody Guthrie Woody Guthrie By Alan LeQuire Painted plaster

6. (1888 – 1949) Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly , was a musical virtuoso, a dynamic performer, and a prolific song writer. While in prison in Louisiana he was "discovered" by John and Alan Lomax who recorded him for the Library of Congress. His vast songbook has remained an important resource and inspiration for many subsequent artists. Lead Belly Lead Belly By Alan LeQuire Painted plaster

7. (1898 – 1976) Despite the racism he fought throughout his life, Paul Robeson was a successful scholar, athlete, singer, actor, and social activist. His courage fighting against bigotry and inequality was an example for the civil rights activists of the 1960s. Paul Robeson Paul Robeson By Alan LeQuire Painted plaster