African-American artist and musician, Lonnie Holley (b. 1950) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the 7th of 27 children and had a difficult childhood including being sent out to work at the age of 5 and living in various foster homes.

Lonnie Holley began his career as an artist by carving (in 1979) tombstones for his sister’s 2 children who had died in a house fire. From there, he made other carvings which in 1981 were displayed at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Soon his work was being bought by many institutions and has been displayed at the White House.

Lonnie Holley began his career as a musician in 2006. He released his 4th album in 2022 to critical acclaim.