She was slim and trim, thick hair, a bit of a native pretty look to her eyes, never needed makeup and could sing like angels calling from heaven.Very different from the startOn January 19, 1943, a baby girl was born in Port Arthur, Texas. Her parents were everyday working folks and perfectly normal. Her mother, Dorothy, worked at a local college, and her father, Seth, was an engineer at Texaco.The family was deeply religious and sought a quiet, God-centered life. But it quickly became clear that their daughter was different from other kids. She demanded more attention and had a unique spark that set her apart.

From an early age, it was obvious she was drawn to unconventional people and determined to carve her own path.The artist grew up in a deeply segregated town, at a time when integration was fiercely debated — this was the era of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. They and their friends stood out as the town’s intellectual liberals, curious about the world and eager to understand the African-American experience. They devoured beatnik literature, soaked in jazz, and listened closely to folk blues.