BOOK LAUNCH
Daddy Knowles follows the sorrowful notes of slavery’s song
Father of Beyoncé and Solange, who launched his latest book at UCT, speaks about history, inspiration and looking forward
Mathew Knowles, father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, recently launched his latest book, The Emancipation of Slaves Through Music, at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (GSB). This is the third book for the record-label owner, professor, artist manager and author.
In conversation with Alan Gray chair and GSB professor Kurt April, Knowles spoke candidly about the role of music in oppressive conditions and his experiences of entrepreneurship in Alabama in the 1950s. “My dad would take all the copper and aluminium out of old houses and he would buy old cars and sell all the parts. My mother made $3 a day as a maid in Gaston, Alabama, and made beautiful quilts on the weekend and sold them,” he said. “My parents taught me entrepreneurship. My mother went to high school with Coretta King, the wife of Dr Martin Luther King, so she wanted to carry that torch. If I could get that grace and that knowledge, each and every one of you can — and you can have the oppo...
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