TC“Garcia”Thompkins

Black History on this date: On this day (Feb. 15, 1961) US activists and African nationalists disrupt UN sessions to protest the slaying of Congo prime minister Patrice Lumumba.

TC Thompkins was raised in Atlanta, Texas, by his grandparents, Rayfield and Janie Davis. He attended Pruitt Elementary School and graduated Booker T. Washington High School in 1964.

After high school he went into the military and the Vietnam War. He married his wife, Ernize, after being pen pals during the war. After returning from the war, he enrolled into Bishop College in Dallas.

He pursued his dreams of working in the music industry and started working with Stax Records in Memphis.

From there he worked for ABC Dunhill Records then moved to Chicago to take a position with Capitol Records as regional director of promotions for southwest. He relocated to New York where he lived from 1978 to 1989.

While in New York, he was promoted to vice president of Epic Records and associated labels. He produced one of the most professional years in the history of Epic Records and was the number one black label in the world for three years running.

Some of the artists he worked with was Michael Jackson, Sade, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and many more.

TC is a nickname but most of his classmates know him as Garcia Thompkins. His book titled, When Radio was King, will be out this month.