Dr. John Spruill III Temporary Faculty Instructor, California State University, Los Angeles; California State University, Dominguez Hills
Location:
Inglewood,
CA United States Joined:
Aug 12th, 2014
A native of Virginia Beach, VA, John III was born an only child to John and Angela Spruill in Norfolk, VA. As the son of a father who was a marching band drummer, and a mother who was a music major in college, it is obvious why Dr. Spruill could not escape a passion for music. When hip-hop hit the airwaves, his mom purchased Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” 12-inch vinyl for him. That was the beginning of his love affair with hip-hop.
By way of his father’s record collection, Dr. Spruill would “research” the origins of songs and artists once hip-hop became sample-heavy. He ultimately became a recording artist himself as a part of the group known as Da Dozenz. Notably, they appeared on an Immortal/Sony Records LP titled “The Next Chapter”, with a song which charted in various regions nationally. As a result, he performed alongside Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, and various other household names when they were positioning themselves to become icons, but always continued to ensure that his educational foundation was firm.
After graduating from Hampton University with a degree in Political Science, Dr. Spruill remained at Hampton to complete a master’s degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. He then went on to Purdue University to complete the nation’s first and only dual-title doctoral degree meshing Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Gerontology, and then returned to his beloved Hampton University to teach in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders department for two years. Dr. Spruill then relocated to Los Angeles, where he now teaches at California State University, Los Angeles, as well as California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Dr. Spruill remains a creator of music, but now puts more emphasis on the overall preservation of the hip-hop culture, specifically by injecting it with responsible contributions. While higher education has allowed him to become co-author of several published research studies, and a presenter at various conferences, he has most recently served as chief editor of the highly acclaimed “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked” by Gene Thornton, formerly known as “Malice” of the Grammy-nominated group, Clipse.
Dr. Spruill is also currently involved in developing shows, and several other culturally-based preservation projects, one of which is documenting the unsung history of the influential Solar Records, and another which focuses on the hip-hop history of Los Angeles.
Dr. John Spruill III married his wife, Stacy, in 2012, in Los Angeles where he currently resides. He has had the opportunity to interview several notable figures for www.professu.com with co-founder Dr. John Hamilton. Dr. Spruill also added chief editor to his accomplishments after working alongside Gene "No Malice" Thornton, Jr. formerly of the hip-hop group, Clipse, on his book, "Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked".
Temporary Faculty Instructor, Communication Sciences and Disorders|
California State University Dominguez Hills
From June 2011 to Current • 15 year(s)
Teaching faculty position in Communication Sciences and Disorders department.
Temporary Faculty Instructor, Department of Communication Disorders|
California State University Los Angeles
From September 2010 to Current • 16 year(s)
Teaching faculty position in Communication Disorders department.
Assistant Professor, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders|
Hampton University
From September 2008 to December 2010 • 2 year(s)
Assistant professor teaching and research in Communicative Sciences and Disorders.
Graduate Instructor|
Purdue University
From September 2005 to December 2005 • 0 year(s)
Taught AUS 430: Speech Language Disorders in Health Care Settings.
Research Assistant|
Purdue University
From January 2005 to May 2005 • 0 year(s)
Research assistant in Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences.
Graduate Instructor|
Purdue University
From September 2004 to December 2004 • 0 year(s)
Taught AUS 430: Speech Language Disorders in Health Care Settings.
Research Assistant|
Purdue University
From January 2004 to May 2004 • 0 year(s)
Research assistant in Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences.
Teaching Assistant|
Purdue University
From January 2003 to May 2003 • 0 year(s)
Teaching assistant for AUS 502: Fundamentals of Speech Production and Perception.
Teaching Assistant|
Purdue University
From January 2002 to May 2002 • 0 year(s)
Teaching assistant for AUS 502: Fundamentals of Speech Production and Perception.
Teaching Assistant|
Purdue University
From January 2001 to May 2001 • 0 year(s)
Teaching assistant for AUS 302: Acoustic Bases of Speech and Hearing.
"Keep exploring. Keep dreaming. Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world." —President Obama
Tagged by
Ralph White on 07/26/2015
