Mayme Hatcher Johnson was born in North Carolina, 1915. In 1948, Mrs. Johnson married Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, portrayed in American Gangster, the 2007 film that focused on another Harlem underworld figure, Frank Lucas.
Tag Archives: Ethel Waters
Downtown Sings Uptown With Songs From Gay Harlem At The Kaufman Music Center
This unique event, features rarities, 21st century premieres, and well-known works by Harlem’s Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Billy Strayhorn, Porter Grainger and songs popularized by Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters, and “Ma” Rainey. Continue Reading →
Albreta Hunter, Ethel Waters, ‘Ma’ Rainey And More Are The “Songs From Gay Harlem”
NYFOS premieres a fascinating new program called Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do: Songs from Gay Harlem, revealing the musical heart of a subculture within a subculture.
Al “Hirschfeld’s Harlem,” A Rare Picture Window Into Harlem Renaissance
Now in paperback! Decades before the PBS documentaries, before Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Al Hirschfeld and many, many more went to Harlem. Continue Reading →
Dickie Wells Club, Harlem, New York, 1940-1950
Dickie Wells was called the Harlem Playboy, and his club originally built as a bowling alley Dickie Wells aka “Dickie’s club” (above left photograph) was meant to be an off shoot of his reputation at 162 West 133rd Street at Seventh Avenue, in Harlem, NY, 1940-1950. Continue Reading →
Harlem’s Norma “Queen Of Swing” Miller, 1919 – (Video)
Norma Miller, born December 2, 1919 -, is a Lindy hop dancer known as the “Queen of Swing”. Continue Reading →
History Of A Song, “Underneath The Harlem Moon,” By Harlem’s Mack Gordon (Videos)
This post has very little to do with authenticity, I’m afraid. It’s more about race, irony, and the way a song’s meaning changes over time. Continue Reading →
Nora Holt “The Mama That Can’t Behave” In Harlem (warning)
She was satirized under pseudonyms in Harlem Renaissance novels. Throughout that period she was referred to as a bronze venus, dusky diva and outrageous party girl. Continue Reading →
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