WORLD OF CABARET

AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE BIRTH OF CABARET FROM THE EARLY JAZZ ERA TO PRESENT

 

Artists, performers, entertainers, musicians, composers and singers of yesteryears and at the dawn of American music were so different from those who came to the scene of  the modern American music of the  20^th and 21^st centuries. The music was real musical composition, no Rap crap and heavy metal distorting noises. The lyrics were simple, evocative, poetic and polite and consequently, songs could be sung by all generations and audiences of all ages. The musical productions were either super extravaganzas or daringly intimate and sentimental. The outfits, suits, dresses and wardrobes were either outrageous in their couture and style or traditionally elegant with refined cuts and couture. The make-up was either extremely exaggerated, accentuated or theatrical. The audience was strictly divided into two classes; the titled and entitled as one group, and the “tiers d’etat” as a second group. Some female artists made it big time. Some earned a fortune while others despite their enormous success and superior artistic quality died in absolute poverty. Female artists did not know how to invest their money. In many instances, they have been used and misused, mistreated and taken advantage by greedy impresarios, managers and agents. Success was based upon artistic quality, not fame and shame. In brief, it was a different world.

Folks around the turn of the century were singing  “I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now”, and others went for “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobing Along”:

When the red red Robin comes bob-bob-bobbing along, along.
There'll be no more sobbing when he starts throbbing his old sweet song.

Wake up, wake up you sleepy head,
Get up, get up get out of bed,
Cheer up cheer up the sun is red,
Live, love, laugh and be happy.

What if I've been blue, now I'm walking though fields of flowers.
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours.

I'm just a kid again doing what I did again singing a song.
When the red red Robin comes bob-bob-bobbing along, along.”

 

It was a sweet and innocent time. The lyrics were simple and polite. The music was music and the song publishers on 28^th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway in  New York City were busy. This was the beginning of the good times of American music and American singers. It was exciting for everybody; I can see Irving Berlin  working on a new show, the extravagant Florenz Ziegfeld  auditioning his female dancers and singers for his follies, ballroom dancing  taking off, musicals on Broadway are in full gear, and cheap grotesque burlesques joints are steaming. Vaudeville is booming and zooming, motion pictures are rolling, gramophones soaring, and cartoons, the latest novelty of the day are amusing and confusing many.  America is ready for big time music. Meanwhile abroad, the legendary Aristide Bruant reinvent Cabaret and Lucine Boyer takes Paris by storm. The world’s first Cabaret  “Le Chat Noir “ which opened its doors for the first time in the Montmartre district of Paris in March 1881 gets a face lift. It becomes the perfect place for adventurers, hustlers, raconteurs, drunken philosophers, poets, artists, composers and celebrities of the day such as Guy de Maupassant, Satie and de Debussy.

The twentieth century is knocking at our doors, Broadway is in full swing with musicals and flashy dashy productions. Two big productions take New York city by storm; “The Wizard of Oz”.  The original draft  (below) of “Over the Rainbow” written before the story was even completed is re-written again for the second time. Considered cynical, the original draft will not see the light, and would be deleted from the original script, cut from the premiere and all the productions to follow.

“Somewhere down past the wheat field, way way back,
There’s some land that I heard of a miles past the railroad track
Somewhere down past the wheat field, skies are gray
And the people that trudge to work do it day by day
Someday I want to see this spot
Where troubles grow like mildew rot ...so true
And everything revolves around
The money that they all have found -destroying values
Somewhere down past the wheat field, way way back,
There’s a land that my curiosity wants a crack.
If happy little bluejays fly…beyond the wheat field, why oh why can’t I?”

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Bessie Smith a.k.a. “Empress of the Blues” .

The play which was  making waves, was “Peter Pan”. The two big hits of the era were  “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Meet me in St. Louis.” African Americans begin to sing the Blues in the fields and many Blues songs are recorded by talent scouts. Bessie Smith becomes the greatest Blues Singers in the country. Harlem is still a white middle and upper-middle class community neighborhood of uptown Manhattan but, things are going to change now. Philip Payton's Afro-Am Realty Company begins to lease and rent many of Harlem apartments and houses to black tenants around 135th Street East of Eighth Avenue and Harlem’s. Blues expands East-West from Park to Amsterdam Avenues and North-South from 155th Street to Central Park. The Blues is born. Soon, the Blues will invade the whole country and metamorphose into: Harlem Blues,  Chicago Blues, California Blues, Country Blues, Louisiana Blues, Delta Blues,  Bourbon Street Blues, Memphis Blues, Piedmont Blues, St. Louis Blues, Texas Blues, Urban Blues, you name it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jelly Roll Morton (Born Ferdinand Lamothe)

Simultaneously, Jazz begins to see the light, mainly in New Orleans. Jazz pioneers, such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and later Duke Ellington create new jazz tunes and compositions for big bands nightclubs and cabarets shows. Jazz becomes a dominant force in the mainstream of American nightlife music thanks to creative and passionate singers, composers and musicians such as, to name a few: Henry Allen, Lil Hardin-Arm-

 

WORLD OF CABARET

AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE BIRTH OF CABARET FROM THE EARLY JAZZ ERA TO PRESENT

By Maximillien de Lafayette

strong, Albert Ammons, Eva Taylor, Mary Lou Williams, Nick LaRocca, Julia Lee, Billie Holiday, Lovie Austin, Mutt Carey, Elmer Snowden, Doc Cooke, Tiny Parham, Joseph Petit, Eddie Condon, Wrskine Tate, Lester Young,  Clarence Williams, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ben Webster, Eddie Durham, aul Whiteman,  Jimmy Lunceford, Johnny Dunn,Milt Hinton, Fats Walle, Buster Bailey, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Carter, Perry Bradford, Buddy Bolden, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey, Harland Leonard, Jimmy Blythe, Sidney Bechet, Count Bassie, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, Ben Pollack,  Alphonse Picou, Mamie Smith, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Frank Trumbauer,  Jack Teagarden,  

World War I : CHANGE OF TIME. NEW MUSIC AND NEW LYRICS

Photo: Irving Berlin

Music and lyrics begin to change in virtue of social changes caused by World War One. Such changes were reflected into the famous and popular songs of the era such as “ Castle House Rag” and "On Patrol In No Man's Land" and "All Of No Man's Land Is Ours" recorded in March 1919 and performed by Noble Sissle,  Henry Burr, Irving Kaufman, Billy Murray and Nora Bayes. Other popular songs were “If You Were the Only Girl in the World”, “Keep the Home Fires Burning”, “Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo”, “ How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm” and particularly “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”.

Photo: Lt.  James Reese Europe, famous leader of the 369th Infantry "Hell Fighters" Band.

And now, Irving Berlin steps in with a wave of fantastic songs such as “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, White Christmas” and “God Bless America”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among the most famous entertainers of the era were:  Mabel Mercer, Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt, Pearl Bailey, Billie Holliday who performed at “The Vanguard” , including Yul Brynner who worked at “The Blue Angel” as a Russian strolling guitarist. Yup! Believe it of not!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day, those nightclubs attractions will extend to New York's Greenwich Village. Up on East 56th Street, the trendy “Le Ruban Bleu” showcased fabulous acts by Dorothy Loudon, Pat Carroll, Charlotte Rae, Carol Burnett and Kaye Ballard.  Other famous nightclubs were “The Purple Onion”  and “The Bon Soir”. Dame Sybil Bruncheon was one of the most visible patrons. One day,  at “The Bon Soir” in the early 1950's, Mike Nichols and Elaine May will begin  their soaring careers, and  in the early 1960's, it will showcase acts by  future stars like Kaye Ballard and  Barbra Streisand. In the theatre district, Sylvia

 

WORLD OF CABARET

AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE BIRTH OF CABARET FROM THE EARLY JAZZ ERA TO PRESENT

By Maximillien de Lafayette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaye Ballard

VAUDEVILLE’s most visible entertainers were: May Irwin, Julian Eltinge and Fay Templeton. Of Scottish ancestry, May Irwin was born Georgina May Campbell (not Ada Campbell, as some sources state) in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Her parents were Robert E. and Jane Draper Campbell. Her father died when she was young, and May turned to the theater to become self- supporting. With sister Adeline Flora Campbell (born on February 8, 1875, and known professionally as Flora or Flo Irwin), she went on the variety stage, doing a singing specialty. A.D. Storms states in The Players' Blue Book, according to Jim Walsh in the July 1963 issue of Hobbies, that the Irwin Sisters made their debut at the Theatre Comique in Rochester, New York, on January 8, 1875; the book Famous Actresses, written by Lewis C. Strang (quoted by Walsh in the June 1963 issue of Hobbies), states that the debut was in Buffalo in December, the girls opening with "Sweet Genevieve." The Irwin Sisters appeared at Tony Pastor's Theatre on September 13, 1877, working there for the next six years. When the act was dissolved, May worked solo. From 1883 to 1887 she was with Daly's company. During that time she traveled twice to London to perform.May became a leading vaudeville performer of the 1890s. Best-known as a "coon- shouter," she introduced "The Bully" to stage audiences. In his autobiography After The Ball: Forty Years of Melody (New York: Frank-Maurice, Inc, 1926), composer Charles K. Harris credits Irwin for popularizing "After the Ball" in New York City in early 1892. Her "Crappy Dan" was popular enough in 1898 for Len Spencer to record it as a Columbia cylinder (7281). Columbia's 1898 catalog identified it as "May Irwin's hit." (From Tim Graycik's biography). Irwin's first starring role on the stage was in The Widow Jones, which opened on September 16, 1895, and featured the famous "Bully Song," or "The Bully." A kissing scene from the hit show was filmed in 1896 by Edison's film company. Irwin is kissed by stage partner John Rice (father of singer Gladys Rice). The film was not originally projected onto screens in theaters (the "Projecting Kinetoscope" came a little later) but was watched by individuals who purchased tickets at Kinetoscope Parlors and looked into a machine's peep-hole (some machines were coin-operated). The film's showing time is less than a minute. Without citing credible evidence, film historians routinely report that early viewers were scandalized by The Kiss. This is improbable.

 

The film's showing time is less than a minute. Without citing credible evidence, film historians routinely report that early viewers were scandalized by The Kiss. This is improbable. The film footage is innocuous by any standards, and the fact that it was released means that Edison film makers believed that this kiss violated no standards of the times. The film purportedly captures a moment from an actual stage production, and since stage audiences were not scandalized, it is unlikely that viewers of the film were.

May Irwin in a rare and original postcard from the Northern Stars Collection.

Fay Templeton, 1895

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 25, 1865, Fay Templeton was the daughter of theatrical parents--principals in the touring John Templeton Opera Company--and grew up entirely in that milieu. She was carried onstage in infancy and had her first speaking part at age five. By the early 1880s Templeton was touring the country with her own light opera company. Her ascent to fame began with her appearance in Evangeline in New York City in 1885. She made her London debut the following year in Monte Cristo, Junior. In a succession of extravaganzas over the next decade, she became celebrated equally for her singing, her acting, and her dark, seductive beauty. She appeared with the team of Joe Weber and Lew Fields in their burlesque Hurly Burly (1898), in which her talents for comedy and parody were realized.

She starred in Weber and Fields's Fiddle-dee-dee (1900), Hoity Toity (1901), and Twirly Whirly (1902), all of which also featured Lillian Russell. In 1906 Templeton starred in George M. Cohan's Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, in which she introduced "Mary's a Grand Old Name" and "So Long, Mary." For a quarter-century thereafter, Templeton lived in semiretirement with her husband in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, emerging to appear in such productions as Weber and Fields's Hokey Pokey in 1912 and several versions of H.M.S. Pinafore. She appeared in the film Broadway to Hollywood (1933), and late in 1933 returned to Broadway in Jerome Kern's Roberta. She died in San Francisco on October 3, 1939. (Encyclopedia Britannica).

VAUDEVILLE VARIETY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julian Eltinge

Vaudeville star Julian Eltinge was the only female impersonator in the history of showbiz to have a Broadway theater named after him. (It is now the AMC Empire movie multiplex on 42nd Street). Photo, right: Koster & Bial's Music Hall on 23rd Street in Manhattan, the premiere variety house of the late 1800's.

Koster & Bial's Music Hall on 23rd Street in Manhattan, the premiere variety house of the late 1800's.

 

 

 

WORLD OF CABARET

AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE BIRTH OF CABARET FROM THE EARLY JAZZ ERA TO PRESENT

By Maximillien de Lafayette

Two very distinct images of Vaudeville super comedienne, dancer and singer Fay Templeton who introduced George M. Cohan's "Mary's a Grand Old Name" in 45 Minutes from Broadway. Templeton ended her stellar career by introducing Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" in Roberta (1933).

THE ZIEGFELD SAGA

Some of the most famous Ziegfeld girls (singers and dancers) were: Marilyn Miller (Photo left), Lillian Lorraine (Photo right), Billie Burke, Anna Held,  Josephine Baker,Claire Luce, Paulette Goddard,  Sophie Tucker, Ruth Etting, Irene Dunn,  Billie Dove and Lupe Velez, Dolly Sisters (Identical Hungarian twins Jenny and Rose), Nora Bayes, Dolores, born Kathleen Rose. A stunning tall English beauty who was a popular fashion model when Ziegfeld hired her as a torch singer and dancer for his 1917 Follies. Gilda Gray, born Marianne Michalski who was a ravishing Polish dancer.

 

An autographed "cabinet photo" of the legendary musical comedienne May Irwin.

The film “Gilda”  of 1949  starring Rita Hayworth was based on her colorful and steamy life. Helen Morgan. She was  one of the very first great torch singers of the era. Norma Terris,  a stunning blonde beauty who made her Broadway debut as a chorus girl in the 1920’s “Midnight Frolic”. In later years, she became a patron of the  Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marilyn Miller

“The Black Crook” was condemned by ethicists and moralists as a flesh show, and libeled as an immoral production. The producers profited from this negative publicity. Consequently, the show sold tickets like hot cakes. It became an instant success. This brought fortune to William Wheatley and his associates . The musical play was played and replayed for several years and was richly revived on Broadway. The troupe's prima ballerina, Marie Bonfanti, became an international celebrity and the toast of the city of New York. Some historians tend to believe that this  famous and infamous production paved the way for burlesques. Still, Helen Morgan was and remained one of the first cabaret torch singers in America. Born in Danville, Illinois, on August 2, 1900, Helen Riggins took the name Morgan in her childhood when her divorced mother remarried. Various conflicting accounts of her entry into show business survive, but she apparently obtained some voice training, sang in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lillian Lorraine

Helen Morgan

speakeasies, and in 1920 got a job in the chorus of Florenz Ziegfeld's Sally. More nightclub singing in Chicago and perhaps a beauty contest in Montreal led to a small role in George White's Scandals in 1925. In that year she had an engagement at Billy Rose's Backstage Club, where the crowded conditions obliged her to perch on her accompanist's piano, an informal touch that soon became a trademark. On Broadway Morgan appeared in Americana (1926), Grand Guignol (1927), and Show Boat (1927), in which she was a sensation singing "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." She starred in Sweet Adeline (1929), in which she sang "Don't Ever Leave Me" and "Why Was I Born?" Her later shows, less successful, include The Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, Memory (1934), George White's Scandals of 1936, and A Night at the Moulin Rouge (1939). She also appeared in a number of motion pictures, including Applause (1929), Roadhouse Nights (1930), Sweet Music (1935), Frankie and Johnnie (1935), and Show Boat (1936). Morgan's real strength, however, was as a club singer. Her small, pale appearance and her sweet, artless, and blues-tinged voice made her the ideal performer of the new sort of popular song that was being written in the 1920s and '30s: ironic, sometimes bitter, distinctly urban, and full of the disappointment, loneliness, and joyless hedonism that filled the smoky clubs. Morgan died in Chicago, Illinois, on October 8, 1941.Data: Encyc. Brit.

WORLD OF CABARET

AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE BIRTH OF CABARET FROM THE EARLY JAZZ ERA TO PRESENT

By Maximillien de Lafayette

The Queens and Flashy Dashy Super Stars of the Early Era of American Entertainment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Anna Held

 

 

Ruth Etting, 1931  

Irene Dunn, 1928

  Lupe Velez, 1932