The Cotton Club, at Lenox Avenue and West 142nd Street in Harlem, first opened in 1920 as the Club Deluxe but took on new ownership and its permanent name in 1922. The club was segregated in the sense that only white patrons could enter the establishment while all the service and entertainment was provided by black entertainers who often worked jungle themes or black face parodies for their guests. A Chicago branch of the Cotton Club was run by Ralph Capone, Al's brother, and a California branch in Culver City, California during the late 1920s and into the 1930s. This is the tale of Harlem late night, of hot jazz and illegal booze, of great music and very bad mobsters, featuring some of the greatest tunes of the day by Ellington, Calloway, King Oliver and more. The Cotton Club, Connie's Inn, and Small's Paradise were the most renowned. ." An organization composed of people who voluntarily meet on a regular basis for a mutual purpose other than educational, religious, charitable, o…, book clubs: As a phenomenon in American cultural life, book clubs have made an impact in two periods of history. Already registered? ." At this time, Ellington developed what he termed his "jungle sound," a use of various tonal colors that he associated with Africa, a constant theme in his ever-evolving music. U.S.A. (
adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); . Encyclopedia.com. The club enshrined the segregationist policies of the day, placing black talent on the stage for the pleasure of white patrons alone. . Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The Cotton Club spawned from an earlier nightspot called Club Deluxe, owned by boxer Jack Johnson. The Cotton Club presented the best in black entertainment to an exclusively white audience and became famous for its use of light skinned, or "cotton colored," black women in its chorus line. Youve never seen this kind of actio… Ethel Waters, Adelaide Hall, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and others performed there. Madden expanded the former 400-seat nightclub to 700 seats, and updated the decorations to reflect a stylish 'plantation environment' to cater to the upper-class white patrons who came to enjoy the performances of the best jazz musicians of the day. gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-30s Harlem. — Jack Johnson‘s story is so much more complex and I wish I had more time to talk about him. Damage to property from the riot totaled over 200 million dollars; 75 people were arrested, three African-Americans were killed, and over 60 more were injured. just create an account. line. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. In addition to playing his music regularly, writing for the shows, and providing a basic income to keep his men together, the gig provided Ellington with a large radio audience who came to know his music. Most of the renowned jazz performers of the period appeared at the Cotton Club, including Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, and dancers Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers. In 1922 the club was taken over by Owen (“Owney”) Madden, a well-known Manhattan underworld figure. "The Cotton Club ." //