The original Cotton Club opened in the 1920's on 142nd street and Lenox Avenue when central Harlem was the playground of the rich. 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.After the earlier years, what did emerge from this historic venue was a legendary jazz history. The likes of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker to even Mae West have made an appearance at the Cotton Club. The Club was renowned world wide and still is one of the most recognizable names associated with Harlem.
The hey day was enjoyed well into the 20's and 30's until race riots of 1936. The club shut its doors but soon opened on Broadway in midtown. By then the times did indeed change and the club could not keep its momentum. The Cotton Club of the Harlem Renaissance closed for good in 1940.
Today, there is a new incarnation of the Cotton Club which sits on the most western end of 125th street under the massive Manhattanville viaduct. The windowless block of a building has a less dramatic display out front but seems to be popular with tourists for Sunday jazz brunches. Photo by Michael Ochs.
A little know fact about the Cotton Club is regarding Choreographer/Actress Elida Webb. Elida Webb is often unsung, but she had a wonderful history with the Cotton Club as it's lead choreographer. Ms. Webb's name is associated the the dance craze of the time, the Charleston, as some attribute the creation of this dance to Ms. Webb. Ms. Webb gave Lena Horn her start there at 16 years of age, when Lena's mother became too ill to perform. They needed the money and Ms. Webb gave the beautiful young girl the opportunity, and mentored her. Ms. Webb often performed with and was good friends with the likes of Actor/Activist Paul Robeson, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway (who attended her viewing), Eubie Blake, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker whom she also mentored, to name just a few. Ms. Horne phone Ms. Webb on her deathbed at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital, but due to Ms. Webb's condition they were unable to speak, and sadly she passed away never knowing that her old protege had reached out to try to comfort her in her final hours. Information about this fascinating lady can be found on the web, she is also mentioned in the Lena Horn biography Stormy Weather.
ReplyDeleteWhat is in place now at the old Cotton club location.
ReplyDeleteSome Cotton Club post-history: the club closed after the 1935 riot and moved downtown, to West 48th Street, but it lasted only a few years there (the Cotton Club located today at 656 West 125th Street is unrelated to the original except in name). The Cotton Club space, located in a cluster of clubs along Lenox and Seventh avenues, from West 137th to West 138th streets—this entertainment district included the Rennaissance Ballroom, the Bamboo Inn, the Capitol Palace, the Brittwood Bar and Grill, the Golden Gate Ballroom, the Savoy Ballroom, and the Lenox Club--was still a prime piece of real estate, and the space was transformed into the Club Sudan, which operated until 1945. Afterwards, the space became a new Plantation Club, featuring the bands of Willie Bryant, Ovie Alston, Hot Lips Page, and Una Mae Carlisle before closing in the early 1950s. It was demolished to make way for the Bethune Tower housing project.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Gill
Jonathan Gill, I believe Club Sudan was in operation on Sunday, January 29, 1950. My grandmother had her fashion show there. You can find the documentation in the New York Amsterdam News dated Jan 28, 1950. Page 9.
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