May Wright Johnson in 91, Decatur Street, Atlanta - 1921
from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It, pages 241-242:
In 1921, I was playing at the 81 Theatre on Decatur Street in Atlanta, and Bessie Smith was at the 91, just down the street. [...]
[...] Bessie had her own show there, and it sure was funny. […] You won't believe this, but she was the smallest woman in that show. And you know how big she was. Well, that opening number was the funniest thing I ever saw. The curtain went up, and the floodlights came on, and there was the entire chorus dressed in close fitting bloomers, bent over with their backs to the audience. The orchestra struck up "Liberty Bell", and there … more >>
Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (London, 1992), p. 241-242. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1435249586116 accessed: 19 December, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
hide composers| Blues | performed by May Wright Johnson, Bessie Smith |
Experience Information
| Date/Time | 1921 |
| Medium | live |
| Listening Environment | in the company of others, indoors, in public |