|
|
Gladys Bentley (1907
- 1960)
|
|
|
|
Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
|
 Roots
N' Blues: Retrospective 1925-1950
"This is the best anthology of 78s ever
published! It is similar to the venerable Anthology
of American Folk Music (Folkways) but better in that it is
longer, has more variety, and cleaner production. It cover whole
genres not touched by the Folkways anthology, such as Western
Swing and jazz piano numbers. Plus outstanding blues and old-time
tunes with every possible combination of the two! Rare recordings
include a tune by a 15 year old piano prodigy (Hersal Thomas), who
died a year later. This is one of those rare items that make one
realize there is an American cultural tradition, and it is deep
and rich." -- Anonymous Review
"I'm really quite surprised to not find a
hundred five-star reviews of this set from all the blues fans out
there. Truly, this is a great set, better than I expected, this is
NOT a patched together hodge-podge of marginal stuff as you often
find in these compilations. This is top drawer all the way
through; it's American history to which you can sip scotch. The
songs are very diverse: some are classic blues cuts, other have
almost a Vaudeville feel to them, others burlesque, others
bluegrass.
The main point I wanted to make, however, is
that I feel this set is MUCH better than the Anthology
of American Folk Music. (A previous reviewer likewise made
the comparison between the two sets and I completely agree that
they are comparable in concept, although he preferred the
Anthology set.) That set disappointed me: all the songs sound the
same, and the recording quality on most of the cuts is poor. This
set is actually exactly what I expected and hoped that set to be:
foot tappin' music which evocatively brings to mind fond thoughts
of a simpler and more visceral era in American life. The Anthology
of American Folk Music may have some profound academic
significance which escapes me, but if you want great music with a
lot of mood and attitude, I don't think you can do much better
than this Retrospective set. A final point: these four CD's are
filled up with good stuff: 75+ minutes on each one. A great
value!" -- Kent Williams
|
Bentley, Gladys (1907-1960)
Bentley left Pennsylvania at 16 to be part of
the Harlem Renaissance and come out as a bulldagger. She began
singing at rent parties and buffet flats and moved on to
speakeasies and nightclubs. later she would headline the popular
speakeasy the Clam House as well as the Ubangi Club.
She wowed audiences with her powerful voice and
obscene parodies of blues standards and show tunes and was famous
for her glamorous girlfriends. Very open about her sexuality,
Bentley also performed at lesbian bars and once told a gossip
columnist she had married a white woman while in Atlantic City,
New Jersey.
Related Resources:
|
|
Excerpt:
Gladys Bentley was born on August 12, 1907. She
was the eldest of 4 children born to a Trinidad born mother , Mary
Mote (Bentley) and an American born father , George L. Bentley.
Gladys left home at 16 years old. Like many African Americans of
her generation she ended up in New York Citys' Harlem, the capital
of "The New Negro. " For Gladys, her lesbianism
made her need to strike out on her own all the more urgent. As she
would recall many years later in an Ebony Magazine Article,
"It seems I was born different. At least, I always
thought so....From the time I can remember anything ,even as I was
toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me...Soon I began to feel
more comfortable in boys clothes than in dresses." In
the 1920s a large part of the elegant town houses and apartment
buildings in both Harlem and downtown in Greenwich Village had
been converted into cheap rooming flats. In both neighborhoods,
artists and intellectuals flocked to this cheap housing in beautiful
surroundings. In both neighborhoods, amongst all this creative
talent, there was a large Homosexual population. In Harlem this
great creative outpouring was also a celebration of optimism about
the future of Black America. This era would later be known as The
"Harlem Renaissance". The list of gay men,
lesbians or bisexuals amongst the "Harlem Renaissance"
is more or less a guide to many of the most talented people of the
era. Langston Hughs,
Countee Cullen, Wallace Thurman, Bessie
Smith, Ethel Waters,
and Moms Mabely just to name a few. Audiences of the prohibition
era were always craving something new...
|
|
Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
|
|
