What is the history of the Cotton Club?
Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub located in Harlem on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue from 1923 to 1935, then briefly in the midtown Theater District from 1936 to 1940. The club operated most notably during the United States' era of Prohibition. The club was a whites-only establishment,...
Who was the entertainer at the Cotton Club in Harlem?
Dorothy Dandridge, entertainer at the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub located in Harlem on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue from 1923 to 1935, then briefly in the midtown Theater District from 1936 to 1940.
Why was the Cotton Club important to the Harlem Renaissance?
Madden’s goal for the Cotton Club was to provide “an authentic black entertainment to a wealthy, whites-only audience.” Langston Hughes, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, attended the Cotton Club as a rare black customer.
Was there a West Coast equivalent to Harlem’s Cotton Club?
Perhaps most notably, there was a West coast parallel to Harlem's Cotton Club — with a few important differences. San Diego’s Hotel Douglas opened its doors in 1924, with its own nightclub called the Creole Palace.
Why was it called the Cotton Club?
Owney Madden, who bought the club from heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, intended the name Cotton Club to appeal to whites, the only clientele permitted until 1928. The club made its name by featuring top-level black performers and an upscale, downtown audience.
What was the Cotton Club and what made it controversial?
The Cotton Club was a whites-only establishment and reproduced the racist imagery of segregation, often depicting black people as savages in exotic jungles or as "darkies" in the plantation South. The club imposed a subtler color line on the chorus girls, whom the club presented in skimpy outfits.
What was ironic about the Cotton Club?
There was an almost subversive irony to calling the club by that name, given that the performers who worked there were some of the most successful African Americans in the country, people who worked in an arena a thousand times more glamorous, comfortable and pleasant than a cotton field.
What was the Cotton Club originally called?
the Club DeluxeBefore it was the Cotton Club, the venue was owned by the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson. It was called the Club Deluxe, a nightclub with 400 seats in 1920. It was located in the core part of Harlem, at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue.
When did the Cotton Club close in Harlem?
1940The Cotton Club's best years were from 1922 to 1935. Following the Harlem riots of 1935, the establishment moved to West 48th Street, but the club never regained its earlier success and was closed in 1940.
Was the Cotton Club a speakeasy?
In 1920, Jack Johnson, the world's first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, opened a club on 125th Street in Harlem. This club (Club De Luxe) would become one of the most infamous speakeasies of the Prohibition era.
Where is the Cotton Club now?
The current Cotton Club is at the gateway to Sugar Hill, way on the west side of 125th Street. Set up largely for groups and rented out for private parties, they do bring back the heyday of the Harlem swing tradition with a full size big band and vocalists.
Who started the Cotton Club?
In 1920, Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, opened the Club Deluxe on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue in the center of Harlem. Owney Madden, a white gangster, took over operations in 1923, and renamed the venue the Cotton Club.
Who worked at the Cotton Club?
The Cotton Club was Harlem's premier nightclub in the 1920s and 1930s during the Prohibition Era. The club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, including Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, and Ethel Waters.
Is the Cotton Club a true story?
The Astoundingly True Story of The Cotton Club, a Movie That Wouldn't Die.
Why was the Cotton Club considered a Jim Crow club?
Langston Hughes described the venue as “a Jim Crow club for gangsters and monied whites,” and noted that white visitors to the neighborhood would flood “the little cabarets and bars where formerly only colored people laughed and sang, and where now the strangers were given the best ringside tables to sit and stare at ...
How did the Cotton Club influence the Harlem Renaissance?
The club brought an "influx of whites toward Harlem after sundown, flooding the little cabarets and bars where formerly only colored people laughed and sang." Hughes also mentioned how many of the neighboring cabarets, especially black cabarets, were forced to close due to the competition from the Cotton Club.
What was true about the Cotton Club quizlet?
What was true about the Cotton Club? Blacks performed there, but were not allowed entrance as customers.
How did the Cotton Club influence the Harlem Renaissance?
The club brought an “influx of whites toward Harlem after sundown, flooding the little cabarets and bars where formerly only colored people laughed and sang.” Hughes also mentioned how many of the neighboring cabarets, especially black cabarets, were forced to close due to the competition from the Cotton Club.
Why was the Cotton Club considered a Jim Crow club?
Langston Hughes described the venue as “a Jim Crow club for gangsters and monied whites,” and noted that white visitors to the neighborhood would flood “the little cabarets and bars where formerly only colored people laughed and sang, and where now the strangers were given the best ringside tables to sit and stare at ...
Why did Madison open the Cotton Club?
Madison was a famous white gangster and bootlegger. 1 His primary goal was to use the Cotton Club to illegally sell alcohol. In the 1920s the U.S. government passed a law outlawing the manufacture and sale of alcohol across the country. The era came to be known as Prohibition.
What was the Cotton Club and why is it important?
The Cotton Club was an all-white cabaret in Harlem that introduced many white audiences to jazz and blues music. It offered many Black creatives op...
What was unusual about the Cotton Club in Harlem?
The Cotton Club was unusual in that it was an all-white venue in a predominantly Black neighborhood, but the staff and performers were Black. The e...
What was the purpose of the Cotton Club?
Owney Madden opened the Cotton Club to sell bootleg liquor during prohibition and to make money off of a white clientele that was eager to travel t...
Did Langston Hughes go to the Cotton Club?
Langston Hughes was able to go to the Cotton Club once he had achieved a sufficient level of fame such that the venue could "overlook" his Blacknes...
What was the Cotton Club in Harlem during the Great Depression?
The Cotton Club was still flourishing in Harlem during the first years of the Great Depression. In 1935, however, the tensions that the larger Harlem community was struggling with reached a breaking point. White employers were refusing to hire Black employees at the time, making the financial strains of the Depression even harder on Harlemites than other, white, New Yorkers. When the community boycotted the local establishments that would not hire Black employees, many claimed that the police played a significant role in bringing forth an injunction to stop the protests and to violently enforce the injunction in the weeks that followed. It is believed that these tensions boiled over on March 19, 1935, in response to the arrest of a ten-year-old, dark-skinned Latino boy-—Lino Rivera—for alleged shoplifting. The poor treatment of the boy, on top all of the other burdens on the community, pushed things over the edge. That night, a riot broke out, beginning at the white-owned store where Rivera's arrest had occurred, but continuing on to other white-owned businesses in the area. By the end, over 200 people were injured, three dead, and roughly $2 million dollars of damage had been done.
Where was the Cotton Club?
The Cotton Club was in the center of Harlem, on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue in upper Manhattan. Harlem was home to the Harlem Renaissance, a period of Black empowerment, creative output, and cultural expansion in the early 20th century. The neighborhood played a central role in the lives of many Black creatives at the time, including Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Josephine Baker. It was also a launchpad for some of the most famous Black jazz musicians of the era, several of whom made names for themselves while performing for white audiences at the Cotton Club.
What were the famous people at the Cotton Club?
In spite of the club's racial policing, many famous Black artists found great success at the Cotton Club. In 1927, Duke Ellington's orchestra became the house band. Lena Horne was one of the club's dancers. Sammy Davis Jr. performed there regularly, as did Cab Calloway. Vaudeville star Bill "Bojangles" Robinson appeared at the club, and Madden convinced some of the city's best composers and lyricists to write a new floor show for the club every six months. The Cotton Club became famous for its unique productions, and then became even more so when radio station WHN began recording and broadcasting performances from the venue. Some of the best jazz and blues musicians of the era were regulars at the Club. It became the place to see top performers and performances in New York City.
Why did Owney Madden open the Cotton Club?
Owney Madden opened the Cotton Club to sell bootleg liquor during prohibition and to make money off of a white clientele that was eager to travel to the unknown reaches of Harlem and experience "Black" entertainment. While he was still imprisoned in upstate New York, Madden was able to make money and run illegal operations that benefited him and his business connections.
What was the name of the black club in Harlem?
The Cotton Club was a renowned jazz nightspot in Harlem, a historically Black neighborhood in New York City, during the 1920s and 1930s. Originally dubbed "Club DeLuxe" by owner Jack Johnson (a retired Black prize fighter), it was purchased and renamed "The Cotton Club" by mob boss Owney Madden in 1923. Madden, who was white, made the space a heavily segregated, "plantation-themed" cabaret. Throughout the Harlem Renaissance, white audiences would gather at the club to see and hear Black jazz performers. Many famous names—including Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway—got their start at the Cotton Club.
Why did the Cotton Club close?
Due to the riot, the Cotton Club was forced to close its Harlem doors. Madden would relaunch the venue downtown in Times Square in 1936, but it would never reach its former heights. Popular music tastes had changed, and a new generation of listeners preferred swing bands. Plus, the ending of the prohibition era meant that the venue no longer offered a unique combination of access to alcohol and entertainment. The club closed its doors permanently in 1940.
Who was the house band in the Cotton Club?
Duke Ellington and his orchestra were the Cotton Club house band for many years.
Where was the Cotton Club?
Cotton Club, legendary nightspot in the Harlem district of New York City that for years featured prominent Black entertainers who performed for white audiences. The club served as the springboard to fame for Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and many others. the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club, Harlem, New York City, early 1930s.
When did the Cotton Club close?
Following the Harlem riots of 1935, the establishment moved to West 48th Street, but the club never regained its earlier success and was closed in 1940.
What was the name of the club where Duke Ellington performed?
Cotton Club, legendary nightspot in the Harlemdistrict of New York Citythat for years featured prominent Black entertainers who performed for white audiences. The club served as the springboard to fame for Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and many others.
What was the first song that Ellington sang at the Cotton Club?
His orchestra was hired as the house band in 1927, and it was said that the primitive-style decor of the club inspired the “jungle style” of his bands of the era. “Mood Indigo,” “Black and Tan Fantasy,” “Creole Love Call,” and “Rockin’ in Rhythm” were among the Ellington classics first performed by the band during its Cotton Club years.
How many seats did Madden have at the Cotton Club?
The new 700-seat club offered stimulating surroundings for its nightly revues by a renowned chorus line.
Who was the band leader at the Cotton Club?
Among the many seminal figures of jazz and blues who performed at the Cotton Club, bandleader Duke Ellington was perhaps the most closely associated with the venue.
Who was the house band at the club?
Cab Calloway and his orchestra took over as house band in 1931; they too had a long and successful run at the club. Other prominent entertainers, including Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Bill (“Bojangles”) Robinson, and the Nicholas Brothers also contributed greatly to the club’s success.
Where was the Cotton Club in Harlem?
Posted on 11/16/2020 by Carolyn — Leave a reply. The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923 to 1935), then briefly in midtown Theater District 1935-1940. The club operated during the United States’ era ...
How did the Cotton Club affect Harlem?
Hughes also believed that the Cotton Club negatively affected the Harlem community. The club brought an “influx of whites toward Harlem after sundown, flooding the little cabarets and bars where formerly only colored people laughed and sang.”
What era was Cotton Club?
The club operated during the United States’ era of Prohibition and Jim Crow era racial segregation. Black people could not initially patronize the Cotton Club, but the venue featured many of the most popular black entertainers of the era, including musicians Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Fats Waller, Willie Bryant; vocalists Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Aida Ward, Avon Long, the Dandridge Sisters, the Will Vodery Choir, The Mills Brothers, Nina Mae McKinney, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, and dancers such as Katherine Dunham, Bill Robinson, The Nicholas Brothers, Charles ‘Honi’ Coles, Leonard Reed, Stepin Fetchit, the Berry Brothers, The Four Step Brothers, Jeni Le Gon and Earl Snakehips Tucker.
What was the goal of Madden's Cotton Club?
Langston Hughes’ critique. Madden’s goal for the Cotton Club was to provide “an authentic black entertainment to a wealthy, whites-only audience.”. Langston Hughes, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, attended the Cotton Club as a rare black customer.
Which club in Lubbock was home to more white artists than the Harlem club?
The club in Lubbock however, was home to more white artists than the Harlem club . The Cotton club in Portland was opened by Paul Knauls in 1963. The club in Las Vegas was opened by Moe Taub in 1944. This location differed from other clubs because it was a casino. Taub opened for black servicemen.
What is Cottonmouth's nightclub?
In Luke Cage, Cottonmouth refers to his nightclub, Harlem’s Paradise, as “the new Cotton Club”.
When did the Cotton Club open its doors?
In June 1935 , the Cotton Club opened its doors to black patrons. In preparation for the Joe Louis fight the club planned a gala and, “extended an open invitation to the Sepians.”
When was the Cotton Club in Harlem opened?
Cotton Club marquee and front entrance, Harlem, New York, ca. 1920s. Public Domain Image, Courtesy New York Public Library (psnypl_scg_714) Opened in 1923, the Cotton Club on 142nd St & Lenox Ave in the heart of Harlem, New York was operated by white New York gangster Owney Madden. Madden used the Cotton Club as an outlet to sell his “#1 Beer” ...
What was the Cotton Club?
Shows at the Cotton Club were musical revues that featured dancers, singers, comedians, and variety acts, as well as a house band. Duke Ellington led that band from 1927 to 1930, and sporadically throughout the next eight years. The Cotton Club and Ellington’s Orchestra gained national notoriety through weekly broadcasts on radio station WHN some ...
Why did Madden use the Cotton Club?
Madden used the Cotton Club as an outlet to sell his “#1 Beer” to the prohibition crowd. Although the club was briefly closed several times in the 1920s for selling alcohol, the owners’ political connections allowed them to always reopen quickly.
What radio station did the Cotton Club play on?
The Cotton Club and Ellington’s Orchestra gained national notoriety through weekly broadcasts on radio station WHN some of which were recorded and released on albums.
How tall were the dancers at the Cotton Club?
Dancers at the Cotton Club were held to strict standards; they had to be at least 5’6” tall, light skinned with only a slight tan, and under twenty-one years of age. The oppressive segregation of the Cotton Club was reinforced by its depiction of the African American employees as exotic savages or plantation residents.
When did the Cotton Club close?
The race riots of Harlem in 1935 forced the Cotton Club to close until late 1936 when it reopened at Broadway and 48th St.
How did Owney Madden help the Cotton Club?
By transforming the club into this plantation atmosphere and bringing in celebrities, Owney Madden created a demand for the Cotton Club and its exclusionary policies and also helped perpetuate widely held stereotypes about African Americans.
What Is the Cotton Club?
Duke Ellington. . . Cab Calloway. . . Ethel Waters. . . Louis Armstrong. . . Lena Horne. Where could you go to hear all of these musicians, and many others, perform live? If you were around in New York City's Harlem neighborhood in the 1920s, the hot-spot was the Cotton Club.
Who opened the Cotton Club?
History of the Cotton Club. In 1920, Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, opened the Club Deluxe on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue in the center of Harlem. Owney Madden, a white gangster, took over operations in 1923, and renamed the venue the Cotton Club. Madden expanded the former 400-seat nightclub to 700 seats, ...
Why did the Harlem riots happen?
On March 19, 1935, the Harlem Race Riot broke out in Harlem due to police brutality and an extended unemployment crisis. 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. The Cotton Club's white patrons felt the neighborhood was unsafe ...
Why did the Cotton Club close?
Although the Cotton Club was forced to close for serving alcohol, especially Madden's own blend called 'Madden's Number One,' his political connections enabled him to reopen the club.
Who was the singer who played at the Cotton Club?
Cab Calloway took over Duke Ellington's duties and led his band at the Cotton Club until 1934. Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, and Stepin Fetchit were some of the entertainers who performed there regularly.
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
The Harlem Renaissance was brought about by the large numbers of African-Americans who were migrating away from the South to northern cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Many of those who left the South chose to live in Harlem, and artists, musicians, writers, and actors were inspired by their neighborhood.
When was the Cotton Club in Harlem razed?
The original club moved downtown in 1936 after Prohibition ended and the original site was razed in 1958 to make way for the Savoy Houses.
Who were the black entertainers at the Cotton Club?
Although the Cotton Club was a whites only establishment, it hired most of the black entertainers of the day, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and others. It created a playground where all the negative stereotypes of blacks were played out – blacks were the entertainment.
Who were the celebrities that attended the Cotton Club?
Its “Celebrity Nights” brought celebrities of the day like Mae West, George Gershwin, Jimmy Durante and New York mayor, Jimmy Walker uptown. Yes, the Cotton Club was the place where the well-heeled met and were entertained. It made the Cotton Club the most well-known and expensive club in Harlem.
What was the Harlem era?
It was also the era of Prohibition (1920-33), which turned Harlem’s clubs into speakeasies, establishments that defied the ban on the sale of alcohol, making Harlem the place to go for jazz and other nighttime entertainment.
It Operated During Prohibition
As per History, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 banned the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol in the country. Of course, this also meant that clubs were forbidden from selling alcohol to their customers.
White Audience, Black Performers
As per NYS Music, the Cotton Club was a whites-only venue with African-American performers. In an even more outrageous twist, the club's decor projected racist views, with jungle or plantation themes decorating the walls and stage.
You Could Have Your Career Launched There
As the 1985 documentary "The Cotton Club Remembered" confirms, there were several big names in jazz whose careers were launched at the Cotton Club: Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Josephine Baker, just to name a few. As per Vialma Classical, it was Ellington who first became a prominent figure at the Cotton Club.
You Could Mingle With The Gangsters
According to Vialma Classical, Owney Madden was still in the Sing Sing Prison when he started pulling strings to purchase Club Deluxe from Jack Johnson. By 1923, Club Deluxe belonged to Madden, and it was renamed the Cotton Club, as Harlem World Magazine reports.
You Had To Be Tall To Be A Cotton Club Dancer
According to Harlem World Magazine, the Cotton Club's Harlem years advertisement for dancers called for "tall, tan, and terrific" girls. But it was a bit more specific than this: female dancers were required to be taller than 5'6" and younger than 21 years of age.
Performances Were Often Risque
The Cotton Club's house bands -- most notably, Duke Ellington's and Cab Calloway's -- were known for their very fast-paced tunes and, at times, comedic moments. But Calloway took it up a notch, with the myriad of drug references in his songs.
Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson Was The Most Popular Male Dancer
As Britannica reports, Bill Robinson began dancing when he was 8 years old, as a cashless orphan who was desperate to make ends meet.
What was the name of the nightclub in Harlem in the 1920s?
If there was a staple of Harlem nightlife in the 1920s and 30s, it was the Cotton Club . Boasting some of the era's most talented performers, the entertainment venue and speakeasy remains an icon of New York City even today.
Who was the movie star who visited the Cotton Club?
Marlene Dietrich, glamorous film star, visited the Cotton Club with director Fritz Lang on Feb. 6, 1937 — and was almost mobbed by a group of fans. Bettmann/Getty Images. 5 of 31. A crowd of men wait for Marlene Dietrich to leave the Cotton Club. Herb Breuer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. 6 of 31.
What was the strictest segregation policy in Harlem?
In fact, the Cotton Club had the strictest segregation policy of all the Harlem cabaret clubs at the time. Ultimately, attending this cabaret was a way for white people to indulge in two taboos simultaneously — to drink and mingle with black people.
How tall do you have to be to be a cotton club dancer?
It took a very specific type of girl to become a dancer at the Cotton Club. Hopefuls needed to be 5'6" or taller, light-skinned African-American, and under 21 years old.
What year was the floor show in Harlem?
Floor show from the famous Harlem night club, featuring a leggy row of chorus girls, 1920s. Bettmann/Getty Images
Where did black people feel welcome in Harlem?
Indeed, other Harlem nightclubs like the Savoy Ballroom, Lenox Club, and the Renaissance Ballroom were where black Harlem-ites truly felt welcomed. At the Cotton Club, the black performers did not mix with the white clientele. When the shows were over, author Steve Watson wrote that performers "visited the basement of the superintendent at 646 Lenox, where they imbibed corn whiskey, peach brandy, and marijuana."
What did Madden do during the Prohibition era?
Madden spent lots of cash renovating his new business venture, which he used as a vehicle to sell his "No. 1" beer during the American Prohibition-era. He kept Johnson on as manager and redecorated the club in a mix of Southern plantation and jungle-type decor. Not only did he make the stylistic choice of reinforcing the racial stereotypes of the time through this redesign, but Madden also made the club into a whites-only establishment.
