The History of the Cotton Club The Cotton Club, as one of the most famous nightclubs in Harlem, was an iconic symbol of the Harlem Renaissance of the Roaring Twenties. The nightclub was opened in September of 1923, and was a place where people could see the latest dances and bask in the culture and creativity of Harlem’s most famous nightclub. It was owned and operated by gangster Owen “Owney” Madden. The club operated pretty consistently until it was relocated to downtown Harlem in February of 1936. The Cotton Club has a rich history during the era, a variety of different events were held there starring several different performers, including tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The Cotton Club was opened on 142nd St and Lenox Ave, in the …show more content…
heart of Harlem, New York. It had originally been opened by Jack Johnson, the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion, and called the Club Deluxe in 1920. It was then bought in 1923 and operated by a white New York gangster and bootlegger named Owney Madden after he was released on parole from a twenty year-long imprisonment. He used the club as a market to sell his “#1 Beer” to the prohibition crowd. Though the Cotton Club was closed several times throughout the years for selling alcohol, the owners’ political connections always allowed them to reopen quickly. Throughout its several temporary closings, the club operated almost continuously until its relocation downtown in February of 1936. The club was a hot spot for its entertaining floor shows and had menus of delectable foods. Thanks to the New York Historical Society Museum and Library, people have access to seeing a program and menu of the Cotton Club from April 1932. They served an array of different beverages including alcohol, fruit juices, special cups, and more. They served foods of two different types, a Chinese menu and an American menu. On the Chinese menu, they served foods such as soups, chop suey, Chinese omelettes, chow mein, and fried rice. On the American menu, they had varieties of steaks, chickens, cold meats, eggs, potatoes, salads, and sandwiches. The Cotton Club was decorated to create a “stylish plantation environment” for its white clientele. This, along with many New York City clubs at this time, meant the upper class of the city. The Cotton Club first excluded all but white customers except entertainers and most staff members that were African American. Exceptions to this restriction were made in case a prominent white entertainer guest star and dancers. Winter states that: “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 brutal segregation of the Cotton Club was augmented by its portrayal of its African American dancers as exotic savages, animals, or plantation inhabitants.
The music was often orchestrated to make it feel like a jungle sort of atmosphere. By transforming the club into a plantation or jungle atmosphere and bringing in celebrities, Owney Madden created an appeal for the Cotton Club and its exclusionary guidelines and also helped preserve widely held stereotypes about African Americans. Langston Hughes described the venue as “a Jim Crow club for gangsters and monied whites,” and noted that white visitors of the neighborhood would flood “the little cabarets ad 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 the Negro customers-like amusing animals in a zoo.” The club paid its performers extremely well though, which could be the explanation for why so many talented black performers worked for the racist and anti-integrationist …show more content…
establishment. A great aspect of the club was the quality of its floor shows that opened twice a year and featured important African American performers of this era. The Cotton Club often held a Cotton Club Parade program that consisted of many talented performers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and their bands. Shows at the Cotton Club were musical skits that featured dancers, singers, comedians, and variety acts. As historian Elizabeth Winter said: “Duke Ellington led a house band that performed there from 1927 to 1930. 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. The entertainers who played at the Cotton Club were some of the most widely known blues and jazz performers of their time including Ethel Waters, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and many others (Winter)”. These performers were launched at the Cotton Club where regular radio broadcasts by CBS introduced them to the rest of the US. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was a popular African American tap dancer of the 1920s.
Prior to Bojangles, tap dancing on the ball of the foot was hardly ever heard of. As article writer Rachel Rizzuto explained, “He revolutionized the previously popular style of flat-footed shuffling with up-on-his-toes tapping and a swinging rhythm.” Bojangles was born as Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia. He was given the nickname “Bojangles” for his litigious attitude. Robinson moved to New York in 1900 to pursue a career in performing professionally. He did performances at the Cotton Club and gained notoriety there. Robinson moved on to become the first black solo act in vaudeville by 1915 known as “The Dark Cloud of Joy.” He starred in several broadway shows and films, including The Little Colonel with Shirley
Temple. The Cotton Club had many great aspects and a deep history behind it. There were many events that occurred in the Cotton Club that showcased many important people, like Bill “Bojangles” Robinson who revolutionized tap dancing.
As Martin Van Peebles describes, “Outside of being required to mug it up, the Negro entertainers were encouraged to do their routines, strut their stuff, to sing and dance their hearts out.” Many early Hollywood films included music that had its roots
Within the book picking cotton, the alleged rapist Ronald Cotton is sentenced to life in prison and 55 years. During his sentence he finds himself being placed in solitary confinement, and while there Ron finds the experience rather beneficial as he explains that being in there presented him with the chance to meditate and reflect. Now there are many rumors about the infamous solitary confinement. These rumors debate whether or not it helps prisoners, allowing them to spend the time as Ronald Cotton as seen it, as an opportunity to self-reflect, or if it is a cruel and unusual punishment due to the drastic effects it has on convicts. The initial intent of solitary confinement was to isolate convicts as a way for them to self-reflect and improve
Eli Whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin and a pioneer in the mass production of cotton. Whitney was born in Westboro , Massachusetts., on Dec. 8, 1765, and died on Jan. 8, 1825. He graduated from Yale College in 1792. By April 1793, Whitney had designed and constructed the cotton gin, a machine that automated the separation of cottonseed from the short-staple cotton fiber.
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was raped at knife point in her apartment. She was able to escape and identify Ronald Cotton as her attacker. The detective conducting the lineup told Jennifer that she had done great, confirming to her that she had chosen the right suspect. Eleven years later, DNA evidence proved that the man Jennifer Identified, Ronald Cotton was innocent and wrongfully convicted. Instead, Bobby Poole was the real perpetrator. Sadly, there are many other cases of erroneous convictions. Picking cotton is a must read for anybody because it educates readers about shortcomings of eyewitness identification, the police investigative process and the court system.
"Forgiveness" and "racism" are two words that usually do not go together. Surprisingly enough Picking Cotton tells the story of how Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton showed the upmost forgiveness for a wrongful conviction that in part was caused due to the racism. Racism was surely present in the South in the early 1900 's, but historically one does not think racism was a major issue in the 80 's. In one man 's opinion, Ronald Cotton, the Burlington police had racist views that contributed to him serving a life imprisonment for a crime he never committed. In 1984 when two white women were raped by a black man, race played a role in convicting the wrong black man in Burlington, North Carolina. Ronald Cotton was wrongfully convicted by racism
A graduate from Yale University had thoughts of becoming a lawyer, but he needed a job urgently. After a tutoring job fell through, he accepted a position on a plantation in Georgia. His employer, Catherine Green, saw much talent in him and encouraged him to find a way to make cotton profitable. He promptly began working on a solution to the problem of separating the seeds from the cotton. On March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney was granted a patent for the cotton gin.1 The cotton gin impacted American industry and slavery changing the course of American history.
Thompson, Jennifer. Cotton, Ronald. “Picking Cotton.” Ferris State University. Williams Auditorium, Big Rapids, MI. 15 April 2014. Guest Lecture.
Alvin Ailey played a large role in the diversification and cultural storytelling that can be seen in modern dance today. With the founding of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, his dance company stands strong as one of the most respected and prosperous dance companies because of its artistic representation of the beauty that is otherwise known as the African culture. His work absolutely changed the atmosphere of modern dance because he was able to provide the modern dance community with a wider variety of content that had otherwise not been popularized before. Not only did he draw his inspiration from the African culture, but he also amalgamated this with his personal experience growing up as a black child during times of segregation. Alvin was born during the Great Depression to two working class parents in Rogers, Texas.
Like Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” In the 1950’s the South was heavily racially segregated. Elvis Presley unintentionally put himself in the position to become a valuable instrument in the battle against segregation. “Without casting himself as a fighter for racial equality, Elvis became a subversive standard bearer for cultural desegregation at a time when the codified racism of the South was under increasing pressure.” How did an uneducated white hillbilly from the south influence both black and white teenagers against segregation? It was quite simple, for Elvis Presley had a unique talent of combining traditional black music; such as the blues and jazz, with the traditional white music; like country and white gospel. This unique style of blending different types of music, gave Elvis the edge on the musical racial barriers America was facing; and open the path for both sides to enjoy the music together and therefore desegregated.
Although the swing music that helped keep American spirits up during the Depression years still existed, there was an increasing amount of racial tension about bands formed by white men vs. bands formed by black men. White bands like Tommy Dorsey’s, which could play a broad spectrum of music, were hailed for their versatility. The black counterparts who sought to do the same were often indirectly accused of trying to get above themselves. This is important because many black musicians where losing work due to venues only hiring bands that were led by white men. Out work, or underpaid black musicians where often bought-out by white bandleaders who could offer them higher pay, and where looking for the best musicians they could find.
of New York’s entertainment business. It was the springboard to fame for many singer, dancers, and performers and was indeed the board Ellington jumped from. The club
In the late 1700’s the slave population in the United States had decreased. Before the invention of the cotton gin the South, which could only make money by farming, was loosing money because it didn’t have a major crop to export to England and the North besides tobacco and rice. However, these crops could be grown elsewhere. Cotton was the key because it couldn’t be grown in large amounts in other places, but only one type of cotton that could be cleaned easily. This was long-staple cotton. Another problem arose; long-staple cotton only could be grown along the coast. There was another strain of cotton that until then could not be cleaned easily so it wasn’t worth growing. The cotton gin was the solution to this problem. With the invention of the cotton gin short stemmed cotton could be cleaned easily making cotton a valued export and it could be grown anywhere in the south. The era of the “Cotton Kingdom” began with this invention leading into an explosion in the necessity of slaves.
An act call Blackface arose around this time, it was ‘used to imply the patronization of blacks by whites” (Msimang). It was described as a form of comedy for the most part. Painting a white man black and placing him on a stage and having him humiliate the African American culture was considered amusing to the white community. They would jokingly imitate the gestures that African Americans made, they tone of voice, their so called aggressiveness, attire, and they would even mimic slavery on stage. Blackface was just another way a suppressing the African American community, making them ashamed of themselves and their upbringing, making them want to be different,want to be accepted,want to be white. “The main point is how they’re stuck “in bondage” .. and how nothing ever changes”, (Raboteau 2) Characters like the lawn jockeys and Bernie’s father were left questioning the cruelty of society, why was it that they were looked down upon every time they were seen in public? why couldn 't they just fit
During the 1940’s, the world found itself dealing with World War II and in the United States ,a huge African culture movement swept throughout the north-eastern states. One specific artist that captivated the “Nightlife” of African Americans during that era was Archibald Motley Jr. He painted a series of paintings that involved African Americans and their culture. In the painting, “Nightlife” we see a group of African Americans dancing at a club/bar, enjoying life, and swaying their hips to the music. Perhaps, in this painting, Motley wanted his public to notice the breakthrough, blacks had during the 1940’s and wanted to show how music took their mind on a different stroll apart from the troubling issues the world was dealing with. Archibald wanted the world to notice the dynamic and exciting Negro culture.
The 1920’s were a period or rapid growth and change in America. After World War I American’s were introduced to a lifestyle of lavishness they had never encountered before. It was a period of radical thought and ideas. It was in this time period that the idea of the Harlem Renaissance was born. The ideology behind the Harlem Renaissance was to create the image of the “New Negro”. The image of African-American’s changed from rural, uneducated “peasants” to urban, sophisticated, cosmopolites. Literature and poetry abounded. Jazz music and the clubs where it was performed at became social “hotspots”. Harlem was the epitome of the “New Negro”. However, things weren’t as sunny as they appeared. Many felt that the Harlem Renaissance itself wasn’t so much a celebration of Black culture, but rather a regurgitation of White ideals. To these African-Americans, the Harlem Renaissance represented conformity and submission to the White culture. Yet there were also those who were not even given the opportunity to be a part of the Harlem Renaissance. The poor Blacks in the South never received any of the racial tolerance up north. They lived in a world of racism and the Ku Klux Klan. The Harlem Renaissance did not redefine African-American expression. This can be seen through the funding dependence on White Americans, the continued spread of racism and the failure to acknowledge the rights of poor Southern African-Americans.