The Berry Brothers were an American "exotic, acrobatic

soft shoe Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of Percussion Instrument, percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on da ...

dance" trio, active in the entertainment business for over 30 years. The trio was composed of Ananias (Nyas, "King of the Strut"), James and Warren Berry.

History

Ananias "Nyas" Berry (August 18, 1913 – October 5, 1951) and James Berry (c. 1915 – 1969) were born to Ananias Berry and Redna Berry in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. As early as 1919 the two brothers already performed in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and then in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

where the family settled and the younger Warren (December 25, 1922 – August 10, 1996) was born. In 1924 the family moved to Los Angeles, where as child actors Nyas, James and then Warren appeared in several films. In 1929 Nyas and James formed the dance duo "The Berry Brothers." They appeared with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

in "Rhythmania" at the

Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...

. That same year they traveled to London and were featured performers in the critically acclaimed all-African-American revue ''

Blackbirds of 1928 ''Blackbirds of 1928'' was a hit Broadway musical revue that starred Adelaide Hall, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Tim Moore and Aida Ward, with music by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. It contained the hit songs "Diga Diga Do", the duo's ...

''. They were the first African American act at the Copacabana in 1929. They appeared in the musical "Rhapsody In Black" in 1931. The act supported the entire family and their father Ananias was upset when 19-year-old Nyas left the act in 1932 to marry 27-year-old

Valaida Snow Valaida Snow (June 2, 1904. Other presumed birth years are 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, and 1907 – May 30, 1956) was an American jazz musician and entertainer who performed internationally. She was also known as "Little Louis" and "Queen of the Tru ...

, a popular African-American entertainer. Ananias replaced him with Warren. Ananias disapproved that his son married a woman eight years older so he investigated Valaida. He discovered she had been previously married to Knappy Brown, and they hadn't divorced. This caused a scandal in the press until Valaida provided documents that she had divorced Brown, but Nyas and Valaida split up shortly after. When Nyas' marriage had dissolved in 1935 he talked his brothers into forming a Berry Brothers act consisting of the trio. In 1938, at the

there was a legendary dance face-off between the

Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of biological brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their ...

and the Berry Brothers. By some accounts the Berry Brothers were more athletic but the Nicholas Brothers were better overall performers – better at pleasing the crowd. At the peak of their success, in the 1940s, the Berry Brothers also performed their routines in some Hollywood movies. They appeared twice in ''

Panama Hattie ''Panama Hattie'' is a 1940 American musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. The musical is about a nightclub owner, Hattie Maloney, who lives in the Panama Canal Zone and ends up dealing with ...

'' (1942), once solo and once accompanying singer

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

. The experience of the Berry Brothers came to a sudden end when Nyas died in 1951 of heart failure. James and Warren continued to perform together or individually for a few more years. James died in 1969, and Warren in 1996 after working for over 15 years as a film editor.

Filmography

* '' $50,000 Reward'' (1924) - Nyas Berry * ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

'' (1924) - short - James Berry * ''

The Blow Up Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his ...

'' (1924) - short - James Berry * '' Oh, Teacher!'' (1924) - short - James Berry * ''

Low Bridge The popular song "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" was written by Thomas S. Allen (although some have questioned its origins ), recorded in 1912, and published by F.B. Haviland Publishing Company in 1913. It was written after the construction of the ...

'' (1924) - short - James Berry * '' Here He Comes'' (1924) - short - James Berry * '' Speed Boys'' (1924) - short - James Berry * '' Don't Fall'' (1924) - short - James Berry * ''

Baby Blues ''Baby Blues'' is an American comic strip created and produced by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott since January 7, 1990. Distributed by King Features Syndicate from 1995 until January 2022, and distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication as of Janu ...

'' (1925) - short - James Berry * ''

'' (1926) - short - James Berry * '' Oh Boy'' (1927) - short - Nyas & Warren Berry * ''

The Newlyweds' Christmas Party ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1927) - short - Nyas Berry * ''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

'' (1936) - Nyas Berry * ''

The Music Goes 'Round ''The Music Goes 'Round'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Harry Richman, Rochelle Hudson and Walter Connolly Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American character acto ...

'' (1936) - Nyas Berry * '' Lady Be Good'' (1941) - The Berry Brothers (Nyas, James & Warren) * ''

'' (1942) - The Berry Brothers (Nyas, James & Warren) * ''

Boarding House Blues ''Boarding House Blues'' is a 1948 American race film directed by Josh Binney which featured the first starring film role by Moms Mabley. It was the penultimate feature film of All-American News, a company that made newsreels for black Americans. ...

'' (1948) - The Berry Brothers (Nyas, James & Warren) * '' You're My Everything'' (1949) - The Berry Brothers (Nyas, James & Warren)

Notes and references

{{authority control American dance groups African-American male child actors American male child actors