''Blackbirds of 1928'' was a hit Broadway musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

that starred Adelaide Hall, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Tim Moore and

Aida Ward Aida Ward (February 11, 1900 – June 23, 1984) was an American jazz singer. Born in Washington, D.C., Ward rose to fame in the 1920s and 1930s in New York, on Broadway and at Harlem's Cotton Club. She appeared alongside Adelaide Hall and Bill "B ...

, with music by

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...

and lyrics by

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

. It contained the hit songs "Diga Diga Do", the duo's first hit, "

I Can't Give You Anything But Love "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew ...

", "Bandanna Babies" and "I Must Have That Man" all sung by Hall. Vu (magazine) N°77

History

''Blackbirds of 1928'' was the idea of impresario

Lew Leslie Lew Leslie (born Lewis Lessinsky; April 15, 1888 – March 10, 1963) was an American writer and producer of Broadway shows. Leslie got his start in show business in vaudeville in his early twenties. Although white, he was the first major imp ...

, who planned to build the show around

Florence Mills Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1896 – November 1, 1927), billed as the "Queen of Happiness", was an American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian. Life and career Florence Mills (Florence Winfrey) was born a daughter of for ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

after her success in the hit 1926 show ''Blackbirds'' in London. Mills died of appendicitis in 1927 before rehearsals for the new show had started and Hall was enlisted to replace her. ''Blackbirds of 1928'' started its life as a floorshow at Les Ambassadeurs Club on 57th Street, New York with songs written by Jimmy McHugh and

. Fields recalled, ‘''Lew Leslie (the producer) hired us to do a show called Blackbirds of 1928. First, we’d written songs for a show of his in a club called Les Ambassadeurs, where we had

Roger Wolfe Kahn Roger Wolfe Kahn (October 19, 1907 – July 12, 1962) was an American jazz and popular musician, composer, bandleader (Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra) and an aviator. Life and career Roger Wolfe Kahn (originally spelled "Wolff") was born in ...

(

Otto Kahn Otto Hermann Kahn (February 21, 1867 – March 29, 1934) was a German-born American investment banker, collector, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. Kahn was a well-known figure, appearing on the cover of ''Time'' magazine and was sometime ...

’s son) and his orchestra, and a lovely lady named Adelaide Hall, who sang''.’ McHugh recalled, ‘''I knew about

wanting to close the club, and I told Lew Leslie, and Lew went up and made arrangements to take it over. This was the start of the show called Blackbirds of 1928. Leslie opened Les Ambassadeurs with the first half of the show''.’ The show was a great hit. McHugh continued, ‘''From there we wrote a second half and we took the show to Atlantic City''.’ After the tryout in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

the show opened on Broadway. It was the first Broadway show for which Fields and McHugh had written the entire score and turned out to be a milestone in their respective careers and was one of the most successful shows they were ever connected with. Adelaide Hall 1921

Productions

The show originally opened on January 4, 1928, under the heading ''The Blackbird Revue'' at Les Ambassadeurs Nightclub in New York, before transferring in May 1928 to the

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnersh ...

on Broadway, where Lew Leslie changed the shows name to ''Blackbirds of 1928''. The original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production opened at the

on May 9, 1928, where it ran for 518 performances, becoming the longest running all-black show on Broadway. It was directed by producer

and starred Hall, Bill Bojangles Robinson.Photograph of Bojangles posing on the stairs he used to perform his stair dance in ''Blackbirds of 1928'' http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=303371&imageID=485154&word=19724&s=1¬word=&d=&c=&f=13&k=4&lWord=&lField=&sScope=Name&sLevel=&sLabel=Vandamm%20Studio&sort=&total=2623&num=320&imgs=20&pNum=&pos=329

, Tim Moore, Blue McAllister, the Blackbirds Beauty Chorus and the Famous Blackbirds Orchestra conducted by

Felix Weir Felix Weir (October 8, 1884 – 1978) was an active African-American violinist during the early 20th century. He was a prominent performer, winning recognition for his virtuosity at a young age. He studied at the Chicago Musical College and the ...

. Also in the cast were Johnny Hudgins, Eloise C. Uggams,

Elisabeth Welch Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...

Mantan Moreland Mantan Moreland (September 3, 1902 – September 28, 1973) was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s. He starred in numerous films. His daughter Marcella Moreland appeared as a child actress in several films. E ...

, Cecil Mack, and

Nina Mae McKinney Nina Mae McKinney (June 12, 1912 – May 3, 1967) was an American actress who worked internationally during the 1930s and in the postwar period in theatre, film and television, after beginning her career on Broadway and in Hollywood. Dubbed " ...

. Orchestral arrangements were by

Will Vodery Will Vodery (October 8, 1885 – November 18, 1951) was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, and arranger, and one of the few black Americans of his time to make a name for himself as a composer on Broadway, working largely for Floren ...

. On 7 June 1929, the original Broadway production opened at the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

, Paris, France, where it became the hit of the season. In Paris it ran for three months before returning to the US for an American road tour.

Musical numbers and Sketches (in order of performance)

Prologue: Way Down South

*''The Call of the South'' *''Shuffle Your Feet'' *''Dixie''

Revue Part One

Aunt Jemima Stroll Scene in Jungleland *''Diga Diga Do'' Bear Cat Jones Last Fight

*''Song'' *''Trio'' What a Night ''Bandanna Babies'' Playing According to Hoyle Three Bad Men From Harlem Porgy (with apologies to the Theatre Guild and Dorothy and DuBose Heyward) *''Porgy'' ''Finale (part one)''

Revue Part Two

Magnolia's Wedding Day Earl Tucker Giving His Conception of the Low-Down Dance Picking a Plot ''Doin' the New Low-Down'' Getting Married in Harlem ''I Must Have That Man'' Here Comes My Blackbird *''Song'' *''A Memory of 1927'' ''Finale (part two)''

Recordings

* Adelaide Hall, accompanied by George Rickson (piano), "Baby" & "I Must Have That Man". Victor Rec, June 21, 1928 (test)"Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall
(Bayou Jazz Lives)" * E-28059 Adelaide Hall with Lew Leslie's Blackbird Orchestra. "I Must Have That Man" & "Baby". Brunswick 4031. August 14, 1928 * B12773-A. Adelaide Hall 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 ...

& His Famous Orchestra-"I Must Have That Man" & b/w "Baby". Blu Disc T1001. December 21, 1932 * Warren Mills and His Blue Serenaders recorded ''Gems from Blackbirds of 1928'', being three titles, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love", "Doin' the New Lowdown" and "I Must Have That Man". This orchestra of 25 musicians included Arthur Whetsel, Bubber Miley and Freddie Jenkins on trumpet, Joe Nanton on trombone, Barney Bigard,

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

and Harry Carney on reeds, Duke Ellington on piano, Fred Guy on banjo,

Wellman Braud Wellman Braud (January 25, 1891 – October 29, 1966) was an American jazz upright bassist. His family sometimes spelled their last name "Breaux", pronounced "Bro". Born in St. James Parish, Louisiana, St. James Parish, Louisiana, Braud settle ...

, bass, Sonny Greer, drums, an unknown female vocalist plus the 10-voice Hal Johnson choir, and

Matty Malneck Matthew Michael "Matty" Malneck (December 9, 1903 – February 25, 1981) was an American jazz violinist, songwriter, and arranger. Career Born in 1903, Malneck's career as a violinist began when he was age 16. He was a member of the Paul White ...

, violinist and conductor. See Luciano Massagli and Giovanni M. Volonté, ''The New Desor, An updated edition of Duke Ellington's Story on Records 1924-1974'', Milano, 1999 session DE2819 and Dr. Klaus Stratemann, ''Duke Ellington, Day by Day and Film by Film'', Jazzmedia ApS, Denmark, p. 1. December 20, 1928,

1933 recordings

In February 1933,

Jack Kapp Jack Kapp (born Jacob Kaplitzky; June 15, 1901 – March 25, 1949) was a record company executive with Brunswick Records who founded the American Decca Records in 1934 along with British Decca founder Edward Lewis and later American Decca head M ...

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing prod ...

assembled an all-star group of Brunswick artists to record the entire score. Issued on six 10" 78s (6516 through 6521), available in an album set (the first such set of popular music from a Broadway show) and also sold individually: * 6516

& His Famous Orchestra - "Blackbirds Medley, parts 1 and 2" * 6517

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

with Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra - "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" b/w

Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...

with

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

and Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra - "Doin' The New Lowdown" * 6518 Adelaide Hall with Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra - "I Must have That Man" & b/w "Baby". Brunswick. January 7, 1933 * 6519 Mills Brothers - "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" b/w Mills Brothers with Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra - "Diga Diga Doo" * 6520

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

with

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...

& His Orchestra - "Doin' The New Lowdown" b/w Don Redman & His Orchestra with Harry and Donald Mills - "Shuffle Your Feet (And Just Roll Along)" and "Bandana Babies" * 6521 Ethel Waters with Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra - "Porgy" b/w Cecil Mack Choir with Ethel Waters - "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

Bibliography

* Williams, Iain Cameron (2002)
Underneath A Harlem Moon
*Williams, Iain Cameron
''The KAHNS of Fifth Avenue''
iwp Publishing, February 17, 2022, - chapters 10 & 11 cover the staging of ''Blackbirds of 1928''.

References

External links

* * * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackbirds Of 1928 1928 musicals Broadway musicals Revues