Joey Hollingsworth is a
Black Canadian
Black Canadians (also known as Caribbean-Canadians or Afro-Canadians) are people of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin, though t ...
tap dancer, singer, and
conga
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...
player who has performed on stage and screen throughout the world.
He appeared regularly on Canadian television shows from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Hollingsworth, an
adoptee
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
, began dancing at the age of three, and turned professional at age five.
Hollingsworth was listed as being 10 years old when he was Page One news in The Free Press on Nov. 23, 1946. The story told of his backstage meeting with dance legend Bill (Bojangles) Robinson the previous night (Nov. 22, 1946) at the old London Arena (since demolished).
"Let's see you do a little step," Robinson told the youngster. "Say, son, that's great. Where did you learn that?" Robinson said after the young Joey offered a few steps. "Saw you do it up on stage there," Joey replied.
The two spent about 10 minutes together with Bojangles offering the future star "about $500 worth of dancing lessons for free," The Free Press reported.
In the early 1950s, Hollingsworth became the first black man to appear on
CBC television, as a competitor on ''
Pick the Stars''. He did not win, and learned years later from one of the judges that racism had influenced the outcome.
In 1962, Hollingsworth sang and tap-danced on the live album ''
At the Purple Onion
''At the Purple Onion'' is a live album by Don Francks, Lenny Breau, and Eon Henstridge that was recorded in 1962 and released in 2004. They performed as a trio called Three.
History
Breau's former manager kept the original tapes of this live per ...
'', with guitarist
Lenny Breau and vocalist
Don Francks
Don Harvey Francks (February 28, 1932 – April 3, 2016), also known by his stage name Iron Buffalo, was a Canadian actor, musician and singer.
Career
Don Harvey Francks was born on February 28, 1932, and was adopted shortly after his birth. H ...
.
In 1997, Hollingsworth was cast in the lead role of ''
Hot Mikado
:
''Hot Mikado'' is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 comic opera '' The Mikado'', adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, ' ...
'', a musical comedy based on ''
The Mikado
''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'' by
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
. He described the experience as "the thrill of a lifetime."
Toward the end of his career, Hollingsworth worked in
Dawson City on shows for the Palace Grand Theatre and
Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall.
Hollingsworth's television appearances have included ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
'', the ''
Wayne and Shuster Show'', ''
The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
''The Ford Show'' (also known as ''The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford'' and ''The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show'') is an American variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired on NBC on Thursday eveni ...
'',
and ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''.
Hollingsworth was inducted into the Jack Richardson Music Hall Of Fame on April 9, 2017. His on-stage performance that night at the London Music Hall peaked with his signature "spin move" as the song Mr. Bojangles was played and an image of Hollingsworth making the same move earlier in his career was projected on a screen behind him.
References
External links
*
Dancing into History The Joey Hollingsworth StoryFinding Freedom in the Forest City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollingsworth, Joey
Black Canadian musicians
Canadian male dancers
1937 births
Living people
Tap dancers
Black Canadian dancers