Larry Steele (1913 – 1980) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, and impresario, notable for his all-black variety revue shows. Steele was dubbed the "Black

Flo Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

" for his dazzling productions. He toured with his troupe called ''Smart Affairs'' between from 1947 to 1970. Performers featured in ''Smart Affairs'' included

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 ...

, Nat King Cole,

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

, Sara Vaughan, and

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

. As a songwriter, Steele wrote over 200 songs over the course of his career.

Life and career

Early life

Born in 1913, Steele was raised in

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

, Illinois. His father was a barber and didn't not want him to go into show business. Steele's father and his five sisters wanted Steele to become a lawyer, so he intended to study law at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. His plans changed in 1934 when he was offered a job for $3 a night as a singing master of ceremonies and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

at Panama Café in the South Side.

''Smart Affairs''

Steele left Chicago in the mid-1940s and helped organize entertainers on the

Chitlin Circuit The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...

. By, 1946 he was based in

Atlantic City, New Jersey 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, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

at Club Harlem where he opened his first ''Smart Affairs'' production in 1947. At a time when black women were not showcased for their beauty and talents, Steele's ''Smart Affairs'' gave black

chorus girls ''Chorus Girls'' was a 1981 musical written by The Kinks lead singer and songwriter Ray Davies, who collaborated with ''The Long Good Friday'' screenwriter Barrie Keeffe. It opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London starring Marc Sinde ...

, referred to as the "Beige Beauts," a platform to perform and featured premiere black musical acts. Starting at small clubs and hotels, ''Smart Affairs'' toured throughout the country to rave reviews. The troupe became a big business, performing at famous venues such as the Flamingo Hotel in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Chicago's Regal Theater and Tivoli Theater, and touring internationally. In 1960, it was estimated that Steele's production grossed $400,00 to $500,00 a year and he employed 40 to 50 performers from 40 to 50 weeks a year. ''Smart Affairs'' featured a variety of performers, including

Billy Daniels William Boone Daniels (September 12, 1915 – October 7, 1988) was an American singer active in the United States and Europe from the mid-1930s to 1988, notable for his hit recording of "That Old Black Magic" and his pioneering performances on e ...

Savannah Churchill Savannah Churchill (born Savannah Valentine Roberts, August 21, 1920 – April 19, 1974) was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1940s and 1950s. She is best known for her number-one R&B single "I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)." Life ...

, Freda Payne, Peg Leg Bates, Lola Falana,

, Arthur Lee Simpkins, Al Hibber,

Olga James Olga James (born February 16, 1929) is an American singer and actress best known for her role in the film ''Carmen Jones'' (1954). Her later acting credits include a role in the Broadway musical ''Mr. Wonderful'' and a reoccurring role on ''The ...

, Mabel Scott, and

Sallie Blair Sallie Blair (1934 – February 17, 1992) was an American jazz singer. She began her career performing as a band act with Johnny Otis and Duke Ellington before joining Cab Calloway's Cotton Club Revue. Blair recorded for Bethlehem, MGM, Scepte ...

. In 1952, ''Smart Affairs'' was the only all-black show on Broadway since the closure of the Cotton Club. In 1955 and 1956, the show was billed as ''Harlem Blackbirds'' when they performed at the Palladium Stage Theater in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. They were the first all-black show to tour Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In 1962, the troupe began touring concert auditoriums to accommodate the audiences of comedians Dick Gregory and Damita Jo who headlined the revue that year. In 1968, ''Smart Affairs'' performed at Atlantic City's

Steel Pier The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...

and the Tropicoro Room of the El San Juan in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Featured performers included

the Constellations The Constellations is an American hip hop/rock band formed in Atlanta, GA. They have a psychedelic soul-rock sound. History Formed in Atlanta, the band was signed to a 4-album deal with Virgin Records. Their song “We’re Here To Save The Da ...

, the Nicholas Brothers, and Anselmo Sacasas and his orchestra. By 1969, ''Smart Affairs'' offered two simultaneous shows, one at Club Harlem in Atlantic City and the other at the Eden Roc Hotel in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

. The last edition of ''Smart Affairs'' took place in 1970.

Later life and death

1969, Steele formed his own publishing firm, Larste, headquartered in Chicago. After 35 years of marriage, Steele's wife Nannie "Nana" Meyers Steele, died in 1972. She was a former choreographer and was president of his company Larry Steele Enterprises Inc. at the time of her death. After she died, Steele struggled financially and moved into a low-income

housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...

. Although a member of A.S.C.A.P. (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) since 1964, he couldn't get a song published or sung. Steele also had health issues, but he couldn't afford proper health care. He was too ashamed to ask his friends in the entertainment industry for assistance, but he eventually reached out to ''Jet'' magazine about his ordeal. His health was declining from a combination of illnesses, including

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and a pancreatic problem. Steele died of heart failure in a Chicago hospital after he was found unconscious in his apartment by his the landlady in 1980. He was survived by his nephew Lawrence Lindsay. Steele was interred at

Burr Oak Cemetery Burr Oak Cemetery is a cemetery located in Alsip, Illinois, United States, a suburb southwest of Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1927, Burr Oak was one of the few early Chicago cemeteries focused on the needs of the African-American community, ...

Honors

For "projecting the true picture of Negro in travels abroad," Steele received the Racial Dignity and Human Relations Award from Howard University's Alumni Association in 1961. In 1975, Steele was honored with a tribute show at Atlantic City's Holiday Inn for his achievements in Black entertainment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Larry 1913 births 1980 deaths Impresarios Businesspeople from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers African-American male composers African-American businesspeople African-American songwriters 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters