Micki Grant (born Minnie Louise Perkins, June 30, 1929 – August 22, 2021) was an American singer (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

), actress, writer, and composer. She performed in ''

Having Our Say ''Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years'' is a 1993 ''The New York Times, New York Times'' bestselling book that was compiled by Amy Hill Hearth and contains the oral history of Sarah Louise Delany, Sarah "Sadie" L. Delany and Annie ...

'' (as Sadie Delaney), ''

Tambourines to Glory ''Tambourines to Glory'' is a gospel play with music by Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One ...

'' and ''

Jericho-Jim Crow ''Jerico-Jim Crow'' is a 1964 musical, with a book written by Langston Hughes and William Hairston. It was a pioneering work in the urban contemporary gospel Musical theater, musical style, based on the themes of the Civil Rights Movement in the ...

'' both co-written by

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, ''The Gingham Dog'', ''

Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope ''Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope'' is a musical revue first staged in 1971 with music, lyrics and book by Micki Grant. It was originally produced by Edward Padula. Background and productions The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the Afric ...

'', and received three

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominations for her writing."Micki Grant"
The HistoryMakers.

Early life

Minnie Louise Perkins was born in

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

, to Gussie and Oscar Perkins on June 30, 1929. Some sources also state that she was born in 1941; Grant was said to have lowered her age early for reasons related to her career. Her father was a self-taught pianist and master barber, and her mother worked for Stanley Products. She began studying music with double-bass lessons at her elementary school. Grant first took piano lessons at the age of eight, and the next year took acting lessons with Susan Porché. After high school, her cousin, film actress

Jeni Le Gon Jeni LeGon (born Jennie Ligon; August 14, 1916 – December 7, 2012), also credited as Jeni Le Gon, was an American dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the first African-American women to establish a solo career in tap d ...

took her under her wing when Grant moved to Los Angeles. Following graduation from Englewood High School in Chicago, Grant studied at the Chicago School of Music and attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, which she left after three years to move to New York City. Years later she went back to school and graduated from

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...

in 1994 with a degree in English and Theatre, ''summa cum laude''. In 2015, Lehman College awarded her the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, ''honoris causa''.

Career

Theater

While in Los Angeles, she was cast in ''Fly Blackbird'' by James V. Hatch and C. Bernard Jackson. The show was successful and it moved to New York City. She graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from Lehman College. In the early 1960s, she appeared

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

's '' The Blacks'' (with

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

and

Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...

), and in ''Brecht on Brecht'', in which she sang "

Pirate Jenny "Pirate Jenny" (German: "") is a well-known song from ''The Threepenny Opera'' by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. The English lyrics are by Marc Blitzstein. It is probably the second most famous song in the opera, after " Mack the Knife". ...

". In 1964, Grant appeared as Ella Hammer in

Howard da Silva Howard Da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt, May 4, 1909 – February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in mo ...

's off-Broadway revival of

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Wo ...

's ''

The Cradle Will Rock ''The Cradle Will Rock'' is a 1937 play in music by Marc Blitzstein. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, it was directed by Orson Welles and produced by John Houseman. A Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed, it ...

'', opposite

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...

and

Rita Gardner Rita Gardner ( Schier; October 23, 1934 – September 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer. Career Gardner made her stage debut Off-Broadway in Jerry Herman's musical review ''Nightcap'' (1958) before her breakout turn as Luisa in the ...

. Much of her early work was done with director

Vinnette Carroll Vinnette Justine Carroll (March 11, 1922 – November 5, 2002) was an American playwright, actress, and theatre director. She was the first African-American woman to direct on Broadway, with her 1972 production of the musical ''Don't Bother Me, I ...

, the first African-American woman to direct on

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 ...

. They collaborated on ''Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope'', in which Grant starred and for which she wrote the music, book and lyrics, and ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'', for which Grant wrote additional lyrics and music. Both enjoyed critical acclaim and long Broadway runs. She was a member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority.

Television

Barbara Rodell Micki Grant Another World 1968

In the first story line written for an African-American in a daytime soap opera, Grant portrayed attorney Peggy Nolan on '' Another World'' (1966–1973). She later appeared on ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'' replacing

Billie Allen Billie Allen (January 13, 1925 – December 29, 2015) was an American actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of the first black actors and performers to appear on television and stage in the United States, at a time when ...

as Ada Chandler and was in the cast of ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' (1982–1984). She also had a brief stint as host of ''Around the Corner'', a children's show on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Radio

In her early days in New York City, Grant sought to supplement her income by working as a receptionist at a radio station. A meeting with a top executive at the station diverted her attention to working on the air. ''Readings and Writings'' featured Grant performing material that she compiled from research at a public library.

Personal life and death

Grant married television news film editor Ray McCutcheon in 1966. They were married for 12 years before divorcing in 1978. Grant died on August 22, 2021, at the age of 92 in Manhattan, New York City.

Recognition

Grant received a 1972

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for Music and Lyrics for her work on ''Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope''.

Writing credits

* "

Pink Shoe Laces "Pink Shoe Laces" (or "Pink Shoelaces") is a song composed by Mickie Grant that was recorded by Dodie Stevens, accompanied by Bobby Hammack and his Orchestra, and released as a single in 1959 on Crystalette Records, a record label distributed by ...

" (1959), pop song, recorded by

Dodie Stevens Dodie Stevens (born Geraldine Ann Pasquale, February 17, 1946) is an American rock and pop singer. She is best known for her 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces." It debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 when Stevens was one day short of 13 year ...

, reached number 3 on the U.S single charts. A Spanish-language version was number 1 in Mexico for 9 weeks. * ''

'' (1971), musical – music and lyrics, performer * ''Croesus and the Witch'' (1971), musical – music and lyrics * ''Step Lively, Boy'' (1973), musical – music and lyrics * ''The Prodigal Sister'' (1974), musical – music and lyrics * ''

Your Arms Too Short to Box with God ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance'' is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed. Micki Grant was ...

'' (1976), musical – additional music and lyrics * ''The Ups and Downs of Theophilis Maitland'' (1976), musical – music and lyrics * ''I'm Laughing but I Ain't Tickled'' (1976), musical – music and lyrics * ''Alice'' (1978), musical – music and lyrics * ''

Working Working may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community Arts and media * Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical * Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...

'' (1978), musical – music and lyrics with

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...

Craig Carnelia Craig Carnelia (born 1949) is an American musical theater composer and singer, known for his collaboration on the musicals '' Working'' and ''Sweet Smell of Success''. Biography Carnelia grew up in Floral Park, New York. He was exposed to Broadw ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Mary Rodgers Mary Rodgers (January 11, 1931 – June 26, 2014) was an American composer, screenwriter, and author who wrote the novel '' Freaky Friday'', which served as the basis of a 1976 film starring Jodie Foster, for which she wrote the screenplay, as ...

and Susan Birkenhead * ''

Eubie! ''Eubie!'' Is a revue featuring the music of jazz/swing composer Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, Johnny Brandon, F. E. Miller, and Jim Europe. As with most revues, the show features no book, but instead showcases 23 of Eubie ...

'' (1978), musical revue – additional lyrics * ''It's So Nice to Be Civilized'' (1980), musical – book, music and lyrics * ''Phillis'' (1986), musical – music and lyrics * ''Step into My World'' (1989), revue – music and lyrics * ''Carver (Don't Underestimate a Nut)'' (1996) – music, lyrics, and book"Micki Grant & Charlayne Woodard"
Dramatists Guild Foundation, 2016. YouTube video.

References

External links

* *
Listing from The History MakersMicki Grant Dies: Broadway's Trailblazing 'Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope' Creator Also Pioneered Daytime TV For Black Performers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Micki 1929 births 2021 deaths Actresses from Chicago African-American composers African-American women composers American women composers American musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists American soap opera actresses American sopranos Women musical theatre composers Grammy Award winners Lehman College alumni Singers from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois African-American songwriters 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women