Connie's Inn was a
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
, New York City,
black and tan nightclub established in 1923 by Connie Immerman ''(né'' Conrad Immerman; 1893–1967)
in partnership with two of his brothers, George (1884–1944) and Louie Immerman (1882–1955).
History
Having immigrated from
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
, the Immerman brothers operated a Harlem delicatessen and made their fortune as
bootleggers.
Their club was located at 2221
Seventh Avenue at 131st Street in a basement from 1923 until 1934.
Acts performing there included
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
,
Fats Waller
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...
,
Wilbur Sweatman,
Peg Leg Bates,
Bricktop and
Fletcher Henderson. Like the
Cotton Club, Connie's Inn featured African American performers but restricted its audience to whites only. Its steep cover charge of $2.50, its intimate atmosphere, and its ability to hire famous entertainers made the club unique among other New York clubs.
Members of the
Ziegfeld Follies
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...
, heiress
Gertrude Vanderbilt, and numerous others poured in from downtown to enjoy the shows at Connie's Inn and were sometimes influential in moving their revues to Broadway. Connie Immerman was instrumental in the design and the promotion of the revues, including the famous ''Hot Chocolates'' revue.
Leonard Harper became the Connie's Inn in-house producer during its glory days.
In the early 1930s, the Immermans moved Connie's Inn to a downtown location. There, they produced one of their last great revues, ''Stars Over Broadway,'' which starred
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
, and featured
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...
as a temporary fill-in for Holiday when she was ill.
The repeal of
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
and the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
played roles in the ultimate closure of Connie's Inn, and the Immerman brothers were forced to obtain individual employment. With a change in ownership, Connie's Inn became Club Harlem.
In April 1934, the Harlem site re-opened as the Club Ubangi and featured lesbian, gay and bisexual entertainers such as
Gladys Bentley and comedian
Jackie Mabley, later known as
Moms Mabley.
References
* Allen, Irving L.
The City in Slang: New York Life and Popular Speech'. New York:
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
(1993), pg. 75;
* Wintz, Cary D., and
Paul Finkelman
Paul Finkelman (born November 15, 1949) is an American legal historian. He is the author or editor of more than 50 books on American legal and constitutional history, slavery, general American history, and baseball. He has also published more than ...
.
Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance'. New York:
Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
(2004), pg. 581;
*
Lerner, Michael A. Dry Manhattan – Prohibition in New York City'.
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou.
The pres ...
(2007), pg. 216;
Inline citations
African-American cultural history
Nightclubs in Manhattan
Harlem
1923 establishments in New York City
1920s architecture in the United States
Former music venues in New York City
Defunct jazz clubs in New York City
Delicatessens in Manhattan
{{music-venue-stub