Pearl Bailey

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Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey in “St. Louis Woman”, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1946
Born Pearl Mae Bailey
March 29, 1918(1918-03-29)
Southampton County, Virginia
Died August 17, 1990 (aged 72)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Years active 1947 - 1989
Spouse(s) John Randolph Pinkett (1948-1952)
Louie Bellson (1952-1990)

Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American singer and actress. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946.[1] She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1987, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.

Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952.

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[edit] Early life

Bailey was born in Southampton County, Virginia, to Rev. Joseph and Ella Mae Bailey, and raised in the Bloodfields neighborhood of Newport News, Virginia.

She made her stage-singing debut when she was 15 years old. Bailey’s brother Bill was beginning his own career as a tap dancer, and suggested she enter an amateur contest at Philadelphia’s Pearl Theater. She entered, won first prize, later won a similar contest at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater, and decided to pursue a career in entertainment.

Bailey, costumed in the role of Butterfly, gauges the applause following her performance of the song "It's A Woman's Prerogative", July 5, 1946. Sustained applause required her to take another bow
Bailey, costumed in the role of Butterfly, gauges the applause following her performance of the song "It's A Woman's Prerogative", July 5, 1946. Sustained applause required her to take another bow

[edit] Career

Bailey began by singing and dancing in Philadelphia’s black nightclubs in the 1930s, and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. In 1941, during World War II, Bailey toured the country with the USO, performing for American troops. After the tour, she settled in New York. Her solo successes as a nightclub performer were followed by acts with such entertainers as Cab Calloway. In 1946, Bailey made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman. Bailey continued to tour and record albums in between her stage and screen performances.

In 1954, she took the role of Frankie in the film version of Carmen Jones, and her rendition of "Beat Out That Rhythm on the Drum" is one of the highlights of the film. She also starred in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. In 1959, she played the role of Maria in the film version of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Also that year she played the role of "Aunt Hagar" in the movie St. Louis Blues, alongside Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole.

In 1968 she and Cab Calloway headlined an all-black cast version of HELLO, DOLLY!. The touring version was so successful David Merrick took it to Broadway where it played to sold out houses and revitalized the long running musical. Also in the cast was Emily Yancy as Irene Molloy. Pearl Bailey was given a special Tony Award for her role and RCA made a second original cast album.. That is the only recording of the score to have an Overture which was written espcially for that recording.

During the 1970s she had her own television show, and she also provided voices for animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the lead in an all-black production of Hello Dolly. She earned a B.A. in theology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1985.

Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series of Duncan Hines commercials.

[edit] Personal life

On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London.

Bailey, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon as America's "Ambassador of Love" in 1970. She attended several meetings of the United Nations and later took part in a campaign ad for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election.

She was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.

Pearl Bailey died in the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on August 17, 1990. Following an autopsy, Dr. Emanuel Rubin, professor and chairman of the Department of Pathology at Jefferson Medical College, announced the cause of death as arterioscerotic coronary artery disease with significant narrowing of the coronary artery. She is buried at Rolling Green Memorial Park in Westchester, Pennsylvania.

[edit] Tributes

Pearl Bailey: With a Song in Her Heart, a children's biography by Keith Brandt, illustrated by Gershom Griffith, was published in 1992.

[edit] Film roles

[edit] Discography

  • Ain't She Sweet! (audio CD 2000)
  • Cocktail Hour: Pearl Bailey (audio CD 2001)
  • Hello, Dolly! (1975 New York Revival) (audio CD 1991)
  • It's a Great Feeling (audio CD 1995)
  • Pearl Bailey: 1947-1950 (audio CD 2003)
  • Pearl Bailey Sings for Adults Only (LP, ca. 1960, Roulette Records # R-25016). LP jacket notes are revealing of her career as a nightclub singer and of the censorship of recorded song lyrics, including those containing what would be seen as mild sexual innuendo today, that was prevalent at the time of the LP's release. Disk is clearly marked "Not for airplay." Notes also say she was known to friends as "Pearly Mae." See image of notes at: [1] (Use magnifier icon in upper-right corner to make it easier to read.)
  • Pearl Bailey Sings Songs for Adults//More Songs for Adults (audio CD 2004)
  • 16 Most Requested Songs (audio CD, audiocassette 1991)
  • Some of the Best (audio CD 1996)
  • Takes Two to Tango (audio CD 2004)
  • Very Best of Pearl Bailey (audio CD 2007)
  • Won't You Come Home, Pearl Bailey? (audio CD 1995)
  • More Songs for Adults Only (LP, Roulette SR 25101, 1958) Side A: Westport / There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl / Confession / The Great Indoors / Singin' The Blues (Till My Daddy Comes Home) / Love for Sale. Side B: One Man is Good Enough for Me / Aggravatin' Papa / Nobody's Chasing Me / The Duchess Threw Her Crutches Away / The Begat / Show Me Love.
  • Pearl Bailey Sings For Adults Only (LP, Roulette SR 25016, 1958) Side A: She Had To Go and Lose It at The Astor / Josephine / To Keep My Love Alive / I Want a Man / Zip / Let's Do It. Side B: The Physician / Legalize My Name / You Brought Me More Sunshine (Than I Can Use) / Flings / You Can Be Replaced / I Wanna Get Married.
  • SAINT LOUIS WOMAN. 1946 original cast album. Originally issued by Broadway Angel but later reissued by DRG.
  • CARMEN JONES (Soundtrack). Bailey is about the only cast member to do her own singing. The roles played by Dorothy

Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were dubbed by Marilyn Horne and LaVern Hutcherson. The album was issued by RCA.

[edit] Bibliography

  • The Raw Pearl (autobiography, 1968)
  • Talking to myself (autobiography, 1971)
  • Pearl's kitchen: an extraordinary cookbook (1973)
  • Mothers are wonderful: Warm words of praise by Pat Boone, Pearl Bailey, Margaret Mead, Billy Graham and many more (1974)
  • Hurry Up, America, and Spit (1976)
  • Between you & me (autobiography, 1989)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kenrick, John. Musicals 101.com Who's Who in Musicals:Sa-Sm. Accessed 18 March 2007.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Bailey, Pearl Mae
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American singer
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Southampton County, Virginia
DATE OF DEATH August 17, 1990
PLACE OF DEATH West Chester, Pennsylvania