African-American Entertainment in Baltimore

By ROSA PRYOR-TRUSTY and Tonya Taliaferro

Take a trip down the Pennsylvania Avenue of years past, the heart of Baltimore's African-American community, when the streets vibrated with life and bass.

From 1930 to 1980, Baltimore was a key city to the success of Black entertainers, such as The Ink Spots, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and countless others, while The Avenue's hottest night spots such as the legendary Royal Theater, the Regent Theater, the Sphinx, and Club Casino bumped and jived until the early hours of morning. Along with the DJS and promoters who helped cultivate the city's musical talents, and the people who were just there to have a groovy time, African-American Entertainment in Baltimore captures the brilliance of the city's musical heritage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jun 10, 2003
• ISBN: 9781439612378

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INTRODUCTION

At present, our economy is experiencing so many shades of red: the falling stock market, record unemployment, massive layoffs, corporate scandals, and collapsing retirement funds. During these trying times, our most soothing relief comes through understanding our history, seeing that our perseverance through the present and our forging of the future begins with the wisdom of our past pilgrimages. The fruits of our lives are our arts, our music, our theater, and our good times. The roots of these are where the folks gather to sing, to play, to share, to inspire, to create, and re-create. We return to the roots, to the blackest part of the soil, the oil of our existence. Here we are reminded that no matter how in the red we may be, our artistic heritage sustains and remains the essence that keeps us in the black, rich beyond bounds.

For Baltimore, this is undoubtedly the gospel truth. Baltimore’s very rich arts and entertainment history started during the 1920s with The Royal Theater located on what was the city’s main entertainment artery, Pennsylvania Avenue. The Royal, established in 1921 as the Douglas Theater, played host to a variety of great entertainers such as Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, the Temptations, the Supremes, and James Brown.

Its fame made it a crucial part of the Chittlin’ Circuit, the network of major American cities’ theaters, concert halls, and lounges where black entertainers displayed and honed their crafts as musicians, singers, dancers, actors, and comedians. A facet of this entertainment network also included nightclubs, bars, and after-hours havens. During its heyday of the 1930s to the 1960s, Baltimore had no shortage of these hot-spot hang-outs gracing the corridor of Pennsylvania Avenue. Established in 1949, the Casino Club was owned by the legendary Little Willie Adams and proved a staple for Baltimore’s music and arts scene. After a show at the Royal Theater one might find Billie Holiday and friends relaxing at the Casino with a strong drink, a healthy helping of fried chicken and potato salad, and carrying on stimulating conversation about the night’s performances and the goings-on backstage. Baltimore was the fort for a hodgepodge of these African-American clubs, like Gamby’s, the Sphinx Club, Club Frolics, the Town Bar, the Avenue Bar, Alhambra, Wagon Wheel, Bam-Boo Lounge, York Hotel, Comedy Club, Bucks Bar, the Spot Bar, the Millionaire Club, Wonderland, the Golden Pen, Red Fox, Crossroads, O’Lee Land Club, Club 2701, Dreamland, Ubangi, the Vilma, and Club Tiajuana.

The Sphinx Club arguably may have been one of the first black members only clubs/lounges of its kind in the United States. Established by Mr. Charlie Tilghman in 1946, the Sphinx Club afforded its members an elite status with all the fringe benefits of its offshoot organizations like the Young Pharaohs, the Ladies of the Sphinx, the Sphinx Softball and Oldtimers Basketball Teams, and the Sphinx Bowling Club. The club’s ambiance, live music, fine food, charismatic characters, smooth wine and spirits, lively parties, lovely ladies, and the creativity of its dynamic founder intoxicated the senses. Mr. Redd Foxx held the Sphinx dear to his heart as one of his favorite nighttime mainstays.

Baltimore’s homegrown local musicians made a name for themselves as the backbone of the Chittlin’ Circuit, and some acquired international fame. Mr. Bill Kenny, the often-imitated voice of the Ink Spots, was born in West Baltimore and enjoyed international success as a pioneering lead crooner. Sonny Til and the Orioles, the Ink Spots’ successors, were born and bred in Baltimore and laid groundwork for the pantheon of black music gods and goddesses. They formulated the secret sauce for the main ingredient of every doo-wop and R&B male vocal group since their inception in 1948.

Baltimore and its surrounding areas definitely blazed trails for black radio personalities. Historic radio icon Hal Jackson made his radio debut in 1939 on WOOK at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and shortly thereafter challenged the airwaves on WANN-Annapolis, and WSID in Baltimore. Mr. Jackson reared legendary Hoppy Adams, the creator of the nationally acclaimed Bandstand on The Beach concert series, which was broadcast live at Carr’s Beach in Annapolis. Hoppy, star of WANN AM and FM radio, made a name for himself and many others in the entertainment industry. His radio show was enjoyed as far away as Ohio, thanks to WANN’s 50,000