ABOUT THE EVENT
Phoenixville Public Library
183 Second Avenue
Phoenixville, PA
Harlem Renaissance: The Black American Impact on Popular Song, Pt. 1: A Lecture-in-Song
Presented by
Fred Miller, pianist/singer/lecturer
Thursday, March 26 * 7:00 – 8:30 PM
in the Community Education Room
For black slaves, singing was not a refined amusement but survival and life itself, however limited and painful that life might be. Not surprisingly, after slavery’s demise, the musical expression of the experience — Spirituals, Blues, Jazz — would become Black Americans´ most compelling weapon in their hard-fought battle for full assimilation into the mainstream. While many of the more “respectable” professions remained out of reach in those days, entertainment was immediately open to anyone with talent, and musical genius lay waiting in vast storehouses among the Black American community.
This program explores the Golden Age of American popular song and examines the careers and songs of Ziegfeld star Bert Williams, poignant singer/actress Ethel Waters, ragtime wonder Eubie Blake, elegant composer & bandleader Duke Ellington, dancing wizard Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and the swinging, singing Cab Calloway.
This event is open to the public. Reservations are required on the Adult Events Calendar at www.phoenixvillelibrary.org or by calling 610-933-3013, Ext. 132.
610-933-3013 x132
