Apollo’s 75th Anniversary Kick-off it 75th!!
THE RESURGENCE OF THE 125TH STREET STRIP HAS BEEN
PEGGED TO THE RE-OPENING OF THE APOLLO THEATER -- A
HARLEM INSTITUTION THAT CAME TO SYMBOLIZE THE HEYDAY
OF JAZZ AND RELATED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART FORMS FROM
THE MID-1920S THROUGH THE 1950S.
PERCY SUTTON IS THE BIG CITY POLITICIAN, MEDIA MOGUL
AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO BOUGHT THE SHUTTERED
APOLLO IN 1980 AND REFURBISHED IT IN THE OLD STYLE.
ACCORDING TO HIM, THE APOLLO'S INITIAL POPULARITY
AMONG BLACKS WAS DUE TO THE RACISM OF NEW YORK'S
ENTERTAINMENT WORLD DURING THE 1930S AND 40S.
"THE APOLLO THEATER HAS A GREAT HISTORY.
HISTORICALLY, IT WAS THE RESULT OF DISCRIMINATION. IT
WAS, TOGETHER WITH THEATERS IN SEVEN OTHER CITIES,
THE PLACE WHERE BLACK ENTERTAINERS COULD GO AND HONE
THEIR TALENTS AND WHERE BLACK PEOPLE COULD COME.
BLACKS COULDN'T GO INTO WHITE THEATERS. THEY HAD TO
GO INTO BLACK THEATERS. ** BLACK PERFORMERS COULDN'T
GO INTO WHITE THEATERS. THEY HAD TO GO IN BLACK
THEATERS."
ALL THE BLACK JAZZ GREATS, FROM BILLIE HOLIDAY TO
LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AND FROM DUKE ELLINGTON AND COUNT
BASIE TO THE GREAT LIONEL HAMPTON REGULARLY "PLAYED
THE APOLLO" AND CONTRIBUTED TO ITS FAME.
"IT WAS SO POWERFUL. IT WAS LIKE A BOMBSHELL! IT WAS
SO POWERFUL, THE WHOLE WORLD KNEW ABOUT IT... IT WAS
JUST SOMETHING THAT HAD TO HAPPEN. GOD WANTED IT
THAT WAY!"
THAT'S LIONEL HAMPTON HIMSELF. THE LEGENDARY "SWING
ERA" MUSICIAN WHO FIRST MADE THE VIBRAPHONE FAMOUS AS
A JAZZ INSTRUMENT IS NOW 89 YEARS OLD. STILL, HE
EASILY RECALLS WHEN THE APOLLO THEATER WAS GROUND
ZERO FOR HARLEM AND HARLEM WAS "GROUND ZERO" FOR
JAZZ.
"... WE HAD TO DO TEN SHOWS A DAY. BOY, I'M TELLING
YOU PEOPLE LINING UP AROUND SEVENTH AVENUE ONE WAY,
AROUND EIGHTH AVENUE THE OTHER [WAY]. AND THE CROWD
WOULD MEET ON 126TH STREET BEHIND THE APOLLO THEATER
AT THE BACK DOOR. THE CROWD WAS SO TREMENDOUS! IT WAS
JUST JOY ALL THE WAY."
THESE DAYS, IT IS RAP AND HIP-HOP, NOT JAZZ THAT
YOU HEAR ON THE STREET AND IN THE CONCERT HALLS OF
HARLEM. RAP AND HIP-HOP MUSIC LIKE THIS ARE CERTAINLY
THE MAINSTAY FEATURES OF ANOTHER VENERABLE APOLLO
TRADITION: "AMATEUR NIGHT" CONTESTS.
EVERY WEDNESDAY AT SEVEN SHARP, UNKNOWN LOCALS -- AND
THE OCCASIONAL FOREIGNER -- TAKE TO THE STAGE TO TRY
TO PLEASE THE FAMOUSLY TOUGH CROWD, HOPING FOR A
BREAK. *** MS. GRACE BLAKE OF THE APOLLO THEATER
FOUNDATION, SAYS THAT THE PERFORMERS LOVE TO STRUT
THEIR STUFF BEFORE THEIR PEERS.
"THEY ALL THINK THEY ARE GOING TO BE THE NEXT STAR OF
TOMORROW. LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON, HE PLAYED THE APOLLO
AT ONE TIME. AND LUTHER VAN DROSS. HE WAS BOOED OFF
OF HERE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE TIMES. SO THERE IS HOPE.
THERE ARE KIDS FROM GERMANY AND JAPAN AND ALL OVER
THE WORLD WHO FEEL THAT IF THEY CAN MAKE IT ON THE
APOLLO STAGE, THEY CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE. "
DURING AMATEUR NIGHT, THE AUDIENCE IS THE JUDGE, AND
CONTESTANTS ARE RANKED ACCORDING TO THE APPLAUSE AT
THE END OF THE SHOW. UNLIKE THE ETIQUETTE AT THE MORE
STAID VENUES DOWNTOWN, THE MOSTLY TEENAGE APOLLO
AUDIENCE IS ENCOURAGED TO CHEER OR BOO AS LOUD AS IT
LIKES. STILL, MS. BLAKE SAYS SHE SOMETIMES FEELS FOR
THE HOPEFULS WHO COME ONSTAGE TO SING ONLY TO BE
SUMMARILY USHERED OFF IN A PANDEMONIUM OF LIGHTS AND
SOUND BY THE APOLLO'S RESIDENT CLOWN, C-P -- FOR
"CROWD-PLEASER" -- LACEY.
"BECAUSE IT'S TOUGH! YOU COME AND YOU PREPARE AND YOU
PREPARE AND AFTER ABOUT THE THIRD NOTE IT'S
'ZOOOMMMM!' HERE COMES THE C-P LACEY TO TAKE YOU OFF
THE STAGE. C-P LACEY HE'S THE EXECUTIONER."
FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS LIKE MERLINE AND HER PALS FROM
QUEENS, THE CLOWN IN THE MUTLI-COLORED WIG IS AN
ESSENTIAL PART OF THE DRAMA. BUT THERE ARE OTHER
REASONS FOR GOING TOO.
"Q: WHY'D YOU COME HERE TONIGHT? A: TO SEE AMATEURS.
Q: WHAT'S THE DRAW? A: BOOING PEOPLE. AND TO SEE WHO
GOT TALENT... GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE TO START A
CAREER. Q: DID YOU EVER BOO ANYONE THAT EVERYONE ELSE
LIKED OR VICE VERSA? A: YEAH. YEAH YEAH. YEAH!"
NOT EVERYONE LOSES OF COURSE. ON THIS WEDNESDAY,
AMATEUR NIGHT FIRST PRIZE WENT TO A TEENAGE GIRL IN
RADIANT WHITE WHO SANG A SOULFUL SONG THAT PLEASED
THE CROWD. PERHAPS SHE WILL WIN THE SEMI-FINALS AND
GO ON TO FAME AS NINA SIMONE, ELLA FITZGERALD, GLADYS
KNIGHT, THE INK SPOTS AND NUMEROUS OTHER AMATEUR
NIGHT WINNERS HAVE DONE BEFORE HER.
BUT WINNING IS NOT THE MAIN POINT FOR BILLY MITCHELL,
AN ENTERTAINER WHO DOES DOUBLE DUTY GIVING TOURS TO
THE MANY VISITORS WHO COME TO THE THEATER HOPING FOR
A PIECE OF HARLEM HISTORY. FOR HIM, THE APOLLO'S
ILLUSTRIOUS PAST IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THIS YEAR'S
AMATEURS -- OR NEXT YEAR'S SUPERSTARS.
"... THERE IS A LOT OF TIMES AFTER THE CONCERTS, I
WILL GO INTO THE THEATER, THERE IS NO ONE HERE AND I
WILL SIT THERE AND I CLOSE MY EYES AND TAKE IN THE SPIRITS
OF ALL OUR ANCESTORS WHO HAVE PERFORMED HERE. ** I FEEL
THEIR PRESENCE. SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY 'BILLY! WHAT
ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?' BUT I AM TAKING IT IN. WHEN
YOU HAVE A LOVE FOR A PLACE.... THERE IS NO OTHER
PLACE I WANT TO WORK EXCEPT FOR THE APOLLO THEATER. I
REALLY, REALLY LOVE IT HERE."
SPECIAL EDITION: 75th ANNIVERSARY AMATEUR NIGHT BIRTH DAY PARTY
To kick off its 75th Anniversary Season, the world famous Apollo Theater will present a special anniversary edition of its popular signature show, Apollo Amateur Night, on Wednesday January 28, 2009 at 7:30pm. In a salute to the community who has kept the Theater going for the last 75 years, tickets will be only $7.50 for the first 750 people who purchase tickets for the January 28 performance. Considering this Amateur Night, “the official birthday party” for the iconic Theater, producers have pulled out all the stops for this show. Hosted by KISS-FM Morning Show personality Talent, the evening will include a very special performance from Harlem native and super producer/rapper Ron Browz performing his monster hit “Pop Champagne” and his latest single “Jumpin’ Out the Window.” There will also be a cake and cupcakes, (provided by Harlem bakery Make My Cake), prizes, giveaways, a very unique rendition of Happy Birthday, and a chance for people to write messages to the Apollo. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office- (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street. Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171 or www.ticketmaster.com/venue/6 .
About Amateur Night
From its notoriously tough audience to the magic of the Tree of Hope, the Apollo Amateur Night story is the stuff that legends are made of–literally. Amateur Night has been the launching pad for countless world-class artists across generations and genres, including Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and Lauryn Hill. Long before Ted Mack and the Amateur Hour and American Idol, the Apollo’s Amateur Night was, and continues to be, a primary source for discovering new talent and spotlighting up-and-coming artists, all hoping that the hallowed stage and the approval of the infamous audience will launch their careers in the entertainment world.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
About the Apollo Theater
Celebrating its 75th Anniversary Season in 2009-10, the Apollo Theater is one of Harlem’s, New York City’s, and America’s most iconic and enduring cultural institutions. The Apollo was one of the first theaters in New York—and the country—to integrate, welcoming traditionally African-American, Hispanic, and local immigrant populations, and headlining uniquely talented entertainers who found it difficult to gain entrance to other venues of similar size and resources. For that reason, the Apollo has been a pioneer in presenting the cultural contributions of black and Latino communities and has played a central role in the development of American music into the 21st century.
The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., was established as a nonprofit, charitable organization in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The Foundation brought stability to the Theater’s operations and focused its efforts on reinvigorating the Apollo legend. Recently, the Apollo has roughly tripled its operating budget, full-time staff, annual audience, and weekly programs. In January 2008 the Apollo announced a series of initiatives leading up to its 75th Anniversary Season in 2009-10, including an archive of historic documents, photographs, audio and video recordings, artifacts, and other memorabilia and ephemera as part of its ongoing mission of preserving and making available its legacy.
The Apollo’s mission is to honor the influence and advance the contributions of African-American artists and advance emerging creative voices across cultures and artistic media through the Apollo experience of world-class live performances and educational programs. The Apollo reigns as one of New York City’s premiere uptown attractions and is the cultural anchor of the current reinvigoration of the 125th Street corridor.
For more information, visit www.apollotheater.org.
http://harlemworldblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/apollo%E2%80%99s-75th-anniversary-kick-off/
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