This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. . The singer was infamous for making up juicy stories about herself, and this Don remains a vague figure in Bentleys life. She moved from Philadelphia to Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City in 1925[7] at the age of 16. Names. Lea Bentley, a primary teacher at Betsy Layne Elementary, died on Thursday. According to Bentley herself, her dysfunctional relationship with her mother shaped the rest of her life in intense ways. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. After graduating from the rent party circuit, Bentley got her shot at becoming a nightclub performer. Gladys Bentley had waited years for this moment, and she wasted no time grabbing the opportunity with both hands. And she didnt stop there. The Harlem Renaissance is really a critical point in the history and evolution of African-Americans in the 20th century, says Dwandalyn Reece, curator of music and performing arts at the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture. She knew what was popular, what she could do, and what people would pay to see, he says. Audience members started raving about her stage presence at the piano, so much so that the club even changed its name to Barbaras Exclusive Club to take the most advantage of Bentleys fame and notorietywhile they still could. With the repeal of Prohibition, her popularity and public tolerance of openly gay persons waned. Failed to delete flower. Bentley died of pneumonia unexpectedly at her home in Los Angeles on January 18, 1960, aged 52. It's a woman, Wilson says. Some have argued that her shocking tell-all was, at least partly, Bentleys way of staying relevant. Already a big girl, her parents and siblings saw this masculine turn as shamefully unladylike, while her classmates teased her at school. She kept on performing, but in womens clothing. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. A talented pianist and blues singer, she ran away to New York City at the age of sixteen. Dancy Mason is the Editor-in-Chief at Factinate. It was discovered that one of the contributing factors to the attack was liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. They cried, laughing so hard; they were doubled over from the ache of it, they blushed, and they fed on the anomalous beauty of Bentley. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Though Gladys Bentley notes that her marriage to Don didnt work out, it still seems like something out of a fairy taleand perhaps its just as untrue as a fairy tale, too. Bentley moved to Los Angeles to live with her mother. When prohibition ended in the 1930s, it was a slow, painful death for Bentleys career, and her speakeasy gigs started to dry up as booze flooded the public markets. At the time, she didnt understand her desiresbut all that was about to change in a big way. According to Jim Wilson, author of the book Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem was also a community that the police turned a blind eye to during the Prohibition Era. Openly lesbian, she sang raunchy remakes of popular tunes in a deep voice, dressed in her signature mens style of tuxedo and top hat. Just play. And Bentley was just getting started. Thanks for your help! ", Gladys Bentley performing "Them There Eyes" with Groucho Marx on, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Gladys Bentley, Gender-Bending Blues Performer and '20s Harlem Royalty", "The Great Blues Singer Gladys Bentley Broke All the Rules", "A Spectacle in Color: The Lesbian and Gay Subculture of Jazz Age Harlem", National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gladys Bentley, more than a liberated singer, "Blues Singer Gladys Bentley Broke Ground with Marriage to a Woman in 1931", "shirlette celebrates Gladys Bentley in PBS American Masters Series, UNLADYLIKE2020", Collection of newspaper clippings and recording information about Gladys Bentley, from Queer Music Heritage, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gladys_Bentley&oldid=1147239415, The Mad House, 133rd Street, Harlem, New York City, New York, Harry Hansberry's Clam House ("Gladys' Clam House"), 133rd Street, Harlem, Harlem, New York City, New York, Ubangi Club, Harlem, New York City, New York, Connie's Inn ("Jungle Alley"), 2221 Seventh Street, Harlem, New York City, New York, "Worried Blues" / "Ground Hog Blues" (August 1928) #8610, "Wild Geese Blues" / "How Much Can I Stand" (November 1928, with piano, not released), "Wild Geese Blues" / "How Much Can I Stand" (November 1928, with guitar) #8643, "Red Beans and Rice" / "Big Gorilla Man" (March 1929) #8707, "Washboards Get Together" / "Kazoo Moan", #38127, scatting vocal on A-side only (title often listed as "Washboard Get Together"), with the Washboard Serenaders, recorded March 1930; reissued twice, as Bluebird B-5790 (circa 1934) and B-6633 (circa 1936), "Boogie'n My Woogie" / "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill", #164, "Red Beans & Rice Blues" / "Find Out What He Likes (and How He Likes It)" #165/166, "Big Gorilla Blues" / "Lay It on the Line", #166/165, "Notoriety Papa" / "It Went to the Girl Next Door", #169, "July Boogie" / "Gladys Could Play", #337, as Fatso Bentley, July 4, 1953, "Easter Mardi Gras" / "Before Midnight", Flame 1001, Cincinnati, early 1950s, label misspells name as Gladys Bently; mentioned in her August 1952 article in, This page was last edited on 29 March 2023, at 17:37. Note: Although some historians view Bentley as a trans-masculine figure, she used she/her pronouns throughout her life. ). Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of African American History & Culture. In 1958, Bentley, who grew up in Philadelphia, appeared on Groucho Marxs game show You Bet Your Life where she said she was from Port-au-Spain (her mother happened to be Trinidadian). Her songs revealed all her dirty little secrets. Gladys Bentley, one of the most flamboyant blues entertainers of the 20th century, began performing in New York City as a singer and male impersonator. Within weeks of starting her gig at the Clam House, Bentley transformed the whole jointliterally. Gladys Bentley - Performer (1907-1960) At the height of her career during the 1920s and 1930s, Gladys Bentley was the most well-known and financially successful black women in the United States. I finally convinced him. [1][2][24] It was initially believed to be the "Asian flu" but later turned into "pneumonia". This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. We are sad to announce that on July 1, 2021, at the age of 87, Gladys Bentley of New York Mills, Minnesota passed away. pneumonia. At least, I always thought I was." Sean Harris. " She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She dressed in men's clothes (including a signature tail coat and top hat), played piano, and sang her own raunchy lyrics to popular tunes of the day in a deep, growling voice while flirting with women in the audience. Your Privacy Rights She was 96. Toward the end of her life Bentley became a devotee of The Temple of Love in Christ, Inc. and prepared for ordained ministry. Gladys was ill throughout the summer of 1958, so she and husband Vernon Presley returned to Memphis in early August to see her personal physician. Bentley began singing at rent parties and buffet flats. And then Mrs West returned to education - working towards a PhD . Do you find this information helpful? She changed her stage name (briefly) to Barbara Bobbie Minton, and upgraded her clothing style to white full dress shirts, stiff collars, [and] small bow ties with a signature top hat. The headline sent shockwaves through America. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. But they werent all there for the right reasons. By the mid 1940's, she took her act to Los Angeles, California and recorded for the Excelsior Record label. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 3 references. She's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet, " they said. When Bentley relocated to Los Angeles, she allegedly married J. T. Gibson, who died in 1952,[22] the same year in which she married Charles Roberts, a cook in Los Angeles; they were married in Santa Barbara, California, went on a honeymoon in Mexico. Portraits of Bentley are now held in the music collections of the African American History museum, where the performer is both a face of the Harlem Renaissance and an example of a woman who on her own terms navigated the entertainment business during the Great Depression and Prohibition Eras. Gladys Love Smith parents Bob and Dolly Smith . Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Gladys Bentley was a triple threata singer, a dancer, and a lesbian. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. When Bentley came up to a hot young thing, she had one go-to move. Her vocal range was wide, as can be heard in her recordings. When Gladys Presley passed away on August 14, 1958, Elvis was only 23 years old. This happened even at her star-studded Hollywood shows, which would have the likes of Mary Astor and Barbara Stanwyck watching from the audience. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Inside these hidden, smoky rooms, Bentley astounded and scandalized audiences with her booming voice, her impeccably tailored suits, and her raunchy lyrics. Weve updated the security on the site. She also appeared at the the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club. A cause of death wasn't. Gladys Bentley, one of the most flamboyant blues entertainers of the 20th century, began performing in New York City as a singer and male impersonator. Please reset your password. Even as a teenage girl of 16, Bentley had grown into a headstrong young woman, and she was sick and tired of feeling rejected. The report will reveal what was in Tewmey's system at the time of his . (Born on April 25, 1912, Gladys was actually 46 when she died.) In shock and disbelief Elvis rushed to the hospital. Thing is, Bentley didnt keep her private life private, not by a long shot. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. In an interview with Ebony magazine,[6] Bentley stated that "It seems I was born different. Gladys was diagnosed with hepatitis shortly after, and her symptoms worsened significantly after that. Gossip suggested her doctor had covered up the real cause of death, an overdose of . Yet although the singer still brought the house down, her comeback only lasted three short years. Her biggest dramas, however, were yet to come. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. According to Bentley, one of the white customers came over, placed a crisp five-dollar bill in her hand, and begged her to play something else, saying, We dont care what it is. When Gladys Bentley performed in speakeasies, especially at the beginning of her career, a curious thing started happening. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Think this stopped Gladys Bentley? There was a problem getting your location. Gladys Bentley should be remembered for being a gender outlaw, says Wilson. All Rights Reserved. She took the songs Sweet Alice Blue Gown and Georgia Brown, and combined them and it became a song about anal sex., Bentley was not the first to sing raunchy music, but Reece said that she was still breaking barriers by pushing the boundaries of public taste in a way that would have been much more suitable for a man to do.. Not only did her own time not know what to do with her, but Bentleys impact is also still a hot topic now. A large, masculine, Black womana "bulldagger," in the language of her dayshe was known for wearing a. . Oftentimes when she mentioned something about her personal life, you had to take it with a grain of salt and not necessarily take it for truth.. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. As Bentley became more popular, she started performing at Harry Hansberrys Clam Houseone of New York Citys most well-known gay speakeasiesin the 1920s. By 1934, just a year after her debut, Gladys Bentley had to give up on her Broadway baby dreams, and she slunk back to Ubangi Club with her white coat tails between her legs. [2], Recorded November 15, 1928, and March 26, 1929, McBreen, Ellen (1998). Date of Death: July 19, 2017. 0 references. Gladys Love, Elvis Presley's mother, died due to heart attack and liver failure. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Years before Gladys Bentley performed in midtown Manhattan, she arrived in Harlem around 1925. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. . Miss Bentley was an amazing exhibition of musical energy a large, dark, masculine lady, whose feet pounded the floor while her fingers pounded the keyboard a perfect piece of African sculpture, animated by her own rhythm.[15]. Elvis Presley's mother, Gladys Presley, died on August 14, 1958, of a heart attack. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. In later years, she participated in Titanic-related events after the wreckage was discovered. Sorry! The creativity that came out of that period shaped music, theater, dance, literature, intellectual thought and scholarship in a way that has shaped who we are today.. [27] Bentley was one of the featured obituaries in Overlooked No More. "Vernon Presley said he was aroused at 3 a.m. by his wife, Gladys, 'suffering for breath.' By some accounts, Bentleys marriage with Roberts was brief and tragic, but according to Roberts himself, it didnt happen at all. When the ship hit an iceberg and sank, she became its youngest survivor. The ploy worked a little too well. Try again later. Get the latest updates and more delivered straight to your inbox. Were always looking for your input! The duo insisted that Bentley left them high and dry at the rise of the club and wanted to pursue other interests that she could financially benefit from. At the time of her death, she had been more involved in the church and had just been ordained as a minister despite never getting her official paperwork. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. After a long climb, Bentley had finally made it to the topbut with stardom came scandal. Will This is when she began performing in men's attire ("white full dress shirts, stiff collars, small bow ties, oxfords, short Eton jackets, and hair cut straight back"),[3] and here she perfected her act and became popular and successful. Just days before the Tampa Pro bodybuilding contest in 2017, Sean Harris fell asleep behind the wheel and died in a pretty tragic accident. Her career skyrocketed when she appeared at Harry Hansberry's Clam House, a well-known gay speakeasy in New York in the 1920s, as a black, lesbian, cross-dressing performer. Gladys Bentleywas born circa 1909. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Bentley was the most popular and infamous speakeasy performer in Prohibition-era New York. On August 8, gravely ill, she was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital. Although she was a talented singer and pianist, her lyricism and queer presentation truly made her stand out. One of Bentleys signature performance moves was to flirt shamelessly with women in the audience. He was inconsolable as he sank to his knees beside his mother's bed. Her career continued after that point, though briefly. During the late 1920's, Bentley recorded for the OKeh Record label and then for Victor Records in 1930. Date of death: August 5, 2017. Want just a taste of Gladys Bentleys scorching lyrics? Bentley became an active member of the "Temple of Love In Christ" Church and was on her way to becoming an ordained minister at the time of her death from pneumonia at the age of 52. Gladys Bentley joined New York's Harlem Renaissance jazz scene at age 16 and became an instant sensation and gender identity pioneer, performing piano and vocals at the most popular gay bars . Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Celebrity OTE - Spring Arts Guide Daniel Kaluuya Digital. Gladys Bentley knew how to live life to the fullest, and with her large, bodacious build and flashy sense of style, she had no problem getting women to fall into bed with her. Bentley also studied to be a minister, claiming to have been "cured" by taking female hormones. As a child, Bentley developed tender feelings for a female teacher and was often sent home for going . Her performances at the Clam House attracted luminaries like poet Langston Hughes and the photographer Carl Van Vechten, who both sang her praises. This account has been disabled. The family struggled financially. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Inevitably, even the vaunted Ubangi club closed its doors in 1937, kicking Bentley out along with its regular clientele. Still, Bentley had bigger dreams on her mind. All Rights Reserved. Learn more about merges. Gladyspassed away on month day1963, at age 54 at death place, Kentucky. Bentleys fame was a product of being both a gifted singer and an adept provocateur. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7634493/gladys-alberta-bentley. Photograph of Gladys Bentley by an unidentified photographer, 1927-45. Rustin's sexuality was a cause for debate by others in the movement, but toward the end of his life, he began to openly fight for queer causes. Search above to list available cemeteries. After Elvis entered his mother ward and the door closed, witnesses remember a piercing wild despair of wails from Elvis were heard as he wept and prayed long and loud over his mother's lifeless body. Gladys George was one of the movies' greatest hard-luck dames, both on- and off-screen. Fed up and at the brink of her sanity, Bentley resorted to drastic measures. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. But she still had one more legacy left. While Bentley was in California, the halcyon days of the liberal Roaring Twenties transformed into conservatism almost overnight, and she didnt find as many friendly faces in her crowds. At the time, the comings and goings of Bentleys inner boudoir were public knowledge, and that was just how she liked it. Scholars who have studied Bentleys life said that the story Bentley told about being cured in the Ebony article was likely a response to the McCarthy Era and its hostile claims that homosexuality and communism were threats to the country. For many years, I lived in a personal hell, she wrote. Gladys Bentley loved women, wore men's clothing, and sang bawdy songs that would make sailors blush.and did it openly in the 1920s and 1930s. At the time of her death, she had been more involved in the church and had just been ordained as a minister despite never getting her official paperwork. She relocated to southern California, marketing herself as Americas Greatest Sepia Piano Player and The Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs, a cheeky nod to her inelegant lyrical double entendres. It did not end well. Unlike other notorious party girls -- including Barbara Payton and Lila Leeds -- she consistently delivered solid performances over the course of a half-century career. 1960 deaths Bentley (surname) Gladys (given name) Births in Philadelphia Deaths in Los Angeles Female African American vocalists Deaths from pneumonia Drag kings Lesbian musicians LGBT musicians from the United States Musicians from Philadelphia Vocalists from New York City People of Harlem, Manhattan Harlem Renaissance Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. The after-theater club near Broadway was where a troupe of liberally painted male sepians with effeminate voices and gestures performed behind entertainer Gladys Bentley, who was no less provocative for early 20th-century America. In 1933, Bentley found herself in the middle of a Supreme Court battle with Harry Hansberry and Nat Palein. Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. even described the Harlem Renaissance being surely as gay as it was black. "[5] She believed that growing up feeling rejected shaped her behavior; she never wanted a man to touch her, hated her brothers, wore boys' clothes, and had a crush on one of her female teachers in elementary school. Cookie Settings, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance, Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States, Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Otherand the Birds Loved It, Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog, The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space, What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklins Unheralded Brilliance.
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