Name/Title
Alberta HunterEntry/Object ID
2024.7.20Description
Around the turn of the century, a teenaged girl from Memphis ran away from home for Chicago, where she heard that singers could earn up to $10 a week. She found work singing in gangster hideouts and went on to perform with Louis Armstrong and King Oliver during that magical period when New Orleans jazz went upriver to the Big Town. That gutsy little girl was Alberta Hunter, and, until her death in 1984 at age 89, she was celebrated worldwide as one of the truly great blues and ballad singers of the century.
In this 1982 concert Ms. Hunter demonstrates this showmanship and interpretive talent that made her a favorite with audiences everywhere. She performs both standards and original compositions, including the Bessie Smith hit, "Downhearted Blues." But whether singing her down-and-dirty blues or tender ballads, Alberta Hunter delivers her trademark sass and sensitivity. Together with accompanists Gerald Cook and Jimmy Lewis, the Grand Old Lady of the Blues proves that "there's plenty of good tunes left in an old violin."Secondary Title
Jazz at the SmithsonianMotion Picture Details
Subject
Jazz musicSubject Person
Alberta HunterMotion Picture Details
Genre
DocumentaryFilm Gauge/Format
VHSRuntime
1:00:00Director
Clark Santee and Delia Gravel SanteeProducer/Publisher
KulturCopyright
Copyright Holder
Adler EnterprisesCopyright Date
1982Create Date
June 10, 2024Update Date
June 10, 2024