Hadda Brooks
Encyclopedia
Hadda Brooks was an American
pianist
, vocalist and composer
. Her first single
, "Swingin' the Boogie", which she composed, was issued in 1945. She was billed as "Queen of the Boogie." Highlights of her life included singing at Hawaii's official statehood ceremony in 1959 and being asked for a private audience with Pope Pius XII
.
, by her parents, who had migrated to California from the South. Her mother, Goldie Wright, was a doctor and her father, John Hapgood, a deputy sheriff. Her grandfather, Samuel Alexander Hopgood (October 22, 1857 – November 30, 1944), moved to California from Atlanta, Georgia
, and proved to be an enormous influence on Brooks. He introduced her to theater and the operatic voices of Amelita Galli-Curci
and Enrico Caruso. In her youth she formally studied classical music with an Italian piano instructor, Florence Bruni, with whom she trained for twenty years. She attended the University of Chicago, and later, returned to Los Angeles. She came to love the subtle comedy of black theater and vaudeville entertainer and singer Bert Williams
. Brooks began playing piano professionally in the early 1940s at a tap-dance studio owned by Hollywood choreographer and dancer Willie Covan. For ten dollars a week, she played the popular tunes of the day while Covan worked with such stars as Fred Astaire
, Gene Kelly
, and Shirley Temple
. Brooks was married briefly during this period to a Harlem Globetrotter named Earl "Shug" Morrison in 1941. She toured with the team when they traveled. Morrison developed pulmonary pneumonia, however, and died about a year after they were married. It was Brooks' only marriage.
Brooks actually preferred ballads to boogie-woogie, but worked up her style by listening to Albert Ammons
, Pete Johnson
, and Meade Lux Lewis
records. Her first recording, the pounding "Swingin' the Boogie," for Jules Bihari
's Modern Records
, was a sizable regional hit in 1945, and another R&B Top Ten with "Out of the Blue," her most famous song. It was Jules Bihari who gave her the recording name Hadda Brooks. Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman
recommended Brooks to a film director friend of his who placed her in the film Out of the Blue
in 1947. Encouraged by orchestra leader Charlie Barnet
, Brooks practiced singing "You Won't Let Me Go," and the song became her first vocal recording in 1947. She usually played the small part of a lounge piano player in films, and often sang the title song. "Out of the Blue" became a top hit for Brooks, "Boogie Woogie Blues" followed in 1948, and she appeared in In a Lonely Place
(1950) starring Humphrey Bogart
, and in The Bad and the Beautiful
(1952) with Lana Turner
and Kirk Douglas
. Brooks became the first African-American woman to host her own television show in 1957. The Hadda Brooks Show, a combination talk and musical entertainment show, aired on Los Angeles' KCOP-TV
. The show opened with Brooks seated behind a grand piano, cigarette smoke curling about her, and featured "That's My Desire" as her theme song. She appeared in 26 half-hour episodes of the show, which were broadcast live in Los Angeles and repeated on KGO in San Francisco. She commuted to Europe in the 1970s for performances in nightclubs and festivals, but performed rarely in the United States, living for many years in Australia and Hawaii. In 1986, manager Alan Eichler
brought her out of a 16-year retirement to open a new jazz room at the historic Perino's in Los Angeles, after which she continued to play nightclubs regularly in Hollywood, San Francisco, and New York
, to rave reviews.
In 1993, Brooks was presented with the prestigious Pioneer Award by Bonnie Raitt
on behalf of the Smithsonian-based Rhythm and Blues Foundation, in a ceremony held at the Hollywood Palace. Brooks returned to movies with a cameo in Jack Nicholson
's film The Crossing Guard (1995), directed by Sean Penn
, in which she sang "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." Three years later she made another singing appearance in The Thirteenth Floor (1999). Her last performance on screen was an acting role in "John John in the Sky" (2000)
She resumed her recording career with the 1994 album "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" for DRG. Meanwhile Virgin Records had acquired the old Modern catalogue and because of Brooks' new-found success issued a compilation of her 40's and 50's recordings entitled "That's My Desire". They also signed her to record three new songs for the Christmas album "Even Santa Gets the Blues," made more unusual by the fact she had releases on the same label made 50 years apart. Her 1996 album for Virgin, "Time Was When," featured Al Viola (Guitar), Eugene Wright
(Bass) and Richard Dodd (Cello), and she wrote two of its songs: "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Crazy" and "Mama's Blues." She began playing at hip nightclubs like actor Johnny Depp
's Viper Room, New York
's Algonquin Hotel and Michael's Pub and such Hollywood haunts as Goldfinger's, the Vine St. Bar and Grill and the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill. She celebrated her 80th birthday by performing two full shows at Depp's Viper Room.
In 2000, the Los Angeles Music Awards honored Hadda Brooks with the "Lifetime Achievement Award."
Hadda Brooks died at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles
, following open-heart surgery at age 86.
In 2007, a 72-minute documentary, Queen of the Boogie, directed by Austin Young
& Barry Pett, was presented at the Los Angeles Silver Lake Film Festival.
Her most famous songs include:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, vocalist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Her first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Swingin' the Boogie", which she composed, was issued in 1945. She was billed as "Queen of the Boogie." Highlights of her life included singing at Hawaii's official statehood ceremony in 1959 and being asked for a private audience with Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
.
Life and career
She was born Hadda Hapgood on October 29, 1916 and raised in the Boyle Heights area of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, by her parents, who had migrated to California from the South. Her mother, Goldie Wright, was a doctor and her father, John Hapgood, a deputy sheriff. Her grandfather, Samuel Alexander Hopgood (October 22, 1857 – November 30, 1944), moved to California from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and proved to be an enormous influence on Brooks. He introduced her to theater and the operatic voices of Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the best-known coloratura singers of the early 20th century with her gramophone records selling in large numbers.-Early life:...
and Enrico Caruso. In her youth she formally studied classical music with an Italian piano instructor, Florence Bruni, with whom she trained for twenty years. She attended the University of Chicago, and later, returned to Los Angeles. She came to love the subtle comedy of black theater and vaudeville entertainer and singer Bert Williams
Bert Williams
Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
. Brooks began playing piano professionally in the early 1940s at a tap-dance studio owned by Hollywood choreographer and dancer Willie Covan. For ten dollars a week, she played the popular tunes of the day while Covan worked with such stars as Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
, and Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
. Brooks was married briefly during this period to a Harlem Globetrotter named Earl "Shug" Morrison in 1941. She toured with the team when they traveled. Morrison developed pulmonary pneumonia, however, and died about a year after they were married. It was Brooks' only marriage.
Brooks actually preferred ballads to boogie-woogie, but worked up her style by listening to Albert Ammons
Albert Ammons
Albert Ammons was an American pianist. Ammons was a player of boogie-woogie, a bluesy jazz style popular from the late 1930s into the mid 1940s.-Life and career:...
, Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist.Journalist Tony Russell stated in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, that "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most...
, and Meade Lux Lewis
Meade Lux Lewis
Meade Lux Lewis was a American pianist and composer, noted for his work in the boogie-woogie style. His best known work, "Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded in various contexts, often in a big band arrangement...
records. Her first recording, the pounding "Swingin' the Boogie," for Jules Bihari
Bihari brothers
The Bihari Brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American music entrepreneurs and the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries such as Meteor Records based in Memphis.-Origins:...
's Modern Records
Modern Records
Modern Records was an American record label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. In the 1960s, Modern Records went bankrupt and ceased operations, but the catalogue went with the management into what became Kent Records. This back catalogue was eventually licensed to the UK label...
, was a sizable regional hit in 1945, and another R&B Top Ten with "Out of the Blue," her most famous song. It was Jules Bihari who gave her the recording name Hadda Brooks. Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
recommended Brooks to a film director friend of his who placed her in the film Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (1947 film)
Out of the Blue is a 1947 comedy based on the short story by Vera Caspary who also co-wrote the screenplay. It stars George Brent, Ann Dvorak, Turhan Bey and Virginia Mayo...
in 1947. Encouraged by orchestra leader Charlie Barnet
Charlie Barnet
Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "Southland Shuffle".-Early life:...
, Brooks practiced singing "You Won't Let Me Go," and the song became her first vocal recording in 1947. She usually played the small part of a lounge piano player in films, and often sang the title song. "Out of the Blue" became a top hit for Brooks, "Boogie Woogie Blues" followed in 1948, and she appeared in In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes.Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a...
(1950) starring Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, and in The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful is a 1952 MGM melodramatic film that tells the story of a film producer who alienates all around him. It was directed by Vincente Minelli and stars Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame and Gilbert Roland. The film was...
(1952) with Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
and Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
. Brooks became the first African-American woman to host her own television show in 1957. The Hadda Brooks Show, a combination talk and musical entertainment show, aired on Los Angeles' KCOP-TV
KCOP-TV
KCOP-TV, channel 13, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, KCOP is a sister station to Fox network outlet KTTV , and is affiliated with the MyNetworkTV programming service...
. The show opened with Brooks seated behind a grand piano, cigarette smoke curling about her, and featured "That's My Desire" as her theme song. She appeared in 26 half-hour episodes of the show, which were broadcast live in Los Angeles and repeated on KGO in San Francisco. She commuted to Europe in the 1970s for performances in nightclubs and festivals, but performed rarely in the United States, living for many years in Australia and Hawaii. In 1986, manager Alan Eichler
Alan Eichler
Alan Eichler is a theatrical producer, talent manager and press agent who has represented numerous stage productions, produced Grammy-winning record albums and managed such singers as Anita O'Day, Hadda Brooks, Nellie Lutcher, Ruth Brown, Johnnie Ray and Yma Sumac-Early life and career:Born in...
brought her out of a 16-year retirement to open a new jazz room at the historic Perino's in Los Angeles, after which she continued to play nightclubs regularly in Hollywood, San Francisco, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to rave reviews.
In 1993, Brooks was presented with the prestigious Pioneer Award by Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
on behalf of the Smithsonian-based Rhythm and Blues Foundation, in a ceremony held at the Hollywood Palace. Brooks returned to movies with a cameo in Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
's film The Crossing Guard (1995), directed by Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, in which she sang "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." Three years later she made another singing appearance in The Thirteenth Floor (1999). Her last performance on screen was an acting role in "John John in the Sky" (2000)
She resumed her recording career with the 1994 album "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" for DRG. Meanwhile Virgin Records had acquired the old Modern catalogue and because of Brooks' new-found success issued a compilation of her 40's and 50's recordings entitled "That's My Desire". They also signed her to record three new songs for the Christmas album "Even Santa Gets the Blues," made more unusual by the fact she had releases on the same label made 50 years apart. Her 1996 album for Virgin, "Time Was When," featured Al Viola (Guitar), Eugene Wright
Eugene Wright
"The Senator" Eugene Wright is an American jazz bassist, best known for his work as a member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, in particular on the group's most famous album Time Out , with pianist Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and saxophonist Paul Desmond.Wright, nicknamed "The Senator", had played...
(Bass) and Richard Dodd (Cello), and she wrote two of its songs: "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Crazy" and "Mama's Blues." She began playing at hip nightclubs like actor Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
's Viper Room, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Algonquin Hotel and Michael's Pub and such Hollywood haunts as Goldfinger's, the Vine St. Bar and Grill and the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill. She celebrated her 80th birthday by performing two full shows at Depp's Viper Room.
In 2000, the Los Angeles Music Awards honored Hadda Brooks with the "Lifetime Achievement Award."
Hadda Brooks died at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, following open-heart surgery at age 86.
In 2007, a 72-minute documentary, Queen of the Boogie, directed by Austin Young
Austin Young
Austin Young is a photographer and film maker currently based in Los Angeles. Young has worked as a photographer since 1985. Young's work has created an encyclopedic documentation of sub and trans culture in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. His short videos have over 5 million hits on...
& Barry Pett, was presented at the Los Angeles Silver Lake Film Festival.
Her most famous songs include:
- "Swingin' the Boogie"
- "That's My DesireThat's My Desire (1931 song)"That's My Desire" is a 1931 popular song with music by Helmy Kresa and lyrics by Carroll Loveday.The highest-charting version of the song was recorded by the Sammy Kaye orchestra in 1946, although a version of the song recorded by Frankie Laine has become better known over the years, being one of...
" - "Romance in the Dark"
- "Don't Take Your Love From MeDon't Take Your Love from Me"Don't Take Your Love from Me" is a popular song written by Henry Nemo and published in 1941. It was introduced that year by singer Joan Brooks.-Recorded versions:*Eddy Arnold* Joan Brooks *Georgia Brown - Georgia Brown...
" - "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere"
- "You Won't Go"
- "I Hadn't Anyone Till YouI Hadn't Anyone Till You"I Hadn't Anyone Till You" is a popular song written by Ray Noble in 1938.Tony Martin sang it with the Ray Noble band in 1938, reaching number four in the charts over a period of twelve weeks....
"
Discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | I've Got News for You | Jazz, blues | Virgin |
| 1996 | Time Was When | Jazz, blues | Virgin |
| 1995 | Even Santa Gets the Blues | Jazz, blues | Virgin |
| 1995 | That's My Desire ("Romance in the Dark"-UK) | Jazz, blues | Virgin (Ace-UK) |
| 1994 | Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere | Jazz, blues | DRG |
| 1963 | Sings & Swings | Jazz, blues | Crown |
| 1958 | Boogie | Jazz, blues | Crown |
| 1956 | Femme Fatale | Jazz, blues | Modern |
External links
- An interview with Hadda Brooks from the African American Music Collection at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...