The name Adelaide Hall appears in today’s Google Doodle, but who was she? The story of the woman who changed jazz forever.
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| Adelaide Hall |
Adelaide Hall is a fascinating person in jazz history. Google is celebrating her 122nd birthday (October 20, 2023) with a doodle that highlights her many talents as a singer and actor. But who was Adelaide Hall, and why is she significant in the context of Black History Month, both musically and otherwise? The solutions are provided below.
And in September, a “colleague” from Adelaide Hall, jazz pianist Todd Matshikiza, was responsible for bringing it to the Google Doodle. Mihály Cskszentmihályi, a researcher, and Hedwig Dohm, a feminist activist, were also there.
Adelaide Hall was born on October 20, 1901, to musical parents in Brooklyn, New York. She became the primary breadwinner after the untimely deaths of her father and sister.
According to the Google Doodle page, her professional career started in the chorus of the 1921 Broadway musical “Shuffle Along,” which is now regarded as a watershed moment in the history of African-American entertainment.
An article in the Encyclopedia Britannica claims that her early success led to foreign tours and further Broadway performances, ultimately making her one of jazz’s most significant artists.
Adelaide Hall’s life changed dramatically once she met the legendary jazz artist Duke Ellington in 1927. A number 19 smash on the American Billboard charts, “Creole Love Call” was the outcome of her collaboration with Ellington. Not only did this song do well commercially, but it also helped pave the way for a new kind of jazz singing called scat singing, in which the vocalist improvises with wordless vocalizations.
Ellington was reportedly so moved by her “wordless but soulful melody” that he invited her to record it with his band, as stated on the official Google Doodle page.
For Hall, working with Duke Ellington was a professional high point, but it was also a watershed event in jazz. An article she contributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica claims that her “wordless rhythm vocalization” was crucial in the development of the genre now known as “scat singing.” Her groundbreaking efforts in this area have made her a major player in jazz’s history.
Adelaide Hall took her success in the United States to the international stage. In 1925, she began performing her performance “Chocolate Kiddies” around Europe, and it quickly became a smash hit in many different places.
After this run, she went back to New York City and continued performing on Broadway’s largest stages, as reported on the official Google Doodle page. But the experience of Europe had left an indelible mark.
Hall and her husband Wilbur Hicks reportedly owned nightclubs in Paris and London after relocating to Europe full-time in 1934. This is according to a Britannica article. After rising to international fame in Europe, she settled down in the United Kingdom. Her prominence on the European jazz scene expanded, and she became a household name throughout the world.
Even after relocating to Europe, Adelaide Hall continued to have a successful career. Even into her 90s, she remained a productive and significant artist. In 1979, as a part of the Newport Jazz Festival, she performed at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City for a concert series titled “Black Broadway, 1900-1945,” according to an article in the Encyclopdia Britannica. This performance marked her comeback to the American stage and contributed to her growing profile in the country as a whole. In London, England, Adelaide Hall passed away on November 7th, 1993. In terms of age, she was 92.
Her influence on African-American and female performers, as well as on the music industry as a whole, will go on long after her death. A television documentary titled “Sophisticated Lady” and a radio program titled “Sweet Adelaide” were also made about her later in life, as noted on the official Google Doodle page. Not only did she leave an indelible mark on the music industry, but she also greatly impacted African-American culture and the entertainment industry as a whole by blazing a trail for other black artists.
