Live at the Apollo Theatre - It's Showtime Music Video Spotlight

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An Apollo Hall had been founded in New York City in the mid-1860s by former Civil War General Edward Ferrero as a dance hall and ballroom. Upon the expiration of his lease in 1872, the building was converted to a theater, which closed shortly before the turn of the century. However, the name "Apollo Theater" lived on. The Apollo was designed by the architect George M. Kaiser, who also patterned the First Baptist Church in the City of New York at 79th Street and Broadway.

Founded in 1913 in a different location, the new Apollo Theater was owned by various Jewish families up until World War II. When the Apollo first opened, it was one of New York City's leading burlesque venues, opened and operated by two of the city's most influential burlesque operators — Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon. Open to white-only viewers, the Hurtig and Seamon's (New) Burlesque Theater would remain in operation until 1928 when Bill Minsky took over and transformed it into the 125th Street Apollo Theater. Sidney S. Cohen, a powerful theatrical landlord, purchased the Apollo in 1932 upon Minsky's untimely death. The Apollo Theater finally opened its doors to African American patrons in 1934, 20 years after the building's original opening, showcasing "a colored review" entitled Jazz a la Carte.

Ella Fitzgerald made her singing debut at seventeen on November 21, 1934 at the Apollo . Ella's name pulled in a weekly audience at the Apollo and she won the opportunity to compete in one of the earliest of its famous "Amateur Nights." She had originally intended to go on stage and dance, but intimidated by the Edwards Sisters, a local dance duo, she opted to sing instead, in the style of Connie Boswell. She sang Hoagy Carmichael's "Judy" and "The Object of My Affection", a song recorded by the Boswell Sisters, and won the first prize of US$25.00.[2]

One unique feature of the Apollo was "the executioner," a man with a broom who would sweep performers off the stage if the highly vocal and opinionated audiences began to call for their removal.[3]

Transformation and renovation

Apollo Theater 125th street in Harlem, Apollo theater in the center

The theater is located at 253 W. 125th Street in Harlem in what is now one of the best-known black neighborhoods in New York City and probably the country. When the Apollo re-opened in 1934 the area around 125th Street was a transitional neighborhood. In the decades before the Apollo, the theater had catered to white audiences with white shows featuring burlesque. When Sydney S. Cohen and his partner, Morris Sussman, reopened the Apollo on January 26, 1934, they published an ad in the New York Age which referred to the Apollo as "the finest theater in Harlem". The first show was called "Jazz a la Carte". All the proceeds of this show were donated to the Harlem Children's Fresh Air Fund.[4] After Sydney S. Cohen's death, Morris Sussman and Frank Schiffman got together. Schiffman ran the Harlem Opera House and a merger between the two theaters was formed.[4]Schiffman's motivation for featuring black talent and entertainment was not only because the neighborhood had become black over a two hundred year period of gradual migration, but because black entertainers were cheaper to hire, and Schiffman could offer quality shows for reasonable rates. For many years Apollo was the only theater in New York City to hire black talent.[5]

The song I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful) by Harry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin, written in 1929, became the theme song of the theatre.

The Apollo grew to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance of the pre-WWII years. In 1934, it introduced its regular Amateur Night shows. Billing itself as a place "where stars are born and legends are made," the Apollo became famous for launching the careers of artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Mariah Carey, The Isley Brothers, Lauryn Hill, and Sarah Vaughan. The Apollo also featured the performances of old-time vaudeville favorites like Tim Moore, Stepin Fetchit, Godfrey Cambridge, Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, Moms Mabley, Marshall "Garbage" Rogers, and Johnny Lee.

The club fell into decline in the 1960s and 1970s, but was revived in 1983, when it obtained federal, state, and city landmark status. It fully reopened in 1985, and was bought by the State of New York in 1991. It is now run by a nonprofit organization, the Apollo Theater Foundation Inc., and draws an estimated 1.3 million visitors annually. In 2005, Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama released an album Live at the Apollo in honor of the Harlem music scene.

It is the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a nationally syndicated variety show consisting of new talent.

On December 15, 2005, the Apollo Theater launched the first phase of its refurbishment, costing estimated $25 million. The first phase included the facade and the new light-emitting diode (LED) marquee. Attendees and speakers at the launch event included President Bill Clinton, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons.

To date, the Apollo renovation is America's most expensive and advanced refurbishment of a landmark theater.

On December 28, 2006, the body of "Soul Brother #1," who had died a few days before, was displayed at the Apollo Theater as a memorial to his life and career. The memorial was covered heavily by both television and print media. This tribute to Brown once again brought the legendary Harlem theater back into the public spotlight.

Buddy Holly was the first rock and roll man to play at the Apollo in the 50's. The only rock groups to ever play at the Apollo are Korn in 1999 premiering their album Issues (album), The Strokes in 2001 and Spiritualized when they performed their Acoustic Mainlines gig at the venue in November 2007.

• Lou Reed makes a reference to 'The Apollo' in his song "Walk On The Wild Side".
• Immortal Technique references the theatre in his songs, "Crossing the Boundary," and "You Never Know."
• The song "Without Love," from the Broadway musical Hairspray, contains the line, "Without love, life's like Doris Day at The Apollo."
• In the Futurama episode, Anthology of Interest, crustacean Dr. Zoidberg is grown to giant size and wreaks vengeful havoc on New New York. When he reaches the "famed Apollo Theatre" (his words), Zoidberg angrily yells, "Boo me off stage on Open Mic night, huh? I'll show you!!" and then kicks it to pieces.
• Substantial parts of the film Down to Earth featuring Chris Rock take place at the Apollo.
• In one The Simpsons episode, Krusty the Klown, who on his show usually changes "C's" to "K's" held his unfortunately titled Krusty Komedy Klassic (KKK) at the Apollo Theater.
• Robot Chicken did a segment setting a spelling bee at the Apollo.
• During the Roast of Pamela Anderson on Comedy Central in 2005, "Queen of Mean" Lisa Lampanelli, who often makes jokes about her preference for black men, made the joke, "I've had more black dick in me than a urinal at the Apollo."

1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
2. ^ Jim Moret. "'First Lady of Song' passes peacefully, surrounded by family", CNN, 15 Jun 1996. Retrieved on 2007-01-30. 
3. ^ Holloway, Lynette. "Show Time for Sad Time at Apollo", New York Times, August 7, 1992. 
4. ^ a b Showtime At The Apollo, Second Edition, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983.
5. ^ Fox, Ted (1983). Showtime at the Apollo, 2nd Ed., New York, N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 60, 61. ISBN 0-03-060534-2-0. 

• Official web site
• The Dick Davy Story

Categories: Articles lacking sources from December 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Theatres in New York City | Music venues in New York City | African American culture | Harlem, New York | Registered Historic Places in New York

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