14 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER The Apollo Theater in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City is a music hall which is a noted venue for African American performers. The theater, which has a capacity of 1,506, opened its doors in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater, and was designed by George Keister in the neo- Classical style. It became the Apollo in 1934, when it was opened to black patrons – previously it had been a whites- only venue. On February 14, 1934, the first major star to appear at the Apollo was jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall in Clarence Robinson's production Chocolate Soldiers, which featured Sam Wooding's Orchestra. The show ran for a limited engagement and was highly praised by the press, which helped establish the Apollo's reputation. The Apollo grew to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance of the pre-World War II years. 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, who made her singing debut at 17 at the Apollo, on November 21, 1934. Fitzgerald's performances pulled in a weekly audience at the Apollo and she won the opportunity to compete in one of the earliest of its "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. 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 $25.00. Jimi Hendrix won the first place prize in an amateur musician contest at the Apollo in 1964. Other performers whose careers started at the Apollo include Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown & The Famous Flames, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Sarah Vaughan, Ne-Yo, and Machine Gun Kelly. Although the theatre concentrated on showcasing African American acts, it also presented white acts such as bandleaders Harry James, Woody Herman, and Charlie Barnet during the swing era, and, later, jazz greats Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, and Buddy Rich, who was a particular favorite of the Apollo crowd. During the 1950s, several white rock and roll performers whose musical backgrounds were more country music oriented, such as Buddy Holly and Duane Eddy played the Apollo but scored with their audiences by playing blues-styled material. The theater's audience was often mixed: in the 1940s it was estimated that during the week about 40% of the audience was white, which would go up to 75% for weekend shows. In 1983, both the interior and exterior of the building were designated as New York City Landmarks and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the Apollo was purchased by the State of New York, which created the non-profit Apollo Theater Foundation to run it. It is estimated that 1.3 million people visit the Apollo every year. ABOUT THE APOLLO THEATRE Buddy Holly and the Crickets famously played the historic Apollo Theater in New York City for a week-long engagement from August 16 - 22, 1957. The Supremes performing at the Apollo Theater in the early 1960s The Apollo Theater in Harlem (edited from Wikipedia.org)