Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc.

Preserving and Advancing the Art of Tap Dance.

1964

[Daily Post] Arthur Duncan

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Dr. Arthur Duncan, A Tap Master and National treasure.Tap dancing to Blue Skies on the Lawrence Welk Show.

As a young man he left college to pursue a career in show business as a tap dancer and singer, he toured with the Jimmy Rodgers Show.

He was discovered by Sam Lutz, Lawrence Welk’s personal manager, invited to appear as a guest on the show, Lawrence Welk made him part of his Musical Family.

Arthur was the first African American performer on the popular Lawrence Welk Show, he danced and sang on the show from 1964 to the show’s finale in 1982.

You can still find Dr. Duncan teaching at Tap Festivals around the country and the world.

[Daily Post] Charles Cholly Atkins HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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to all dancers, dance enthusiasts and tap dancers. Join us in celebrating the Birthday of Charles Cholly Atkins today 09/30/1913, born Charles Sylvan Atkinson in Alabama. A Tap Master and National Treasure.

Atkins, a tap dancer and vaudeville performer, would later become the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown music label.

Atkins’ first found fame was in one of the top vaudeville class acts with partner Charles Honi Coles. Billed as Coles & Atkins, they toured nationally and internationally performing with the bands of Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie, among others.

In 1964, following many years as a freelance choreographer for vocal groups, Atkins was hired by Berry Gordy to work with the artists on his newly formed Motown label. Atkins’ new style of vocal choreography would define an entirely new kind of choreographic style and supply the trademark moves of many quintessential Motown acts such as Gladys Knight and The Pips, The Supremes, The Temptations, and The Four Tops, among others.

Atkins continued working with Motown artists well into the 1980s, however, over the years Atkins’ own choreography may also be seen in groups outside of the Motown family, such as The Cadillacs and the O’Jays. All totaled Atkins worked with more that 75 vocal groups and 20 solo acts over the course of his choreographic career.

Atkins received a Tony Award in 1989 for choreography of the Broadway show Black and Blue, which he shared with Henry LeTang, Frankie Manning and Fayard Nicholas. In 1993, The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Atkins its most prestigious dance honor: a three-year choreographers fellowship.

Other awards and honors include induction in the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, the first recipient of the Elder Mentors Award from the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for African American History and Culture, an Honorary Doctorate in Dance from Oklahoma City University. Atkins was also a founding member of the Copasetics and a member of the Tap Legacy Foundation’s Honorary Board.

Sit back and enjoy this clip of Coles and Atkins, Cholly is on screen left when the clip starts.

Class… Rhythm and Musicality like no other, WOW!!!

 

 

[Daily Post] Willie Bryant HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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To all dancers, dance enthusiasts and tap dancers, please join us in celebrating  the Birthday of Willie Bryant today 08/30/1908. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in Chicago

Willie is best known as Leonard Reed’s partner in creating the Shim Sham Shimmy. Willie started dancing with the Whitman’s Sisters Black Vaudeville in 1926 where he met Reed, teamed up and formed a partnership Reed & Bryant – Brains as well as Feet. He also worked in various vaudeville productions for the next several years, and in 1934 he appeared in the show Chocolate Revue with Bessie Smith.

In about 1928, Reed and Bryant devised a new finale for their eight-minute show, a step of simple heel-and-toe combinations danced to four eight-bar choruses. Reed and Bryant originally called it Goofus, but it became known  as the Shim Sham after the Shim Sham Club of Harlem, a club where they regularly appeared. Its simplicity, and suitability as a line dance, especially with the newly popular swing music, meant that it was quickly picked up by club-goers. It has endured ever since.

In 1934, after breaking up with Reed, he put together his first big band, which at times included Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole, Johnny Russell, Benny Carter, Ben Webster, Eddie Durham, Ram Ramirez, and Taft Jordan. They recorded six times between 1935 and 1938; Bryant sings on 18 of the 26 sides recorded.

Once his ensemble disbanded, Bryant worked in acting and disc jockeying. He recorded R and B in 1945 and led another big band between 1946 and 1948. During September and October 1949, he hosted Uptown Jubilee, a short-lived all-black variety show on CBS-TV .

He moved to California in the later part of the 1950s and died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1964.

Willie was a tap dancer, jazz bandleader, vocalist, and disc jockey, and the emcee at the Apollo Theatre during the 1950’s, You can catch him in the feature film Rock ‘N’ Roll Review 1955.

Even nowadays many various tap and non-tap versions are an integral part of big shows. The Shim Sham is well known as the tap dancers anthem.

[Daily Post] Dean Martin and The Four Step Brothers

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The Dean Martin Show was a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974, for 245 episodes.

It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit Everybody Loves Somebody.

The Four Step Brothers Nicknamed Eight Feet Of Rhythm appeared on many of the TV variety shows of the time such as the ABC Variety show, Martin
and Lewis and the Guy Mitchell Show.

Started in 1925 with Maceo Anderson, Al Williams and Red Walker, and in 1927 they added Sherman Robertson, and then Prince Spencer.

They received the Dance Masters Life Achievement Award in 1960 among others, and in 1988 they received their own Star on the Hollywood
walk of fame.

Sit back and enjoy this performance on the Dean Martin Show… Keep an eye on Dean’s Tap Dancing…

[Daily Post] Arthur Duncan

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Arthur Duncan dropped out of college to pursue a career in show business, at which he garnered success as a tap dancer and singer.

He toured with the Jimmy Rodgers Show.

After several years of appearances in Europe, Duncan was discovered by Lawrence Welk’s personal manager, Sam Lutz. Appearing as a guest on the show, Welk offered Duncan a permanent spot as a member of his musical family.

Arthur Duncan gained fame as the first African American performer on the popular Lawrence Welk Show.

Duncan danced and sang on the show from 1964 to the show’s finale in 1982.

Sit back and enjoy this clip with Arthur Duncan on taps and Larry Hooper on Piano during the Lawrence Welk TV Show – 1979,

watch how close to that piano edge he slides!!!!

[Daily Post] Arthur Duncan

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Duncan Left college to pursue a career in show business as a tap dancer and singer, toured with the Jimmy Rodgers Show.

He was Discovered by Sam Lutz Lawrence Welk’s personal manager.

Appeared as a guest on the show, Lawrence Welk made him part of his musical family.

He was the first African American performer on the popular Lawrence Welk Show.

Duncan danced and sang on the show from 1964 to the show’s finale in 1982.

The Clip is from the Lawrence Welk show with Duncan tap dancing to Blue Skies.