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The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to Hollywood to HUAC
University of Michigan Press
September 2008
On Sale: September 1, 2008
312 pages
ISBN: 0472115677
EAN: 9780472115679
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Biography
The first biography of an important but overlooked African
American pianist, singer, actor, and civil-rights advocate
In 1938, Café Society--New York City's first fully
integrated nightclub--was all the rage, and Hazel Scott was
its star. Still a teenager, she wowed audiences with her
jazz renditions of classical masterpieces by Chopin, Bach,
and Rachmaninoff. Scott was a child prodigy, auditioning at
Juilliard when she was only eight years old, and playing
Town Hall at fourteen. By the time Hollywood came calling,
Scott had achieved such stature that she could successfully
challenge the studios' deplorable treatment of black
actors. During the 1940s and 50s, her sexy and vivacious
presence stunned international audiences, while her
marriage to the controversial black Congressman from
Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., kept her constantly in
the headlines. In a career spanning over four decades, Hazel Scott became
known not only for her accomplishments on stage and screen,
but for her outspoken advocacy of civil rights. Her
relentless crusade on behalf of African Americans, women,
and artists made her the target of the House Un-American
Activities Committee during the McCarthy Era, eventually
forcing her to join the black expatriate community in
Paris. By age twenty-five, Hazel Scott was an international
star but, before reaching thirty-five, she considered
herself a failure and, plagued by insecurity and
depression, twice tried to take her own life. Here, Karen
Chilton traces the fascinating arc of this brilliant and
audacious American artist from stardom to ultimate
obscurity.
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