Herb Jeffries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Herb Jeffreys | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Umberto Alejandro Ballentino |
| Born | September 24, 1911 |
| Genre(s) | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and actor |
| Years active | 1938 - 1995 |
Herbert "Herb" Jeffries (born September 24, 1911, Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz singer and actor.
Contents |
[edit] Career
A jazz musician of Ethiopian-French Canadian and Italian-Irish descent, Jeffries is noted for his singing cowboy roles in several all-black Western films in which he sang his own western compositions. Jeffries got the financing for the first black western film and hired Spencer Williams to appear with him. In addition to starring in the film, Jeffries sang and performed his own stunts as the cowboy character "Bob Blake."
Jeffries, a deep baritone, sang with Duke Ellington in the 1940s. His most famous song, "Flamingo", sold over 50 million copies.
Through a series of low-budget westerns, in which he played a singing cowboy, he soon became known as the "Bronze Buckaroo" by fans who flocked to his films. In a time of American racial segregation these films played only in theaters catering to African Americans audiences, though Jeffries was/is not African-American. The films can be found on video and are titled, "The Bronze Buckaroo", "Harlem Rides the Range", "Two Gun Man from Harlem", and "Harlem on the Prairie".
In 1995, at age eighty-one, Herb Jeffries recorded a Nashville album of songs on the Warner Western label titled The Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again).
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Herb Jeffries has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6672 Hollywood Blvd.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Jeffries lives in the Southern California mountains with his wife, Savannah. He is the father of five children, and his family tree includes numerous grand children, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, including a grand-daughter with autism.
"Mr. Flamingo" is still singing today (2009). he regularly appears at jazz festivals and events that benefit Autism and other childhood causes that involve developmental delays. He also lectures at colleges and universities across America.
[edit] Partial Filmography
- Harlem on the Prairie (1937)
- Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938)
- Harlem Rides the Range (1939)
- The Bronze Buckaroo (1939)
- Calypso Joe (1957)
- Chrome and Hot Leather (1971)
[edit] Selected Discography
- Sidney Bechet: 1940-1941 (Classics)
- Earl Hines: 1932-1934 (Classics)
- Duke Ellington:The Blanton Webster Band (RCA, 1940-42)
- Michael Martin Murphey:Sagebrush Symphony
[edit] References
- James Lincoln Collier, Duke Ellington (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987) ISBN 0-19-503770-7
- Richard Cook and Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD, 6th Edition (London, Penguin Books, 2002) ISBN 0-14-017949-6
