A young Aretha Franklin is pleading for "Respect" in a video. Somewhere further back in the nightclub-dim gallery, Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie are jamming. Around the corner, Chris Tucker is cutting the fool. And Savion Glover is tap dancing like a man with fire licking his feet.
Above the din, curator Gordon L. Jones was explaining why an exhibition about Harlem's Apollo Theater -- which has showcased these diverse talents and countless others since 1934 -- has taken over a gallery at the Atlanta History Center.
"The Apollo is such an icon of American music, and a lot of it springs out of the South, out of the African-American tradition," said Jones, standing at the entry to “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment,” opening today.
"So," he continued, "when people ask what is this exhibit about this theater in New York doing in Atlanta ... Hey man, this is all about the heartbeat of America, and look at all the Atlanta connections."
In fact, Atlanta and Georgia artists are decently represented in the touring show from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Apollo Theater Foundation, on view through March 4. There's James Brown, represented in photos and by objects including a plush black jumpsuit bejeweled with rhinestones spelling out "SEX" across the chest (as in his suggestive smash hit "Sex Machine"). There's Ray Charles, recalled by his orchestra's large leather music portfolio. And a star of more recent vintage, India Arie, whose acoustic guitar, with yellow flowers and ladybugs hand-painted on the front, lends a rare hippie vibe.
Jones pointed out how the exhibit also credits a former Atlanta University professor and editor-writer, W.E.B. Du Bois, for his central contribution to the Harlem Renaissance. That movement made the New York neighborhood the right place at the right time for a former burlesque theater to become the country's premiere African-American performing arts showcase.
One photograph shows the Apollo's marquee emblazoned with the boast "Where Stars Are Born and Legends Are Made." It's a claim that sounds like hyperbole but feels right on as you make your way past the cool array of artifacts and text panels that underline how the Apollo story became integral in the bigger American story of civil rights and social change.
Visitors willing to take a deeper dive into the context will be richly rewarded. But for those short on time (or attention spans), all the Plexiglas-encased costumes, instruments, playbills, recordings and other memorabilia are sure to satisfy. Among the most eye-catching:
- Cab Calloway's well-broken-in baton and white dress shoes that bring memories rushing back of the band leader's animated dance movements.
- Sammy Davis Jr.'s childhood tap shoes. Davis first appeared on the Apollo stage in 1947 with the tap-crazy Will Mastin Trio, shown in the introductory video featuring a sparkly eyed Sammy clearly ready for his close-up.
- Tap dancer Peg Leg Bates' white peg leg, one of 13 the dapper dresser had made to match every shade of suit he owned.
- Miles Davis' flugelhorn and dark shades, a reminder of how deeply he went inside himself when he played, seemingly at times blocking out the world.
- Afro-Cuban singer Celia Cruz's traffic-stopping, bright orange, ruffled dress with an epic train.
- A shiny silver suit worn by Smokey Robinson. When he and his group the Miracles first appeared at the Apollo in 1958, the velvet-voiced singer recalls in the text, "We were so terrible" that theater owner-manager Frank Schiffman asked for their fee back.
Schiffman, who ran the theater from 1935 to 1974, was one demanding critic. Among of the most illuminating artifacts on view are index cards with his typewritten notes about each performer who played the Apollo. On Eartha Kitt, from July 1961: "$15,000 [fee]. A loss -- marvelous performer but her popularity in this area has declined." His take on Chuck Berry from March 1958: "Very bad experience. No drawing power at all."
But even the audiences have been known to be tough at the Apollo, especially on Amateur Night, a tradition that predates "American Idol" by nearly seven decades. The exhibit includes a jester outfit worn by C.P. Lacey, the long-time "Executioner" who axes aspiring performers when they draw crowd jeers instead of cheers.
"I remember looking out and seeing everybody booing. Everybody!" comedian Dave Chappelle recalls in a text panel. "Before that time, I had never been booed. After that, I was fearless."
Lest there be any doubt that the Apollo has been an essential stop on the road to stardom, the exhibit ends with a simple honor roll of Amateur Night winners. Among them: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Wilson Pickett, Jimi Hendrix, the Jackson Five and Luther Vandross.
Exhibit preview
“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment”
Opens today, through March 4. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-5:30 p.m. Sundays. $16.50, $13 ages 65 and up and students 13-18, $11 ages 4-12. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4000, www.atlantahistorycenter.com.
About the Author
