Ernest Brown (dancer)
Encyclopedia
Ernest “Brownie” Brown was an African American tap dancer and last surviving member of the Original Copasetics
. He was the dance partner of Charles “Cookie” Cook
, with whom he performed from the days of vaudeville
into the 1960s.
They performed in film, such as Dorothy Dandridge
1942 “soundie” Cow Cow Boogie, on Broadway in the 1948 musical Kiss Me, Kate
, twice at the Newport Jazz Festival
, as well in other acts, including “Garbage and His Two Cans” in which they played the garbage cans. Brown's partner for his last 16 years was Reginald McLaughlin
, known as Regio the Hoofer.
Tap performer and historian Jane Goldberg wrote in an e-mail message reported in The New York Times
obituary:
Brown began performing professionally as a child and headlined at the Roxie, Radio City Music Hall
and the Cotton Club
in New York, the Latin Casino
in Paris and the Palladium
in London in the 1930s and 40s. He was the recipient of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Hoofer Award in 2004 and his last performance was at their 2008 Tap City festival in New York with Mr. McLaughlin; with whom he appeared in the Chicago Human Rhythm Project Emmy-nominated documentary, JUBA — Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance.
Brown died in Chicago in 2009.
Original Copasetics
The Original Copasetics were an ensemble of star tap dancers formed in 1949 on the death of Bill Bojangles Robinson that helped to revive the art of tap. The first group included composer / arranger Billy Strayhorn and the choreographer Cholly Atkins, as well as hoofers Honi Coles, Charles “Cookie”...
. He was the dance partner of Charles “Cookie” Cook
Charles Cook (dancer)
Charles “Cookie” Cook was an African-American tap dancer and member of the Original Copasetics. He was the dance partner of Ernest “Brownie” Brown, with whom he performed from the days of vaudeville into the 1960s....
, with whom he performed from the days of vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
into the 1960s.
They performed in film, such as Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
1942 “soundie” Cow Cow Boogie, on Broadway in the 1948 musical Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
, twice at the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
, as well in other acts, including “Garbage and His Two Cans” in which they played the garbage cans. Brown's partner for his last 16 years was Reginald McLaughlin
Reginald McLaughlin
Reggio “The Hoofer” McLaughlin, tap dancer, instructor and choreographer started his artistic career in the subways of Chicago, where he had developed his unique style of tap dance hoofing, characterized by raw form of African American Tap...
, known as Regio the Hoofer.
Tap performer and historian Jane Goldberg wrote in an e-mail message reported in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
obituary:
He had an amazing sense of "entitlement" in a good way. He always felt he belonged on the stage, shaking his shoulders in that jazzy, goofy move he was known for, even while Honi ColesCharles ColesCharles “Honi” Coles was an American actor and tap dancer.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Coles developed his high-speed rhythm tapping on the streets of his hometown. He first went to New York City as one of the Three Millers, who were known for their intricate and difficult dance...
was cutting Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
in a tap battle, or other of the greats were there. I don’t think Brownie was tap as much as jazz, and he had a wonderful feeling for jazz.
Brown began performing professionally as a child and headlined at the Roxie, Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
and the Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
in New York, the Latin Casino
Latin Casino
The Latin Casino was a Philadelphia-area nightclub just across the Delaware River in Cherry Hill. The Latin was famous for showcasing entertainers like Cherry Hill Estates neighbors Bobby Darin, Al Martino, and Frankie Avalon , Richard Pryor , Frank Sinatra, The...
in Paris and the Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
in London in the 1930s and 40s. He was the recipient of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Hoofer Award in 2004 and his last performance was at their 2008 Tap City festival in New York with Mr. McLaughlin; with whom he appeared in the Chicago Human Rhythm Project Emmy-nominated documentary, JUBA — Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance.
Brown died in Chicago in 2009.
External links
- Dunning, JenniferJennifer DunningJennifer Dunning is a writer and critic for the New York Times on the subjects of dance and ballet. She is the author of the 1985 But First a School: The First Fifty Years of the School of American Ballet, the 1996 Alvin Ailey, a Life in Dance and the 1997 Great Performances: A...
. Obituary, The New York Times, 25 August 2009