Hannah Sylvester
Encyclopedia
Hannah Sylvester was an African American
blues
singer who performed in the classic female blues
style that was popular during the 1920s. She was billed as "Harlem's Mae West".
Sylvester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States
, and sang and danced from the age of 3. She is thought to have moved to New York City
in c. 1920. In the early 1920s she appeared at the Paradise Cafe in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. In 1923 she recorded eleven sides with Fletcher Henderson
's Orchestra. Thereafter she toured the theater circuit in vaudeville shows throughout the 1920s. In the early 1930s she appeared in numerous revues in New York City, and in 1931 performed with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Howard Theater, Washington, D.C.
, for broadcast on WSJV
radio. She toured with the Snooky Russell Orchestra in 1940.
By the early 1950s Sylvester worked primarily outside music; she tended bar at the Celebrity Club in New York City, but occasionally sang there with the Buddy Tate Band. She appeared in X-Glamour Girls Revue in New York City in 1962. In that year she recorded for Victoria Spivey
's Spivey Records
. She died in New York City on October 15, 1973.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer who performed in the classic female blues
Classic female blues
Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female vocalists accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles, and were the...
style that was popular during the 1920s. She was billed as "Harlem's Mae West".
Sylvester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and sang and danced from the age of 3. She is thought to have moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in c. 1920. In the early 1920s she appeared at the Paradise Cafe in Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. In 1923 she recorded eleven sides with Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
's Orchestra. Thereafter she toured the theater circuit in vaudeville shows throughout the 1920s. In the early 1930s she appeared in numerous revues in New York City, and in 1931 performed with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Howard Theater, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, for broadcast on WSJV
WSJV
WSJV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Michiana area of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Elkhart. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter in Mishawaka, Indiana. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has...
radio. She toured with the Snooky Russell Orchestra in 1940.
By the early 1950s Sylvester worked primarily outside music; she tended bar at the Celebrity Club in New York City, but occasionally sang there with the Buddy Tate Band. She appeared in X-Glamour Girls Revue in New York City in 1962. In that year she recorded for Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey was an American blues singer and songwriter. She is best known for her recordings of "Dope Head Blues" and "Organ Grinder Blues", and Spivey variously worked with her sister, Addie "Sweet Pease" Spivey, and with Bob Dylan, Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence...
's Spivey Records
Spivey Records
Spivey Records was a specialist blues record label founded by blues singer Victoria Spivey and jazz historian Len Kunstadt in 1961. Spivey Records released a series of blues and jazz albums between 1961 and 1985.- History of Spivey Records :...
. She died in New York City on October 15, 1973.