Well, racism, of course.
And besides that, the American recording industry in the 1950s wanted to market her as a sort of trivial, freakish, “novelty” act, which outraged her, because she knew that she was a major talent. So her career was always thwarted by her refusal to play ball with the “suits” in the front office.
Here’s “Monotonous,” one of her biggest hits. The bad recording, and the Hollywood business with the several couches and acrobatic poses do not do her justice. But incidentally, it does show her incredibly lean and muscular Euro-African feminine beauty, which was very rare in the popular culture of the 1950s. No wonder that Orson Welles, who was whispered to be her secret lover, said that she was “the most exciting woman on earth.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRIyH5jR6…
Long before her physical image, I fell in love with her voice while listening to it gush from the family radio. As a little girl it was foreign from the other voices and that unique sound started my “ear” for music. Her phrasing was lost on a kid, but I knew it was something special. The era of her “star” rising would not be kind to her but she stared it all down and moved on regardless. You can’t keep a good woman down.
Funny how that “racism” drove her to the bank – – – – just like many, many other successful black musicians.
Anyway – always liked her recordings……watched her on variety shows in the 50s & 60s ……saw her interviewed several times: she wasn’t stupid, but obviously had some strange views on things that weren’t helpful to her cause, such as being invited to the White House and making a spectacle of herself. Overall, I’d say Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald’s and many others’ approaches did more for her people than Kitt’s nutjob act.
She was an excellent performer, and like most from her era, had to overcome, sexism, racism and living in poverty as a child.
But, she got what she worked for, she was excellent!
I saw her many years ago on stage in L.A. and she was wonderful. she was part of the show The Swinging Singing Ladies. She was always in buffed physical shape.
I heard her say she was tied to a tree, naked from the waist up, and taunted as a child. That’s an incredible event to rise above.
RIP Wonderful Eartha~
Well, racism, of course.
And besides that, the American recording industry in the 1950s wanted to market her as a sort of trivial, freakish, “novelty” act, which outraged her, because she knew that she was a major talent. So her career was always thwarted by her refusal to play ball with the “suits” in the front office.
Here’s “Monotonous,” one of her biggest hits. The bad recording, and the Hollywood business with the several couches and acrobatic poses do not do her justice. But incidentally, it does show her incredibly lean and muscular Euro-African feminine beauty, which was very rare in the popular culture of the 1950s. No wonder that Orson Welles, who was whispered to be her secret lover, said that she was “the most exciting woman on earth.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRIyH5jR6…
Long before her physical image, I fell in love with her voice while listening to it gush from the family radio. As a little girl it was foreign from the other voices and that unique sound started my “ear” for music. Her phrasing was lost on a kid, but I knew it was something special. The era of her “star” rising would not be kind to her but she stared it all down and moved on regardless. You can’t keep a good woman down.
Funny how that “racism” drove her to the bank – – – – just like many, many other successful black musicians.
Anyway – always liked her recordings……watched her on variety shows in the 50s & 60s ……saw her interviewed several times: she wasn’t stupid, but obviously had some strange views on things that weren’t helpful to her cause, such as being invited to the White House and making a spectacle of herself. Overall, I’d say Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald’s and many others’ approaches did more for her people than Kitt’s nutjob act.
She was an excellent performer, and like most from her era, had to overcome, sexism, racism and living in poverty as a child.
But, she got what she worked for, she was excellent!
I saw her many years ago on stage in L.A. and she was wonderful. she was part of the show The Swinging Singing Ladies. She was always in buffed physical shape.
I heard her say she was tied to a tree, naked from the waist up, and taunted as a child. That’s an incredible event to rise above.
RIP Wonderful Eartha~
Extreme poverty,racism and sexism, but wasn’t she great?
All of them.
She got hit in the knees from all sides.
All that was left standing was
Eartha Kitt =)
A climbing frame and a park bench