Pearl Bailey | |
|---|---|
 Baileyc. 1946 | |
| Born | Pearl Mae Bailey (1918-03-29)March 29, 1918 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 1990(1990-08-17) (aged 72) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1936–1989 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer, comedian and author.[1] After appearing invaudeville, she made her Broadway debut inSt. Louis Woman in 1946.[2] She received aSpecial Tony Award for the title role in the all-Black production ofHello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won aDaytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in theABC Afterschool SpecialCindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952.[3]
In 1976, she became the first African American to receive theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.[4] She received thePresidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.
Bailey was born inNewport News,Virginia[1] to the Reverend Joseph James and Ella Mae Ricks Bailey.[5] When she was very young, the family moved to Washington, D.C. After her parents' divorce, Bailey moved to Philadelphia to live with her mother.[6]
Bailey made her stage-singing debut at the age of 15. Her brotherBill Bailey[7] was beginning his own career as a tap dancer and suggested that she enter an amateur contest at thePearl Theatre in Philadelphia. Bailey won and was offered $35 a week to perform there for two weeks. However, the theater closed during her engagement and she was not paid.[5] She later won a similar competition atHarlem's famousApollo Theater and decided to pursue a career in entertainment. She was also known to have performed in the church choir at St Peter Claver Catholic Church inBrooklyn, at the behest of MsgrBernard J. Quinn.[8]
Bailey began by singing and dancing in Philadelphia's Black nightclubs in the 1930s, and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. In 1941, during World War II, Bailey toured the country with theUSO, performing for American troops. After the tour, she settled in New York. Her solo successes as a nightclub performer were followed by acts with entertainers such asCab Calloway andDuke Ellington. In 1946, Bailey made herBroadway debut inSt. Louis Woman.[9] For her performance, she won a Donaldson Award as the best Broadway newcomer. Bailey continued to tour and record albums along with her stage and screen performances. Early in the television medium, Bailey guest starred on CBS'sFaye Emerson's Wonderful Town.
Female impersonator Lynne Carter credited Bailey with launching his career.[10]
In 1967, Bailey and Cab Calloway headlined an all-Black cast version ofHello, Dolly! The touring version was so successful that producerDavid Merrick took it to Broadway, where it played to sold-out houses and revitalized the long-running musical. Bailey was given a specialTony Award for her role, andRCA Victor released a second original-cast album, the only recording of the score to have an overture written especially for the recording.
A passionate fan of theNew York Mets, Bailey sang the national anthem atShea Stadium prior to Game 5 of the1969 World Series, and appears in the World Serieshighlight film showing her support for the team. She also sang the national anthem prior to Game 1 of the1981 World Series between theNew York Yankees andLos Angeles Dodgers atYankee Stadium.
Bailey hosted her own variety series on ABC,The Pearl Bailey Show (January – May 1971), which featured many notable guests, includingLucille Ball,Bing Crosby andLouis Armstrong (one of his last appearances before his death).[11]
Following her 1971 television series, she provided voices for animations such asTubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney'sThe Fox and the Hound (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the lead in an all-Black production ofHello, Dolly!. In October 1975, she was invited byBetty Ford to sing for Egyptian presidentAnwar Sadat at aWhite House state dinner as part ofMideast peace initiative.[12]
She earned a degree intheology fromGeorgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1985 at age 67.[9] It took her seven years to earn her degree.[9] At Georgetown, she was a student of the philosopherWilfrid Desan.
Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series ofDuncan Hines commercials, singing"Bill Bailey (Won't You Come Home)." She also appeared in commercials forJell-O,[13]Westinghouse[14] and Paramount Chicken.
In her later years, Bailey wrote several books:The Raw Pearl (1968),Talking to Myself (1971),Pearl's Kitchen (1973) andHurry Up America and Spit (1976). In 1975, she was appointed special ambassador to the United Nations by PresidentGerald Ford, a position she held under three presidents.[15][16] In 1976, she won theCoretta Scott King Award for her children's bookDuey's Tale.[17] Her last book,Between You and Me (1989), details her experiences with higher education. On January 19, 1985, she appeared on a nationally televised broadcast gala the night before the second inauguration ofRonald Reagan. In 1988, Bailey received thePresidential Medal of Freedom from President Reagan.[18]
Bailey went through a number of failed marriages in her earlier adult years. She married John Randolph Pinkett, either her third or fourth husband, when she was 30 years old, and divorced him four years later, accusing him of physical abuse.[4][19]
On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummerLouie Bellson in London. They remained married until her death nearly 38 years later in 1990. Bellson was six years Bailey's junior and white. Interracial couples were rare at that time, and Bellson's father was reportedly opposed to the marriage because of Bailey's race.[19]
They later adopted a son, Tony, in the mid-1950s. A daughter, Dee Dee Jean Bellson,[20] was born April 20, 1960. Tony Bellson died in 2004. Dee Dee Bellson died on July 4, 2009, at the age of 49, five months after her father, who died on February 14.[21]
Bailey, aRepublican, was appointed by PresidentRichard Nixon as the nation's "Ambassador of Love" in 1970. She attended several meetings of theUnited Nations and later appeared in a campaign ad for PresidentGerald Ford in the1976 election.[22]
She was awarded theBronze Medallion in 1968, the highest award conferred upon civilians by New York City.[citation needed]
Bailey was a close friend of actressJoan Crawford.[23] In 1969, Crawford and Bailey joined fellow friendGypsy Rose Lee in accepting a USO award. That same year, Bailey was recognized as USO's woman of the year.[24][25] Upon Crawford's death in May 1977, Bailey spoke of Crawford as her sister and sang a hymn at her funeral.[23][26] American socialitePerle Mesta was another of Bailey's close friends.[27] In the waning days of Mesta's life, Bailey visited Mesta frequently and sang hymns for her.[28][29]
Bailey died atThomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on August 17, 1990.[4] An autopsy confirmed the death was caused by the narrowing of acoronary artery.[30] Bailey had suffered from heart problems for over thirty years.[4]
Bailey is buried at Rolling Green Memorial Park inWest Chester, Pennsylvania.[31]
The television showAmerican Dad! featuresPearl Bailey High School.[32]
The 1969 song "We Got More Soul" byDyke and the Blazers includes Bailey in its roster of icons.[33]
A dress owned by Bailey is at theNational Museum of African American History and Culture.[34]
A library in her hometown of Newport News, Virginia, is named after her.[7]
Film
Television
|   Theater
|
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "US Retail Sales" | "US Disc Jockey" | "US Juke Box" | US R&B | |||
| 1946 | "Fifteen Years (And I'm Still Serving Time)"(withMitchell Ayres) | – | – | – | 4 | |
| Year | Organization | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Donaldson Awards | Most Promising Newcomer | St. Louis Woman | Won | [37] |
| 1968 | March of Dimes | Annual Award | N/a | Honored | [38] |
| New York City | Bronze Medallion | N/a | Honored | [39] | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Performance | Hello, Dolly! | Won | [40] | |
| 1968 | Tony Awards | Special Tony Award | N/a | Honored | [41] |
| 1969 | United Service Organizations | Woman of the Year | N/a | Honored | [38] |
| 1972 | American Heart Association | Heart of the Year | N/a | Honored | |
| 1976 | Coretta Scott King Award | Author Award | Duey's Tale | Won | [42] |
| Screen Actors Guild | Life Achievement Award | N/a | Honored | [4] | |
| 1988 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | N/a | N/a | Honored | [43] |
| 1989 | Women's International Center | Living Legacy Award | N/a | Honored | [38] |
| 1994 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star - Recording | N/a | Honored | [44] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
