IndieReader FIVE STARS
A vibrant portrait of a dynamic, multi-talented American who battled daunting odd, with an innate business acumen and flamboyant hope; RHYTHM FOR SALE reveals a different America and how perspectives and aspirations have altered and evolved. Leonard Harper (1899-1943) was in the thick of the Harlem Renaissance, the bright lights and the low life, the big venues and the back alleys, as performer, promoter, owner---in front of the audience and behind the scenes. His grandson, Grant Harper Reid, has spent years piecing together this remarkable tribute. Many famous names croup up in Harper’s story; his fans included Franklin Roosevelt, Charles Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and Lady and Lord Mountbatten. Reid does not tiptoe within the restrictions of political correctness. But instead uses contemporaneous terms such as “coon” and “pickaninny” when appropriate. Harper’s show titles are sufficient reminder of the era: Lucky Sambo, Plantation Days, Blackbirds of 1926, and Hot Chocolates. His extravaganzas featured cameo performances from the likes of Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Bill Bojangles Robinson. Writing exuberantly, Reid transforms a well, researched biography into a richly tonal fable with emotive observances like this reference to Harper’s many infidelities during his marriage to former dance partner Osceola Blanks: “Osceola’s domesticity could not compete with the young females that rhythm tapped with an abundance of bouncy seductive energy on the dance floor and in his backstage office.” Harper died suddenly of a heart attack at age 44, on a dance floor, during a rehearsal. At his funeral, the Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. eulogized that, in Reid’s words, “there was little difference between church life and the show business world because both seek to serve the Lord by making man’s existence a little bit nicer.” The honorary flower bearers were a bevy of “the most angelic, striking and mouth-watering---showgirls in the world.”
Rhythm for Sale
📄 Viewing lite version
Full site ›
Book Details
Author(s)Grant Harper Reid
PublisherDr. Grant Harper Reid
ISBN / ASIN0615678289
ISBN-139780615678283
AvailabilityUsually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank1,947,799
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸