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62:, in a tap dance act. This sparked an interest in show business, and Brown started up a male dancing trio with John Orange and Clifton Payne called The Three Little Dots. In high school, he created an act called The Brown Brothers, which later became the Three Aces, with John Orange and Sam Campbell. Brown graduated
234:, Dawn Davis Loring described Brown as a rhythm tap dancer, and a hoofer who also 'performed soft-shoe routines with elegance and strength' He has been cited as 'one of the most prominent figures in the world of tap dance'and 'an inventor of the art form' as well as an influence on later entertainers like
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After working briefly with a singing group called The Three Riffs, Brown formed a solo comedy and tap act in New York. In 1945, he paired up with Ernest "Pippy" Cathy to form the duo Brown and Beige. In the early 50s, the duo broke up, and Brown worked with a comedy singing and dancing group called
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Brown died in New York City in May, 2002. In his memory, tap dancer
Charles Goddertz said, "I would award Buster Brown the Nobel Prize for performance, dance, and the enrichment of audiences. He is a role model and humanist to the highest degree." Brown was also remembered for his scat renditions of
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Brown was born James
Richard Brown in 1913 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the only boy, with seven sisters. His father William Brown, an oyster shucker, died when he was six years old, leaving his mother to raise the children. Brown acquired the nickname "Buster" as a child. The children all took
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In the late 1990s, mentoring the next generation of tap dancers, Brown hosted Sunday evening tap dance jam sessions at Swing 46 in New York City. In an interview at age 86, Brown said "I'm still in love with tap dancing," even though he couldn't do all the moves he used to.
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After graduation, the performers renamed their act The Speed Kings, The act was a mix of tap, acrobatics and jive that featured speed and precision dancing. They performed a two week tour in a variety show in
Washington DC, then worked with Brownskin Models at the
139:, Germany. In 1967, he moved with his wife and family to an apartment in Manhattan and began singing that same year with the Ink Spots. In 1968, the Hoofers traveled to Africa on a State Department sponsored Jazz Dance Theater tour, where they performed for Emperor
163:, as well as continuing to perform with the Hoofers, the Copasetics, and in solo shows, He also taught at festivals and workshops throughout America. His film and television credits included the television show Tap Dancing, the Francis Ford Coppola film "
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circuit. In 1939, tthey played the Apollo
Theater and Small's Paradise with Earl Bostic's band. When he wasn't working, Brown frequented the Hoofer's Club. The Speed Kings 2 continued performing through World War II, and participated in the
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in 1949, the popularity of tap dancing declined and jobs became hard to come by. During this time, Brown worked for a record company, clerked in a hotel, cleaned buildings and managed a restaurant.
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jobs after school to support the family. The entire family loved to dance, and Buster picked up tap by imitating people on the street. "I started to dance when I started to walk," he said later.
195:,’ octogenarian James ‘Buster’ Brown exemplifies the sharpness and physical/spatial economy of classic Copasetics Club style: nothing wasted, except maybe some of the jokes between numbers.”
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active from the 1930's to 2000. Brown started his career in
African-American dance circuits while still in high school and went on to perform internationally, accompanying acts like
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In the 1960s, Brown started dancing again, with a group founded by
Leticia Jay called the Hoofers, which did tap jams once a week on 125th street in
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View of the Apollo
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In the 1980s, tap dance was undergoing a renaissance, which helped Brown's career. He worked with the
Broadway touring production of
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Club, founded in 1949, in memory of Bill
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While still a child, Brown watched six year old Albert "Pops" Whitman, son of Alice
Whitman of the
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television show “Gershwin Gala” and a tap special, “Dance in America”.
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In the 1930s, the Speed Kings 2 went to Broadway on the
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awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts.
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286:Hill, Constance Valis (2014).
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70:1930s-40s: The Speed Kings
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101:Something to Shout About
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548:"James Buster Brown"
333:"Buster Brown Story"
157:Bubblin' Brown Sugar
20:James "Buster" Brown
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191:wrote “dancing to ‘
16:American tap dancer
523:Dance Appreciation
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232:Dance Appreciation
225:Fascinating Rhythm
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258:References
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202:In 2002,
66:in 1933.
246:See also
218:Tapshoes
238:., and
223:songs "
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129:Harlem
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