Adelaide Hall

Adelaide Louise Hall was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her family moved across the East River to Harlem, and it was here, among the rich and fertile renaissance of black culture in the 1920s, that Adelaide nurtured her dreams of becoming a star. Her first stage role was in 1921 in the chorus line of the all-black Broadway musical "Shuffle Along", which gave her a taste of the limelight. The show ran for 504 performances and then went on tour. Her next stint on stage came in 1923, when she was featured in the all-black Broadway musical "Runnin' Wild." Of her performance, Variety wrote, " . . . picked from the chorus is Adelaide Hall, who can be termed a real find. She jazzes a number as Paul Whiteman would have it done, and her singing of 'Old Fashinoed Love' is a knockout." The show ran for 213 performances and then went on tour. In 1925 she toured Europe as lead in "The Chocolate Kiddies Revue". She introduced Europe to the Charleston dance and performed it to Duke Ellington's "Jig Wal