THE MUSICIANS’ GREEN BOOK: AN ENDURING LEGACY Available on PBS Stations
LEGACY Available on PBS Stations
Britt, Howard Hewett, Little Anthony, Darlene Love and More
To Explore the Underground Travel Guide Used by Black Artists
During Segregation.
Celebrate the vibrant jazz, R&B and soul music of African
American artists who, during segregation, created the foundation
of modern American music. Like many other Black Americans,
they relied on Victor Hugo Green’s Negro Travelers’ Green Book,
a directory of lodgings, restaurants and entertainment venues where
African Americans were safe and welcomed. Now explore the
history of this essential guide with vocalists, musicians, historians
and others who reflect on living through segregation in THE
MUSICIANS’ GREEN BOOK: AN ENDURING LEGACY. The
program premiered on PBS stations as part of special programming,
beginning Saturday, Nov. 26. It was announced by PBS
and Ed Vodicka, CEO and executive producer, Grand Songbook
Media, Inc.
THE MUSICIANS’ GREEN BOOK: AN ENDURING LEGACY
shines the spotlight on legendary jazz, R&B and soul performers
who kept The Apollo and Howard Theatres and Harlem’s
Savoy Ballroom jumping and toured the Southern one-night circuit
on their road to success. Featured in the program are legendary and
contemporary stars performing an exciting mix of classic songs,
including Josephine Beavers, Johnny Britt, Howard Hewett, Little
Anthony and Darlene Love, and candid interviews with activists,
jazz historians, producers, arrangers and notable musicians who
were a part of the circuit.
The virtual “underground musicians’ green book” — a
network of friends, family and fans — provided food, lodging and
fellowship for Black entertainers on tour. Navigating the injustices
of racial segregation was difficult and, at times, dangerous — even
for renowned Black artists like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald,
Little Richard and Sam Cooke. Green’s book was a guide to a
parallel world of vibrant Black neighborhoods like New York
City’s Harlem, Chicago’s Bronzeville and Washington, D.C.’s U
Street, where Black entrepreneurs created thriving businesses that
served and sustained Black patrons and artists. Informally known
as the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” these venues included glamorous theaters,
swinging dance halls and rural juke joints, where icons and rising
stars alike honed their craft and won audience acclaim.
Music was a uniting force during segregation and remains so
to this day. THE MUSICIANS’ GREEN BOOK: AN ENDURING
LEGACY will honor the genius of these Black artists, who, during
these difficult times, changed America with their songs.
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