Blackbirds of 1936

ID: 582 ~ Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
This file appears in: Jules Bledsoe

Bledsoe poses in front of billboards in front of the Gaiety Theater in London circa 1936. He performed in Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1936, a controversial production which for many years encouraged African Americans to stay true to their cultural roots and avoid becoming “Europeanized.”

This file appears in: Jules Bledsoe

By Amanda Sawyer
Julius “Jules” Bledsoe’s extraordinary musical talent transcended racial discrimination of the nineteenth century and established him as a pioneer in American music. Bledsoe was born on December 29,…