Saturday 29 March 2008

The brassiest of brassy ladies



"You never find yourself until you face the truth."

Today would have been the 90th birthday of the brassiest of brassy ladies - Pearl Bailey.

With her beautiful sultry tones and knowing use of innuendo, she was hugely popular on Broadway, in cabaret, and in Hollywood. Double-entendre was her forte - our favourite songs of hers include She Had to Go and Lose it at the Astor, Let’s Do It, Baby It’s Cold Outside and It Takes Two to Tango.

Pearl collaborated with some of the greats, such as Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt, Dinah Shore, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and (best of all) Carol Channing. She starred in Porgy and Bess with Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge, the film version of Carmen Jones, and even an all-black production of Hello, Dolly! A true star...


When the shark bites, indeed.

Pearl Bailey on Wikipedia

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