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| Arlene Talley at Harlem Speaks Arlene Talley, guest of Harlem Speaks in The Jazz Museum on October 26, 2006, was born and raised in Harlem New York on July 23, 1933. She presently works at St. Nicks Pub, where she performs jazz each Saturday. She started singing at the age of six years old, often performing at Masonic dances, where her father was a member. At 23 Talley began working at The Club Lido, on 125th street and 5th Avenue. There she met Redd Foxx, Still Austin, Ruth Brown, and Frank "Floor Show" Cully. She stayed on at the Lido every weekend approximately six months. Then Talley began singing with Frank Cully at the Apollo Bar on 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Frank Culley nabbed a contract with Atlantic Records, and she recorded her debut song, "Little Miss Blues with him. On the flip side was "Round about Midnight, " which became a hit. In 1944, Talley went on the road with Culley and was introduced to a manager, Nat Nazarro, who introduced her to the Isley Boys. Nazarro put together a group with Talley and The Isley Boys known The Cousins. They sang together at The Apollo Theatre for a full week under that name. After the Apollo, they went to The Howard Theater in Washington D. C. under the banner of Arlena and the Isley Brothers, performing for three weeks. She began singing with Art Blakey in 1946, worked with him for a year, and met Illinois Jaquet at the Apollo Bar in 1947. He heard her soulful voice and hired Talley for his band. They traveled on the road to Virginia and Alabama, and encountered Jim Crow Laws--white people could dance on the main floor, but black people had to stay upstairs in the balcony. The group had to go in the back door instead of using the front door. She also worked at the Apollo Theatre with Jaquet, and also performed with him at Atlantic City, Montreal and Quebec. After raising her children, Talley resumed singing at neighborhood clubs in Harlem, where she lives today. She's been singing on and off at the St. Nick Pub for approximately 20 years with her own band, "Arlene and the Crew." The Harlem Speaks series, supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, is produced by the Jazz Museum in Harlem's Executive Director, Loren Schoenberg, Co- Director Christian McBride, and Greg Thomas Associates. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |