I've been singing her praises and Mary Lou Williams eversince I joined this board. I love a black woman who could raise hell on the keys with the best of them.

She was the first black woman to have her own show, it was short lived because she was accused of being a communist for simply fighting racism in her shows.

I love what her ex-husband Rev.Adam Clayton Powell said about her - "Hazel is Trinidadian, where being black is not an exception, its a rule". She was truly a woman of spunk and fire, and that unfortunately cost her what could've been a fruitful career.

Track down Donald Bogle's documentary "Brown Sugar" which is based on a book of the same title. It talked about a heap of unsung black divas who didn't get the acclaim they deserved.

Harlepolis said:

Track down Donald Bogle's documentary "Brown Sugar" which is based on a book of the same title. It talked about a heap of unsung black divas who didn't get the acclaim they deserved.

I read that book years ago, but don't remember who was in it. I didn't know there was a documentary. I think the author was the same guy who wrote a book about Dorothy Dandridge, but not sure.

MickyDolenz said:

Harlepolis said:

Track down Donald Bogle's documentary "Brown Sugar" which is based on a book of the same title. It talked about a heap of unsung black divas who didn't get the acclaim they deserved.

I think the author was the same guy who wrote a book about Dorothy Dandridge, but not sure.

Yep.