| Jessy Dixon - Menù |
| Homepage |
|
Biography Awards |
|
Discography Buy it 
|
|
Concerts Bookings |
|
Black Nativity |
| Comments and suggestions |
Alberta Carter Bradford
|
Alberta Carter Bradford is touring Gospel-music since the early fifties. Through
her musical work she got into contact with Alex Bradford, one of the greatest stars
in Gospel music of that time, who became her husband later on. While giving concerts
with her husband's band, the Stars of Faith in New York's Apollo Theatre in
1961, she rehearsed for the premier show of Langston Hughes' new Musical
Black Nativity. The first show took place on
December 1st 1961 in the 41st Street Theatre on Broadway, where it stayed for quite
a long time. People called the production the Black messiah from Broadway. An
italian impresario invited the first cast to perform the Black Nativity production in
Europe. This was the starting point for a 30 months-tour through many countries in
the eastern and western part of Europe. Perhaps this was one of the most successful
tours in the history of Gospel Music. Nice to listen to Mrs. Bradfords anecdotes about
the special performances for the Dutch, the Danish and the British royal families.
The anecdotes about Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and the early Beatles visiting the
shows. The more astonishing is it, that this Musical became more and more forgotten after the early 70's. Nowadays Alberta again is touring with the "Stars of Faith", except .... when there are those challenges as the direction of "Black Nativity".
|