Apollo Theater

A historic landmark in central Harlem in New York City that attained near legendary status between 1930 and 1970 as host to some of the greatest African American performers ever. For a time, the Apollo Theater was most famous venue for African American music in the world.

The Apollo Theater was opened in 1913 as a burlesque theater named Hurtig and Seamon's Music [Page 52]Hall. Burlesque is a form of entertainment that includes broad slapstick comedy, short skits, and, sometimes, striptease. At the time, African Americans were not allowed in the audience of the theater.

In 1933, shortly after Sidney Cohen, president of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America, had purchased the theater, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia of New York initiated a campaign against burlesque. This led Cohen to adopt a variety-show format and to target his marketing efforts toward the rapidly growing African American community in Harlem.

Under Cohen, the newly renamed 125th Street Apollo Theater began to feature blues, jazz, and gospel music performers in 1934. In the same year, Amateur Night at the Apollo was launched and became one of the theater's most popular events. Amateur Night became the launching pad for many performers, including jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.

When Cohen died in 1935, the partnership of Brecher and Schiffman purchased the theater and continued to run it in the same manner as Cohen had. In the years that followed, the Apollo Theater continued to grow in popularity, often drawing larger audiences than many of New York's other main theaters.

The list of performers who entertained at the Apollo Theater is much too long to give in great detail. Certainly, most well-known African American performers from the 1930s on have graced the Apollo's stage, including jazz greats Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie, and singers such as Sarah Vaughn, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, and Nat “King” Cole.

Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown—the “godfather of soul”—made their debuts at the Apollo. In the 1960s, Motown performers such as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and Little Stevie Wonder lit up the Apollo stage. Aretha Franklin was among the most popular singers ever to perform at the Apollo. Comedian Bill Cosby played the theater in 1968.

In the 1970s, the popularity of the Apollo began to decline, and the theater was finally closed in 1978. In 1983, however, the Apollo was named a historic landmark and completely renovated. The theater was reopened in 1985, and a nonprofit organization, the Apollo Theater Foundation, was established to preserve this great symbol of African American achievement. A grand reopening gala included the television special Motown Salutes the Apollo.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the artist known as Prince, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and the Boy's Choir of Harlem were just a few of the notable performers and groups who entertained at the historic site. Today, the Apollo continues to serve as a venue for musical performances by singers such as Stevie Wonder and Vanessa Williams, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, comedienne Whoopi Goldberg, and the band KORN. The theater and its foundation are also notable for community outreach programs, including a Free Films for Kids program and free community concerts.

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