Early the next morning at 3:15 AM on August 14, Gladys Presley, the 46-year-old mother of Elvis, died from a heart attack due to hepatitis complications. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. She died at 97, also becoming. In 1958, Bentley, who grew up in Philadelphia, appeared on Groucho Marxs game show You Bet Your Life where she said she was from Port-au-Spain (her mother happened to be Trinidadian). Floyd school mourns teacher - Mountain Top Media At the time of her death, she was 53 years old. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. Yep, Bentley did that, and in the middle of segregated America to boot. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Not only did her own time not know what to do with her, but Bentleys impact is also still a hot topic now. In the 1920s, speakeasies ruled New York City, and Gladys Bentley ruled the speakeasies. From early on, Bentley overtly included sexuality in her act with her song content, stage moves, and attire. Shed made a scandalous name for herself singing her dirty songs, and audiences came out in droves. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Tragic Facts About Bessie Smith, The Empress Of The Blues, Eleanor Of Aquitaine Was Englands Fiercest QueenUntil Her Brutal End, Lawyers Reveal Their Most Jaw-Dropping Court Cases, Truth Hurts: Binge-Worthy Stories About The Biggest Liars Of All Time, These Mega Embarrassing Moments Still Made Us Burst Out Laughing, Catherine The Great Was a Mighty EmpressUntil Her Brutal Downfall. 1 reference. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Significant Dates. Bentley's performances appealed to black, white, gay, and straight audiences alike, and many celebrities attended her shows. Her success picked up again during World War II with the expansion of gay bars on the West Coast. Gladys Presley - IMDb Add to your scrapbook. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. When Gladys died in 1958, newspapers around the world gave her age as 42, when she was really 46. After a lifetime of loneliness, she wrote that she had undergone medical treatment that awakened her womanliness. She claimed to have married twice, though Wilson says that one of the men denied ever having been married to Bentley. . On Thursday (April 27) the singer's reps officially confirmed that Gladys Knight is not dead. Gladys Love, Elvis Presley's mother, died due to heart attack and liver failure. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Like everything she did, she did this whole hog, and got ordained at the beginning of the 1960s. Bentley moved to California, where she continued recording music, touring and performing in upscale supper clubs and bars, but Wilson says her act was a toned down version of what it was at the height of her fame in New York. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Haleema Shah is the host and associate producer for the Smithsonian's "Sidedoor" podcast, and a journalist who believes in using audio to enable audiences to delve deep into the ideas that shape our world. It's a woman, Wilson says. The Life And Death Of Gladys Presley, Elvis Presley's Beloved Mother She marched right over one night during a packed audience and met the clubs skeptical boss, Harry Hansberry. Gladys Alberta Bentley (August 12, 1907 January 18, 1960)[1] was an American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. Sadly, Bentleys confessions dont stop there. This happened even at her star-studded Hollywood shows, which would have the likes of Mary Astor and Barbara Stanwyck watching from the audience. Before long, Bentleys world got turned upside down again. According to Jim Wilson, author of the book Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem was also a community that the police turned a blind eye to during the Prohibition Era. In the summer of 1952, while married to Gipson, Bentley penned an article for Ebony magazine looking back on her stardom and her personal life. Gladys Knight and the Pips Singer Dies at Age 74 | Essence William Guest passed away on Christmas Eve from congestive heart failure. It was Bentley who told a gossip columnist that shed just tied the knot. As Bentley became more popular, she started performing at Harry Hansberrys Clam Houseone of New York Citys most well-known gay speakeasiesin the 1920s. Persian Wikipedia. We have set your language to This article reflects that. Gladys Bentley, one of the most flamboyant blues entertainers of the 20th century, began performing in New York City as a singer and male impersonator. She was 96. Its a woman.. See, the Clam House was actually looking for a male pianist. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? And this is JD Doyle with Queer Music Heritage and a special show devoted totally to her. His mother was the daughter of a cotton farmer and she met his father at church. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. A large, 250-pound woman, her deep voice appealed to straight, gay, black, and white audiences. Feb 2013 Script - Gladys Bentley Tribute - Queer Music Heritage In 2016, musician Shirlette Ammons released an album entitled Twilight for Gladys Bentley, that paid tribute to Bentley's legacy and "reimagined" Bentley in relationship to hip hop culture. At the time of her much-too-early death in 1960 from pneumonia at age 52, she was waiting to be ordained as a minister in the Temple of Love In Christ, Inc. Bentley, illustrator Prentiss Taylor, and singer Nora Holt . She had been living in California with her mother and was waiting to be ordained as a minister in the Temple of Love in Christ, Inc. Today, she is being rediscovered for the same reason that her story was obscured during her youth. Gladyslived at address, Kentucky. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. I like to believe that Gladys Bentley had her thumb on the pulse of the time. Some pearl-clutching patrons complained, and the citys response was swift and brutal. That year, she claimed that she married an unknown woman in a civil ceremony in Atlantic City, a practically unheard-of move. Gladys would soon become pregnant and . As Bentley put it, My hands fairly flew over the keys. And the response was legendary. Since she was a schoolgirl, she had started daydreaming about her female teachers, and developing intimate feelings for the women she knew. Elvis had an emergency opportunity to visit her, but she did not make it. 100 Women: Gladys West - the 'hidden figure' of GPS - BBC News Was Bentley slowly unraveling? It makes you wonder and ask more questions about what her challenges were in the professional arena and if this was all easy for her, Reece says. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. However, later that year, she did wed Charles Roberts, a cook sixteen years her junior. Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) - BlackPast.org Resend Activation Email. Please accept Echovita's sincere condolences. They cried, laughing so hard; they were doubled over from the ache of it, they blushed, and they fed on the anomalous beauty of Bentley. She quickly made a name for herself as somebody who sang ribald songs, says Wilson. Years before Gladys Bentley performed in midtown Manhattan, she arrived in Harlem around 1925. She dressed in men's clothes (including a signature tail coat and top hat), played piano, and sang her own raunchy lyrics to popular tunes of the day in a deep, growling voice while flirting with women in the audience. So Gladys Bentley abandoned that and seems to want to restart her career as a more traditional black woman performer., In 1952, Bentley wrote her life story in an article for Ebony magazine, entitled I Am A Woman Again. In the article, she described the life of a glamorous performer who silently struggled with herself. Lincoln Memorial Park. In her Ebony tell-all I Am A Woman, Bentley mentions yet another husband, a sailor named Don, who she claims seduced her, turned her straight, and set her on the path to womanhood again. Remembering 28 Bodybuilders Who Passed Away (2017-2020) Search above to list available cemeteries. English . Learn more about merges. A system error has occurred. Bentleys fame was a product of being both a gifted singer and an adept provocateur. In many ways, Bentley never stopped trying to be in the spotlight, even as her audiences waned and the world changed around her. Lea Bentley, a primary teacher at Betsy Layne Elementary, died on Thursday. Gladys Bentley Early Life Story, Family Background and Education Performing in a signature white top hat, tuxedo and tails, Bentley sang raunchy songs laced with double-entendres that thrilled and scandalized her audiences. Gladys Alberta Bentley was born on August 12, 1907, which makes her a Leo. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. For all her revelations in her Ebony article, Bentleys confessions may not be what they seem. [1][2][24] It was initially believed to be the "Asian flu" but later turned into "pneumonia". Date of death: August 5, 2017. She was only 46 years old. Bentley moved to Los Angeles to live with her mother. This account has been disabled. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. When she got up on stage every night in her top hat and tails, she sang loud and proud about sissies and bulldaggers, and her lyrics often illustrated her lesbian affairs in very explicit terms. Gladys Bentley had told the gossip columnist that she had just gotten married. Scholars who have studied Bentleys life said that the story Bentley told about being cured in the Ebony article was likely a response to the McCarthy Era and its hostile claims that homosexuality and communism were threats to the country. As a singer, Bentley became known for a deep, growling voice and a trumpet-like scat. Gladys Bentley - Wikipedia Her mother had desperately wanted a boy, and when the nurses told her she had a little girl instead, the matriarch refused to even touch her baby. Gladys became severely ill in August 1958 due to undiagnosed hepatitis, brought on by alcoholism, while Elvis was serving in US Army in Germany; he . In an effort to describe her supposed "cure" for homosexuality she wrote an essay, "I Am a Woman Again", for Ebony magazine in which she stated she had undergone an operation, which "helped change her life again".[17][18][19]. Wilson also says that Bentley, who was aging and no stranger to reinvention, was likely making deft use of the press. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Bentley always had expensive tastes; she just never had the bank account to match. Roberts later denied that they had ever married. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. While Harlem was home to African-Americans facing the challenges of the Great Depression, it also became a destination for pleasure-seekers who Wilson says were eager to let loose of their bourgeois attitudes. Elvis' parents Vernon and Gladys | Photo by Getty Images Elvis was inconsolable following his mother's death After Gladys passed away, Elvis reportedly sank to his knees and wept. He wondered whether Bentley's father's sudden death resulted from an undiagnosed arrhythmia that triggered a . Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. She dressed in men's clothes (including a signature tuxedo and top hat), played piano, and sang her own raunchy lyrics to popular tunes of the day in a deep, growling voice while flirting with women in the audience. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to New York City at the age of 16 and began her career as a performer at Harry Hansberry's Clam House on 133rd Street, one of the city's most notorious gay speakeasies. Gladys Love Smith parents Bob and Dolly Smith . 0 references. Blues Singer. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. She'd been lying about her age to conceal the fact that she was four years older than Vernon Presley. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Then she proceeded to blow his mind. She found one, alright. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Try again. Gladys Bentley - WorldCat She claimed that she had married a white woman in Atlantic City. composer. In truth, Gladys Bentley has been a mystery for decades. Gladys Bentley wasnt just popular with the common people; she had all of New York eating out of the palm of her hand. [20], In 1930, Bentley lived with a woman named Beatrice Robert. Gladys Bentley: Gender-Bending Performer and Musician BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. She started to perform at prohibition-era rent parties, soirees that charged guests a fee to come enjoy a house party with booze and entertainment. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. At the time of her death, she was 53 years old. Even more, she often sang about "sissies" and "bulldaggers"[10] and, through innuendo or more literally, about her female lovers, and she flirted with women in the audience. She was frequently harassed for wearing men's clothing. She had a recording contract for her raunchy songs, put out a series of records with her broad, booming voice, and was just positioning herself to take over the bright lights of Broadway. August 14, 1958: Gladys Presley, Elvis' Mother, Dies - Best Classic Bands Gladys Bentley - Worried Blues (1928) Gladys Bentley and "Worried Blues," from 1928. Will African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. For the Smithsonians Sidedoor podcast, host Haleema Shah tells the story of an unapologetically gay African-American performer in 1920s and 30s. Gladys Bentley joined New York's Harlem Renaissance jazz scene at age 16 and became an instant sensation and gender identity pioneer, performing piano and vocals at the most popular gay bars . Bentley died of pneumonia unexpectedly at her home in Los Angeles on January 18, 1960, aged 52. Try again later. Were always looking for your input! On January 18, 1960, when Bentley was still just 52 years old, she passed quite suddenly in her Los Angeles home. Shed always been good at the piano, and heard through a friend one night that the notorious gay speakeasy the Clam House was looking for a pianist. Today, experts believe that the article and her marriages were not actually true representations of her identity, but rather her attempts to conform to the newly conservative standards of the day so she could survive. She also appeared at the the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club. While Wilson says there is no record of that union taking place, the story is still a glimpse into Bentleys unapologetic openness about her sexual orientation, and her acute understanding of the power of shock value. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. For the customers of the club, one of the unique things about my act was the way I dressed, she wrote. She wouldn't even nurse me and my grandmother had to raise me for 6 months on a bottle before they could persuade my mother to take care of her own baby. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? I thought you might like to see a memorial for Gladys Alberta Bentley I found on Findagrave.com. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Not content with changing her outward appearance, in the 1950s Bentley began to change her insides as well, going to a doctor and beginning to take female hormones to overcome her more masculine traits. Lynda Baron: Open All Hours and Come Outside actress dies aged 82 [26], In 2019, The New York Times newspaper began a series called "Overlooked No More," in which the editorial staff aims to correct a perceived bias in reporting by republishing obituaries for historical minorities and women. In 1931, Gladys Bentley was at the top of her game, and was one of the most sought-after performersand loversin the United States. That year, Bentley took up with kitchen cook Charles Roberts, marrying him after a whirlwind courtship. The database also contains older death records for some parishes, such as deaths that occurred in Jefferson parish before 1911, and deaths that occurred in Orleans parish as early as . Her songs revealed all her dirty little secrets. Failed to report flower. [9] She toured the country, some destinations being Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Hollywood, where she was well liked by Cesar Romero, Hugh Herbert, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, and other celebrities. This was long before the gay rights or the civil rights movements, yet Bentley became a darling of the Harlem Renaissance alongside icons like . Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. 4. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Your Privacy Rights Though the cause was a heart attack, it was later found that one of the contributing factors was liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. Hansberry insisted that the club had been built around the popularity of Bentley's success and that he owned a five-year contract over Bentley and her raunchy songs. [2] In Bentley's Ebony article,[3] she wrote about trouble in the home as she was growing up and the relationship between her and her mother. The world's biggest star was found in his bathroom at Graceland on August 16, 1977, and pronounced dead at Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. It did not end well. Gladys Bentley came into this world on August 12, 1907 as the eldest child of George Bentley and his wife Mary Mote. Rustin's sexuality was a cause for debate by others in the movement, but toward the end of his life, he began to openly fight for queer causes. Although Bentley used feminine pronouns in her public life, some experts believe she would have been a transgender man today, while others insist she only played with gender expectations and never tried to pass as a man. Mother of Elvis Presley. Fictional characters based on Bentley appeared in Carl Van Vechten's novel Parties, Clement Woods' novel Deep River, and Blair Niles' novel Strange Brother. Today though, Bentleys story is resurfacing and she is seen as an African-American woman who was ahead of her time for proudly loving other women, wearing mens clothing and singing bawdy songs. The cause of death was a heart attack, and it was later discovered that one of the contributing factors was liver failure due to alcohol poisoning.