Broadway performer Larry Marshall, joined by musicians, will perform Marshall's tribute to vaudeville great Bert Williams (1874-1922). The event honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In what Marshall calls a "lecture-tainment," he rejuvenates the life and music of Bert Williams. Marshall will be joined by musicians on piano, bass, banjo, trombone, clarinet and flute as he talks about the life of Williams and sings some of his most memorable and amusing songs, including "Nobody", "Barbershop Chord", "Let It Alone", and "Save Your Money, John". Featured on piano is Rick Cordova, and arrangements are by Ayodele Maakheru, last seen on Broadway as a solo guitarist in "Lackawana Blues". Bert Williams was one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era, and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first Black-American to take pioneer leading roles, both on Broadway and in the 1914 film Darktown Jubilee, pushing back racial barriers in his three-decades long career. Williams was one of the most respected and well paid performers of his time. Fellow vaudevillian W.C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw - and the saddest man I ever knew."
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