Bentley, Gladys (1907–1960)

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Bentley, Gladys (1907–1960)

African-American pianist and blues singer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1907; died in 1960.

As one of the most notorious and successful lesbian entertainers of the 1920s and '30s, Gladys Bentley performed in top hat and white tuxedo at swank New York nightclubs. Darling of gays, Harlem-hopping royalty, and the demimonde, she invented scandalous lyrics to the tunes of the day. Bentley's headlining days were over with the arrival of the repressive McCarthy era which robbed the nation of much of its greatest talent.

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