Creighton Thompson
Creighton Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Creighton Thompson 1889 |
| Died | 1969 (aged 79–80) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1910s–1940s |
| Spouse | |
| Musical career | |
| Formerly of | Lafayette Players |
Charles Creighton Thompson (1889–1969) was an American baritone who appeared in shows, recordings, and films.[1] He performed with the Lafayette Players and toured European capital cities, but, with his orchestra, was ordered out of Berlin by Adolf Hitler's government, as "race hatred" increased there.[2] He lived in Budapest, Hungary, and in Bombay, India, for periods. He was from a family of musicians, including his siblings, the composer James DeKoven Thompson and dance teacher Hazel Thompson.[3]
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In 1910, he performed with L. J. Mason's Mason Jubilee Singers,[4] and in 1912, he performed with Aida Overton Walker.[4] In 1913, he performed at the Grand Theater in Chicago, in a performance where he was one three featured singers.[4] He sang "The Ghost Ship" in the 1915 production Darkydom[4] and "Milo" in a 1916 edition of Darktown Follies.[4] In 1935, his songs were part of a radio program in Bombay that was accompanied by a photograph of him.[5] He was also on radio in Bombay in 1936.[6]
He portrayed a preacher in the 1946 musical St. Louis Woman, an adaptation of Arna Bontemps's 1931 novel God Sends Sunday.[7] He sang "I Got a Marble and a Star" in the 1947 musical Street Scene written by Elmer Rice and Langston Hughes.[8] In the same year, he was pictured in The Crisis.[9] In 1948, he portrayed Rev. Jackson in Jack Kemp's film Miracle in Harlem.[10]
He married the actress Hilda Offley; they were both original Lafayette Players.[11][4] Their marriage lasted 51 years until her death in 1968.
Recordings
[edit]- The Red Devils; "The Crocodile", "My Little Bimbo", "I'll Be Back There Someday", "If I Forget" (His Master's Voice, 1920)[12]
- Creighton Thompson and Lieut. Jim Europe's Singing Serenaders "Exhortation (Jubilee Shout)"[12]
- Lieut. Noble Sissle and Lieut. Jim Europe's Singing Serenaders "Little David Play on Your Harp"[12]
Filmography
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Creighton Thompson, Noted Singer, Back In U.S., From War-Torn Europe After Long Absence Of Twenty Years". The Chicago Defender. Chicago, Illinois. November 11, 1939. p. 13. Retrieved September 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hitler Bars Musicians in Recent Order". The Chicago Defender. April 1, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Courage, Richard A.; Reed, Christopher Robert (May 29, 2020). Roots of the Black Chicago Renaissance: New Negro Writers, Artists, and Intellectuals, 1893-1930. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-05191-3 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sampson, Henry T. (October 30, 2013). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows: 2 Volumes. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-7651-8512-4 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Delhi, All India Radio (AIR), New (January 22, 1935). "THE INDIAN RADIO TIMES: Vol. IX, No. 3 ( 22 JANUARY, 1935 )". Prasar Bharati Central Archives – via Google Books.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Radio,Bombay, All India (July 22, 1936). "THE INDIAN LISTENER: Vol. I. No. 15. (22nd JULY 1936)". All India Radio,Bombay – via Google Books.
- ↑ Dietz, Dan (February 2, 2015). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-1-4422-4528-0 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Dietz, Dan (February 2, 2015). "The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals". Bloomsbury Publishing PLC – via Google Books.
- ↑ Bois, William Edward Burghardt Du (September 12, 1947). Crisis. Crisis Publishing Company – via Google Books.
- ↑ Weisenfeld, Judith (September 5, 2007). Hollywood be Thy Name: African American Religion in American Film, 1929-1949. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22774-3 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Gore, Lena McPhatter (May 28, 1997). The African American Theatre Directory, 1816-1960: A Comprehensive Guide to Early Black Theatre Organizations, Companies, Theatres, and Performing Groups. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-03332-2 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 "Black Recording Artists, 1877-1926: An Annotated Discography". McFarland. January 3, 2013 – via Google Books.
- ↑ W, A. (October 24, 1949). "THE SCREEN" – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ "Miracle in Harlem | National Museum of African American History and Culture". National Museum of African American History and Culture.
- ↑ Manchel, Frank (September 5, 2007). "Every Step a Struggle: Interviews with Seven who Shaped the African-American Image in Movies". New Academia Publishing, LLC – via Google Books.
External links
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