Herb Jeffries facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herb Jeffries
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Jeffries in 1944
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Umberto Alexander Valentino (alt. Umberto Alejandro Balentino) or Ballentino |
| Also known as |
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| Born | September 24, 1913 Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Died | May 25, 2014 (aged 100) West Hills, Los Angeles, California, US |
| Genres | Jazz, popular |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1933–1995 |
| Labels | Warner Bros. |
Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American singer and actor. He was known for his deep, smooth voice.
He starred in several Western movies made for black audiences. These films included Harlem on the Prairie (1937) and The Bronze Buckaroo (1939). He was often called Herbert Jeffrey or "Herbert Jeffries, Sensational Singing Cowboy" in his movies.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Jeffries recorded music for many record companies. These included RCA Victor, Decca, and Columbia. His album Jamaica featured songs he wrote himself.
Contents
Early Life and His Background
Herb Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan. His mother was Irish. He never knew his father, who had mixed French Canadian, Italian, and Moorish roots.
Jeffries grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Detroit. He did not face much racism as a child. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, he left high school. He needed to earn money as a singer.
He loved singing from a young age. He often spent time with the Howard Buntz Orchestra. He started performing in a local club. There, he met Louis Armstrong, a famous musician. Armstrong gave him a note of recommendation. This helped Jeffries get a job with Erskine Tate's all-black band in Chicago. Jeffries said he was a Creole to get the job. Later, he toured with Earl Hines's Orchestra.
Music Career Highlights
Jeffries moved to Chicago and performed in various clubs. He started with Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra. His big break came in 1933. He sang with the Earl Hines Orchestra at the Chicago World's Fair. His first recordings were with Hines in 1934.
By 1940, he was singing with the famous Duke Ellington Orchestra. His 1940 song "Flamingo" with Ellington was a huge hit. It sold over 14 million copies. His name was originally Herbert Jeffrey. But the record label mistakenly printed "Jeffries," so he changed his name to match.
With Duke Ellington, Jeffries showed his talent. He sang songs like "I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I've Got." He also sang "The Brownskin Gal" and "Jump for Joy." In 1944, his song "My Little Brown Book" reached No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Jeffries started as a tenor singer. But Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington's arranger, suggested he lower his voice. He became a "silken, lusty baritone," like Bing Crosby.
In 1945, Jeffries had another hit. It was "Left A Good Deal In Mobile." He later moved to Europe and performed there for many years. He returned to America in the 1950s. He recorded more jazz albums, like Say It Isn't So in 1957.
In 1995, at 81, he recorded The Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again). This album featured country-western songs.
Film Career and The Bronze Buckaroo
When Jeffries toured the South, he saw how unfair segregation was. Black audiences could only watch movies in certain theaters. He noticed young boys loved Westerns. This gave him an idea. He wanted to create a cowboy hero for black audiences.
Jeffries loved Westerns himself. He decided to make a low-budget Western with an all-black cast. He found a producer named Jed Buell. Jeffries helped get money for the film. He wrote his own songs and hired Spencer Williams to act with him.
Jeffries wanted to be the lead cowboy. He had grown up on a farm and knew how to ride horses and rope. He also had a great singing voice. But Buell worried Jeffries was "not black enough." They decided to use makeup to darken his skin for the role.
Jeffries made his first movie as a singing cowboy, Harlem on the Prairie. This was the first sound Western with an all-black cast. It was filmed in 1937. Jeffries did all his own stunts. The movie earned $50,000 in its first year.
Fans called him the "Bronze Buckaroo." These "race movies" played mostly in theaters for African-American audiences. His films included Harlem on the Prairie, The Bronze Buckaroo, and Harlem Rides the Range.
Jeffries starred as cowboy Bob Blake. Bob Blake was a good guy with a thin mustache. He wore a white Stetson hat and rode a white horse named Stardusk. Jeffries sang his own songs in these movies.
He also appeared in other films and TV shows. He starred in Calypso Joe (1957) with Angie Dickinson. In 1969, he was in the TV show The Virginian. He also appeared in I Dream of Jeannie and Hawaii Five-0.
Awards and Recognition
Herb Jeffries received several honors for his work:
- Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, 1979
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Palm Springs Walk of Stars, 1988
- Western Performers Hall of Fame, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2004
Personal Life
Herb Jeffries was married five times and had five children. One of his wives was the famous dancer Tempest Storm.
In 2007, he found his birth certificate. It reminded him that he was born in 1913. He had told people he was younger when he first started looking for jobs.
He passed away on May 25, 2014, at the age of 100. He died of heart failure. He was survived by his wife, Savannah, and his children.
Filmography
- Harlem on the Prairie (1937)
- Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938)
- Harlem Rides the Range (1939)
- The Bronze Buckaroo (1939)
- Calypso Joe (1957)
- Chrome and Hot Leather (1971)
- Portrait of a Hitman (1979)
- Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014)
Discography
- Magenta Moods (Exclusive, 1950)
- Just Jeffries (Mercury, 1951)
- Flamingo (Coral, 1952)
- The Singing Prophet (Olympic, 1954)
- Jamaica (RKO, 1956)
- Say It Isn't So (Bethlehem, 1957)
- Herb Jeffries (Harmony, 1957)
- Devil Is a Woman (Golden Tone, 1957)
- Passion (Brunswick, 1957)
- I Remember the Bing (Dobre, 1978)
- I've Got the World on a String (Discovery, 1989)
- The Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again) (Warner Western 1995)
- The Duke and I (2012)
