A fresh-faced teenager, Jimmie Daniels arrived in Harlem sometime during the mid-1920's. He was lithe, delicate, and had an engaging, infectious smile that he would soon learn to use to his advantage. Singer Alberta Hunter, a lifelong friend, remembered the time well. "This one was just a little one" she said. "Handsome? Oh, was he handsome! He had hair as red as fire, and his folks had money." Dare anyone have said that they thought the young, refined singer with the impeccable style, grace and proper enunciation was just a little snobbish and affectatious, too?
It wouldn't have mattered! It certainly would not have stopped the young, attractive Daniels from enjoying the ride of his youth, and becoming one of the most popular cafe singers and masters of ceremonies of the Harlem Renaissance. In demand from New York to Paris, these accomplishments were but stepping stones toward bigger and better things. Fortunately, the journey was documented by some of the leading photographers and artists of the time like George Platt Lynes, Carl Van Vechten and Richmond Barthe. And having several high profile, rich white boyfriends didn't hurt him not one bit!
By the end of the 1930's, the ambitious Daniels owned his own supper club in Harlem. It would be the first of many. He could not always go downtown and be black and fabulous but he did learn how to bring downtown uptown and cash in during the process. Jimmie's clubs catered to the downtown trade out for a night of slumming while searching for the exotique in Harlem. Everybody got what they wanted!
Jimmie Daniels, Singer at Le Ruban Bleu, 1933 by George Platt Lynes
According to some reports, Jimmie started out at Lenox Avenue's Bronze Studio Catering Hall, but certainly opened his first club on Lenox Avenue at 116th Street in the Bernheimer Building around 1938. Condescendingly, The New Yorker described it as a model of dignity and respectability .... by Harlem standards! He moved to 114 E. 125th Street in 1941. Just a few years earlier, he had been the host with the most at other people's clubs like Jean Cocteau's le Boeuf sur le Toit in Paris. But some ten years later, Daniels was thriving as the host of the Bon Soir on West 8th Street, a very popular spot with a loyal clientel interested in crossing the often debilitating lines of race, sex and sexual orientation. Photo is probably of Jimmie's establishment on 125th St in Harlem.
(Top) Kenneth Macpherson & Jimmie Daniels posing with Richmond Barthe's unfinished carving of Daniels, 1938. (Bottom) The finished product that was once known as Barthe's signature piece.
Richmond Barthe was known as one of the best portraitists and sculpters in New York! Although he later switched almost exclusively to bronze works, he showed extraordinary skill at whatever he put his hand to, fully capturing Daniels's exuberant spirit and mischievous expression. In fact, Barthe said he chose Daniels as his subject because of his dazzling smile, but it was actually Scottish filmmaker Kenneth Macpherson's wealthy wife, Winifred Ellerman (whom Americans knew as the poet, Bryher) who commissioned the bust. Kenneth Macpherson was Jimmie Daniels' lover! His wife was a lesbian! Their marriage was one of convenience! Ellerman heavily supported her husband, who in turn heavily supported Jimmie, thus affording him a high-class life in a Greenwich Village apartment for several years. In an impressive effort, they all conspired to help the black, gay and handsome Barthe, who was quite down on his luck at the time and needed the work and cash.
Daniels and Macpherson out on the town in Harlem with their friend, Lloyd Thomas (actress Edna Thomas' husband).
Macpherson, Daniels and the much admired Blanche Dunn, whom Bruce Nugent called a "harmless" gold digger, early 40's.
Before Kenneth Macpherson, there was the famed architect, Phillip Johnson (r). They met around 1934 when Jimmie was first starting to get some real recognition as an entertainer. Daniels personified everything Johnson looked for during his late night excursions to Harlem - brown-skinned exoticism and good times! Johnson had everything Daniels seemed to desire for himself - money and status, plus he was adventuresome, too.
At first glance, it would seem that they would have been made for each other but that was not the case. There were no cute apartments in Greenwich Village, and the young singer only saw Johnson at the slightly older man's convenience. Six decades later, Johnson looked back with an odd mix of fond recall and regret. Referring to Daniels as "the first Mrs. Johnson" he said "I was the envy of all downtown. It was so chic - it was what one did if one was really up to date. Those were the days when you just automatically went to Harlem."
At the time, Jimmie lived as a border at 1890 Seventh Avenue on the north-west corner of 115th Street in a cooperative unit owned by the actress Edna Thomas. Thomas's husband Lloyd also lived there as did her white lesbian lover. "We went to the house of an English lady who lived with a black actress - lesbians! "So it was comfortable and familial. There was also a husband around. I'd spend the night there. I tried having him downtown; it didn't work so well. They'd say 'I'm sorry we're full tonight (at a totall empty dining room).' "But I was naughty" Johnson revealed. "I went to Europe and I would never THINK of taking Jimmie along. I had rather an upper-lower class feeling about him ... terrible way to treat anybody" he confessed to his credit. Indeed, after a year of foolishness, Jimmie Daniels very swiftly cashed in for Kenneth Macpherson! "A terrible man stole him away - who had better sex with him, I gather" Johnson later quipped.
By October of 1942, Jimmie was training in bootcamp during WWII. That must have been extremely interesting but true to form, he ended up entertaining the troops throughout Europe. He continued to host and perform throughout the 50's, and intermittently for the rest of his life.
In the early 80's, Jimmie often lived with his oldest, dearest friend, the legendary Alberta Hunter and took care of her in her waning years. He was still rather well set up and secure by the time he preceeded her in death at the age of 76, in 1984. This shot is from Ms. Hunter's 83rd birthday celebration. Left to right, Eubie Blake, bassist Al Hall, Alberta, Bobby Short, Jimmie Daniels, writer Chris Albertson, and friend.
Jimmie Daniels, forever young ......
(Both images shot by Carl Van Vechten, early 30's)
Jimmie flanked by two unidentified brothas, with Maria Bruce & Jimmy Wright, early 40's.
An early shot of Jimmie with his downtown friends, including illustrator Prentiss Taylor (standing, center) and actor Tonio Selwart and Donald Angus, March 1932.
He did have a fabulous smile. I especially love the photo with Alberta Hunter.
More insightful information on more Black LGBT folks that I'd never heard of. Thank you, Corey!!!!!
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | February 10, 2012 at 01:38 PM
Corey,
You do realize that your blog pieces cause your followers to go to the Internet and do a little research on the historical figures that you mention? Well, I did a little Internet research on that Phillip Johnson (who was one of Jimmie's lovers)
WHAT A RACIST NAZI BITCH!
"Miss Ann Thing" must have been having sex with Jimmie Daniels but with total contempt for him (or air of racial superiority) all the time.
Like I said, Corey, I learn so much from this blog. AND it causes me to learn more.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | February 10, 2012 at 06:14 PM
Derrick,
Thank you! It's part of what I hope to accomplish so I appreciate hearing that. Yes, Miss Phillip Ann tried to deny all that in his later years, I think. But he was truthful when he said flat out how he felt about Jimmie with that whole "upper/lower class" mess, no matter how some gay biographers and historians want to revise it and make it ROMANTIC!
Thank you again for COMING BACK WITH THAT!
Posted by: Corey | February 10, 2012 at 07:12 PM
Corey, you are awesome. Your command of black LGBT history is extraordinary. There is no one else, to my knowledge, doing what you do as well as you do it!
Posted by: elg | February 13, 2012 at 06:12 AM
I noticed Chris Albertson in one of the pictures. He wrote the biography of The Empress Bessie Smith. I bought (and read and reread) that book when it came out so many years ago but now I can't seem to find it.
Posted by: elg | February 14, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Loved this and the photos were superb!
Posted by: jahlaune | February 27, 2012 at 05:51 PM