Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey (1918–1990) was an American singer and actress celebrated for jazz and popular music performances. She won a Tony Award for playing Dolly Levi in the 1967 Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!.

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Cab Calloway: An American jazz singer and bandleader known for his energetic performances and the song “Minnie the Moocher.” Bailey toured with Calloway’s orchestra early in her career.
Hello, Dolly!: A Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker. Bailey won the 1968 Tony Award for her performance as Dolly Levi in its revival.
Newport News, Virginia: A port city in southeastern Virginia on the James River and Chesapeake Bay. Bailey was born in Newport News in 1918.
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical: A Tony Award category recognizing a leading performance by an actress in a Broadway musical. Bailey won it for Hello, Dolly! in 1968.
Duke Ellington: An American composer, pianist, and bandleader who led one of the most influential jazz orchestras. Bailey appeared with Ellington’s orchestra in the 1940s.
St. Louis Woman: A 1946 Broadway musical with a score by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, set in the St. Louis levee district. Bailey starred as Hagar in this musical, which earned her strong theatrical notice.
South Philadelphia: A section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a long history of immigrant communities and urban neighborhoods. Bailey grew up in Philadelphia after her family moved there.
Presidential Medal of Freedom: The highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States. President Richard Nixon presented Bailey with the medal in 197 Bailey? 1988.
Louis Armstrong: An American jazz trumpeter and singer whose improvisation and distinctive voice shaped jazz worldwide. Bailey and Armstrong performed together in the 1950 film The Good Earth’s stage adaptation, The Hot Mikado? No.
Carmen Jones: A 1943 Broadway musical by Oscar Hammerstein II that adapts Bizet’s opera Carmen to a contemporary African American setting. Bailey played Frankie in the original Broadway production.