Born in West Virginia in 1894, Ada “Bricktop” Smith gained her nickname because of her red hair. Her family soon moved to Chicago, a center of African American culture, where she started performing full time at age sixteen. She didn’t stop until the late 1970s, a few years before her death in 1984. As a young woman, she made a name for herself in the US and then moved to Paris in 1924. In 1926 she opened her own nightclub, “Chez Bricktop,” a gathering spot for expat American artists. Her autobiography includes this quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald: “My greatest claim to fame is that I discovered Bricktop before Cole Porter.” This was the first of Bricktop’s nightclubs, which opened and closed in Rome and Mexico City, as well as New Orleans and Chicago.
Although her many business ventures were never as successful as her first nightclub in Paris, Bricktop was a renowned jazz singer and entertainer for all of her life. Both Cole Porter and Django Reinhardt wrote songs in her honor. Near the end of her life, the mayor of Chicago declared an official “Bricktop Day” in admiration of her achievements.
Most of the photos I found of Bricktop as an older woman show her in evening dress, fitting clothes for a nightclub performer. A feather boa was often included. Too bad I couldn’t find a picture of her with another favorite accessory, a small cigar.
I’d never heard of her. Thanks for the history snippet. She was quite a gal!
Interesting! I’d never heard of her either. /great story — thanks for sharing!
Amazing lady