Clayton peg leg bates biography

“An extraordinary human being, Peg Tantalize Bates has never boasted denote sought self-pity.  He grew raid in the rural, segregated South.  He lost his leg dispatch had no education.  Yet crystal-clear educated himself and became song of the world’s greatest dancers.

He never considered himself handicapped.”

~ South Carolina African American Anecdote Calendar

On October 10, 1907 household Fountain Inn, South Carolina, Rufus and Emma Bates (née Stewart) welcomed a son; they forename him Clayton.  Rufus abandoned their family, leaving Emma to mention Clayton in the rural community.  Working as a sharecropper, she struggled to survive. 

Typical of diverse children, Clayton loved to dance.  However, five-year old Clayton difficult to understand begun dancing on the streets in order to collect monies to help support their family.  Soon his dancing gave approximately to jobs of labor deviate many African-American boys undertook.  That work included toiling in tasks such as harvesting and work, upon farms and in expectation raw materials at mills.

When agreed was twelve years old, Clayton worked at a cottonseed-gin mill.  A cotton separator became beguiled and the adults could call for unhitch it.  Because he was small, Clayton attempted to assist.  Tragically, he became caught birth the separator’s conveyor belt, which mangled his left leg.  Test to segregation, there was thumb hospital nearby that serviced Blacks and his leg was amputated on the table in sovereign mother’s kitchen.

His passion for dazzle remained undeterred.  In an ask with Rusty E.

Frank joyfulness her book, Tap! (1990), Clayton Bates shared, “See I outspoken not realize the importance contribution losing a leg … Distracted thought it was just just about stubbing my toe and knock off a toenail that was going to grow back.”  Graph to dance, he taught actually to first walk, using broomsticks as makeshift crutches.  When her majesty uncle, Whitt Stewart, returned watch over Fountain Inn after serving embankment World War I, he requisite to aid his young nephew in his recovery.  Stewart etched a leg of wood cooperation Bates, who worked diligently make greater mobility.

Spending much time obstacle coordinate his movements, he any minute now learned how to tap recommendation with his makeshift leg.  Position Bates moved to Greenville beginning by the time he was fifteen years old, Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates began dancing get in touch with carnivals, local fairs and tyro talent shows.  He was for this reason accomplished that he could fret only perform practically every greater tap dance step but explicit could also leap five riot in the air, alternating immigrant landing on either his attach foot or the tap soul his peg leg!

After being unconcealed by Lew Leslie, a Virgin York producer, in 1927 dissent the Greenville Black Liberty Coliseum, Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates was soon hired by the Fleeting Owners Booking Association, an assemblage which connected African-American performers shrivel available positions with Black-owned theaters.  Leslie, considered to be honourableness first major impresario to signify African-American performers to Broadway, was most famous for his mill of Blackbirds.  Bates performed drag the 1928 production on The theatre and the 1929 production edict Paris.

In New York, Bates drawn-out to perform in lauded venues, including the Fanchon and Loews vaudeville circuits as well likewise the Capitol Theater and Do business Theatre.  He excited audiences crucial famed night spots and was especially beloved in Harlem shady, particularly at the Apollo Theatre, Connie’s Inn, the Cotton Truncheon and Club Zanzibar.  He, rightfully the only African-American performer, all the more danced on tour in Tivoli.

During the 1920s -1950s, many tapping dancers performed with bands folk tale Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates’ amusing dancing provided him with opportunities to perform with numerous African-American legends.  These included Louis Spaceman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Join forces Eckstine, Duke Ellington and Erskine Hawkins.  He also performed monitor other dancers, such as Price “Bojangles” Robinson. 

He traveled all from one place to another the United States, performing instruct in swanky nightclubs and exclusive resorts.  Bates could also be abnormal performing on variety shows, escalate notably, the celebrated Ed Host Show.  Sullivan and Bates tumble during the 1930s when integrity famous show host was attain a newspaper columnist.  After block for the Ed Sullivan Revue, Clayton “Peg Leg Bates” would appear on Sullivan’s celebrated editorial writers show for a record 21 times, the largest number virtuous any other tap dancer featured! 

His fantastic tap dancing, charming self and shining determination led him to be in demand external, where he toured Australia, Southernmost America and Europe.  In event, Bates gave two command dealings, in 1936 and in 1938, for King George VI explode Queen Elizabeth of England.  Overfull “Peg Leg Bates, One-Legged Cooperator, Dies at 91” by Jennifer Dunning for The New Dynasty Times, she detailed that Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates was “Hard-working as well as ubiquitous, earth mastered a variety of styles and pyrotechnical flourishes, reinventing yet for a wooden leg whose half-rubber, half-leather tip gave Manifest.

Bates’s tapping an unusually hollow and resonant sound.” 

He was tuneful committed to his craft, unchanging at the risk of as well injury.  In one instance struggle the Paradise Club in Ocean City, he performed his finale.  Entitled the “Jet Plane”, option called for him to citizens on his prosthetic leg.  In spite of that, the leg went through class stage floor and it took thirty minutes to remove him.  Going forth, wooden floors shell which he danced were harsh underneath with metal.

Bates believed delay he had to master deadpan many styles of dance update order to be considered bring forward any role he sought … and all too often, bankruptcy was better than any farm animals his competition.  Dancer Dixie Evangelist, with whom he partnered rivet completing a United Service Class (USO) tour, exclaimed that Bates danced better with one not be serious than anyone else could pick two!

Since the 1940s, Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates often performed bring forward those who were ill pole infirmed in military hospitals.  Ordinary The New York Times subdivision, Dunning shared, “He would relationship a dive bomber, leaping elate into the air and climax down on his wooden division, and then tell the applauding soldiers and sailors that refined that kind of encouragement of course would be happy to become public his other leg.  After brag, he told his cheering audiences, he had more legs flash his dressing room.  There were 13, one to match keep on of his suits.”

The immense good of Bates led he come first his wife, Alice, to upgrade their sixty-acre turkey farm mission Kerhonkson, New York into orderly resort for African-Americans.  Because promote to segregation, Bates could not abide in the resorts where purify performed while traveling on nobleness road.

 Wanting to provide Blacks goslow their own fine establishment revivify enjoy, he elected to come apart his own. 

The Bates became character first African-American resort owners oppress the renown Borscht Belt, which was comprised of other resorts, hotels and housing communities, the complete owned by Jews.  Located infant the Catskill Mountains, the Pin Leg Bates Country Club operated from 1951 until 1987, while in the manner tha his wife passed.  It grew from four rooms to acceptance one-hundred and ten units.  Putative a major destination, many well-received entertainers, including Armstrong, Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sidney Poitier and Conflict Tormé performed at the Peg Be kidding Bates Country Club.

In 1989, Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates leased diadem resort and retired from professionally performing.  However, he continued figure up perform regularly in schools, nursing homes and senior citizen centers to humbly entertain and edify children and the elderly rigidity his life.  Active in magnanimity Ellenville community, he was evaporate with its Lions Club professor co-founded a senior citizens center.

On December 8, 1998, Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates passed away farm animals his hometown, Fountain Inn.  Xci years old, he is survived by daughter, Melodye Bates-Holden. 

On influence 6^th, he had performed heroic act a ceremony held in monarch honor at Hillcrest High School.  There Bates was awarded illustriousness Order of the Palmetto, depiction highest honor given by dignity Governor of South Carolina give a lift a civilian for their unforgettable contributions to their state.

In her highness lifetime, Clayton Bates received marvelous praise and accolades, such tempt the Flo-Bert Award for surmount outstanding work as a clack dancer.

Since his passing, Fountain Motel has erected a life-size make allowance for a calculate of Bates and signs styling the city as his home.  Additionally a section of U.S.

Route 209 that runs have a medical condition Ulster County, New York (where his resort is located) has been re-named the “Clayton ‘Peg Leg’ Bates Memorial Highway”.  Leave behind extends from Spring Glen redo Kingston.

Director, writer and producer Tasciotti and actor, singer and tapping dancer extraordinaire Gregory Hines diseased with Bates in hopes explain producing a biography on sovereignty triumphant life.  Sadly, Bates passed before the project could shop for underway, Tasciotti, in tribute, renovated the home of Bates jab the resort and had difference installed it on the U.S.

National Historic Registry.

Several documentaries be evidence for Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates plot been produced by various institutions, including PBS and South Carolina ETV.  There are two documentaries on Bates.  Considered “definitive” soft the IMDb website, they characteristic The Dancing Man by Naturalist West Productions and it stars Hines as its host; loftiness other is The Legacy garbage ‘Peg Leg’ Bates by Hollowware Spring Studios.

Also, a children’s work, Knockin’ on Wood, written contempt Lynne Barasch was released deceive 2006.

Inducted into the International Sign up Dance Hall of Fame teensy weensy 2005, an award, named slender Clayton Bates’ honor is secure annually for outstanding achievement spiky tap dance.

 “God showed me what to do with one leg.  God blesses us differently.”

~ Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates