Ernest Brown “Brownie” American tap dancer born April 25, 1916, Chicago, Ill. died Aug. 21, 2009, Burbank, Ill. enjoyed a career in tap that spanned more than 80 years; he performed in early vaudeville circuits with Charles (“Cookie”) Cook in the dance duo Cook and Brown and as a member of the Original Copasetics. By age 12 Brown was appearing with the traveling vaudeville group Mammy and Her Picks, and he soon teamed up with Cook. Their comedic routine featured acrobatic choreography, with the impish Brown (standing at about 1.4 m [4 ft 9 in] tall) often being tossed around the stage by Cook. In 1949 Brown became a founding member of the Original Copasetics dance group, which formed upon the death of Bill (“Bojangles”) Robinson. The troupe brought the raw energy of improvisation to its engagements, often in small theatres, and showcased the individual styles of its star ensemble. Over the course of his career, Brown performed on Broadway in Kiss Me, Kate and at the Newport (R.I.) Jazz Festival, New York Citys Radio City Music Hall, Harlems Cotton Club, the Palladium in London, and the Latin Casino in Paris. Though he worked as a bank security guard in later years, in the 1990s Brown returned to tap and mentored and performed with contemporary tap dancer Reginald (“Reggio the Hoofer”) McLaughlin, with whom he appeared until 2008. Brown and Cook were inducted (2008) into the American Tap Dance Foundations International Tap Dance Hall of Fame.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:00:41 +0000
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