Biography
Born in Philadelphia, PA, on August 12, 1907—with some sources citing January 12 instead—Gladys Bentley relocated as a young adult to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. There she cultivated a persona as a lesbian chanteuse, performing in rent parties and speakeasies while wearing her trademark tuxedo and top hat. Between August 1928 and March 1929 she cut ten tracks for Okeh Records in New York, eight of which the label ultimately issued. In 1937 she departed New York for Los Angeles, CA. Although she later laid down ten sides for Excelsior Records in 1945 and one single for Flame Records during the 1950s, the need to temper her flamboyant and risqué stage persona for the studio meant none of those releases fully conveyed her musical character. Complications from the flu led to her death on January 18, 1960.
Albums
