Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to Hollywood to HUAC

The first biography of an important but overlooked African American pianist, singer, actor, and civil-rights advocate In 1938, Café Society--New York City's first fully integrated nightclub--was all the rage, and Hazel Scott was its star. Still a teenager, she wowed audiences with her jazz renditions of classical masterpieces by Chopin, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. Scott was a child prodigy, auditioning at Juilliard when she was only eight years old, and playing Town Hall at fourteen. By the time Hollywood came calling, Scott had achieved such stature that she could successfully challenge the studios' deplorable treatment of black actors. During the 1940s and 50s, her sexy and vivacious presence stunned international audiences, while her marriage to the controversial black Congressman from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., kept her constantly in the headlines. In a career spanning over four decades, Hazel Scott became known not only for her accomplishments on stage and screen, but for her outspoken advocacy of civil rights. Her relentless crusade on behalf of African Americans, women, and artists made her the target of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy Era, eventually forcing her to join the black expatriate community in Paris. By age twenty-five, Hazel Scott was an international star but, before reaching thirty-five, she considered herself a failure and, plagued by insecurity and depression, twice tried to take her own life. Here, Karen Chilton traces the fascinating arc of this brilliant and audacious American artist from stardom to ultimate obscurity.