Pearl's
Influence
Pearl Bailey is an award-winning actress, singer, songwriter, and author.
Her many achievements include winning a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Toni Award for her role in the all-Black production of Hello Dolly.
Whether it was acting on Broadway, singing the national anthem for two the World Series, opening for Duke Ellington, taking the stage at Philadelphia night clubs, or starring in her own daytime television show, Pearl’s passion for performance and talent to captivate the stage won hearts around the world. So much so that Pearl was appointed The Ambassador of Love to the United Nations. Her entire life was a true showcase.
Pearl Mae Bailey was born in Newport News Virginia in 1918, spending her early childhood in Washington, DC. Music and Theatre were some of her earliest memories. Pearl’s father preached at a Washington D.C. church named The House of Prayer. Here she would experience the power of praise and worship. According to Pearl,
“…everyone who lived upstairs could hear that music and believe me, it was swinging! The children were dancing their dance upstairs, and the old ones were shouting down below. Where did rock and roll come from? It came from the music of the Negro churches, definitely. Just listen to the beat and go to one of the churches and see if you don’t hear the same thing.”
Photograph of Pearl Mae Bailey ca. 1921. This photograph was intended to be a gift from Pearl to her husband, Louis “Louie” Bellson. The inscription says “to my darling Husband, from [age] 3-100 I’m yours. Love Javile.” Javile was a nickname Louie often called Pearl.
After church, Pearl’s father would take her and her siblings to the theatre as a treat for good behavior.
They drove in his open-top car to the Lincoln and Republic Theatres on U Street, as well as the Dunbar and the Broadway Theatres on Seventh Street. These experiences greatly shaped her relationship with performance.
