Hi wonderin-ga,
Thanks for your question.
This was a tough one. Fortunately, through articles and references to
Melba Moore and a great book (that I may read for myself), I was able
to find quite a bit. One of the confusing things is that Bonnie Davis
apparently went by several names (maiden, stage, married, etc.). In
order to keep this clear, I'm going to refer to her as Bonnie so as
not to confuse her with her daughter.
Various reference sources on Melba Moore indicate that her mother's
maiden name was Melba Smith and that her mother also went by the name
"Bonnie." From what I've pieced together, it appears that she was born
on June 10, 1920.
According to the book "Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50," Bonnie
was from Bessemer, Alabama and initially planned to become a school
teacher. She attended Alabama State for several years before coming to
New York, now with the intent of having a career in music. She landed
a job with Teddy Hill's band in the late 1930s.
She later joined a band named "the Picadilly Pipers" and its members
were: Clement "Clem" Moorman, Al Henderson, Ernie Ransome, and as
their second vocalist: Bonnie Davis.
"Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50," by Barbara J. Kukla.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991, pp. 135-137.
Now we come to "Don't Stop Now." Its credits include both Davis and
Clement Moorman. The artist listed for the song is actually the Bunny
Banks Trio.
Chuck N. "savoy/ bunny banks/ hackensack/ clem moorman." Online
Posting, (12/14/2000). bit.listserv.blues-l
<http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22bonnie+davis%22+moorman&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=d&selm=LC4-LFD8be2Uk3VyskT00000276%40hotmail.com&rnum=1>
The mystery as to the name change arose because at the time in 1942, a
musicians' strike was going on. Rather than risk losing their union
cards (at a time when the union didn't want African Americans to have
union cards), they opted to record the song under the new name for the
Savoy label.
"Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50," by Barbara J. Kukla.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991, p. 156.
In an interview, Melba Moore told a reporter that she [Melba Moore]
was born out of wedlock.
"Music, Drama, 'Reopen' Railroad," by Laura Knowles. Sunday News
Lancaster, August 15, 1999, p. H1.
The entry in Contemporary Black Biography for Melba Moore shows that
her mother was Melba "Bonnie" Smith and that her father was Teddy Hill
(a saxophonist) [the same man whose band she performed in]. After they
broke up, Bonnie married pianist Clement "Clem" Moorman.
"Melba Moore." Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 21. Edited by
Shirelle Phelps. Gale Group, 1999.
Moore was born in (Harlem) NYC in 1945 and then the family moved to
Newark, NJ. Bonnie had another child from her marriage to Moorman, who
had three children from a previous union. Bonnie and Clem toured a
great deal.
"Melba Moore." Contemporary Musicians, Volume 7. Gale Research, 1992.
Bonnie continued to play local clubs with the Pipers locally in Newark
and also in Philadelphia, Atlantic City and Baltimore.
"Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50," by Barbara J. Kukla.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991, p. 218.
An article in the Sacromento Observer indicates that Bonnie and
Clement continued to perform, now as a duo. In 1971, they were active
in the cocktail lounge circuit.
"A New Black Superstar." The Sacromento Observer, March 4, 1971, p.
A9.
Melba, who went on to create and produce a show called "Songs My
Mother Taught Me" spoke of her mother in a newsarticle and it is
mentioned that Bonnie died in 1976.
"Songs Her Mother Sang: Show is Tribute to Past," by Karen Sandstrom.
Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 8, 1993, p. 20.
Clement Moorman was still alive as of 2002. It looks like, however,
that Bonnie died in 1976. A search of the Social Security Death Index
for Melba Moorman shows that she had a birth date of 10 Jun 1920 and
died in August 1976 in Essex, New Jersey.
Family Search/Social Security Death Index
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp
SEARCH STRATEGY
Google search:
"bonnie davis" "melba moore"
"bonnie davis" "clement moorman"
"bonnie hill"
"bunny banks trio"
"picadilly pipers"
Print Sources:
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Newspaper Indexes
I hope this answers your question. If you need additional information
or if the links do not work, please ask for clarification before
rating my answer and I will do my best to assist you.
Regards,
luciaphile-ga |
