Herb Jeffries
| Herb Jeffries | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Umberto Alexander Valentino (alt. Umberto Alejandro Balentino or Ballentino |
| Also known as |
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| Born |
September 24, 1913 Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Died | May 25, 2014 (aged 100) West Hills, Los Angeles, California, US |
| Genres | Jazz, popular |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1933–1995 |
| Labels | Warner Bros. |
Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known of his baritone voice. He was of African descent and Hollywood's first singing black cowboy.
In the 1940s and 1950s Jeffries recorded for a number of labels, including RCA Victor, Exclusive, Coral, Decca, Bethlehem, Columbia, Mercury and Trend. His album Jamaica, recorded by RKO, is a concept album of self-composed calypso songs.
He starred in several low-budget "race"Western feature films aimed at black audiences,Harlem on the Prairie (1937), Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938), Rhythm Rodeo (1938),The Bronze Buckaroo (1939) and Harlem Rides the Range (1939). He also acted in several other films and television shows. During his acting career he was usually billed as Herbert Jeffrey (sometimes "Herbert Jeffries" or "Herbert Jeffries, Sensational Singing Cowboy").
Jeffries was born Umberto Alexander Valentino in Detroit to a white Irish mother who ran a rooming house. His father, whom he never knew, was of mixed Sicilian, French, Italian and Moorish roots. He also claimed that his paternal great-grandmother was an Ethiopian with the surname of Carey.
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