Cotton club harlem renaissance youtube

Numerous nightclubs emerged and flourished in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood during the Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant cultural movement spanning from the aftermath of World War I (1917) to the prelude of the Great Depression and World War II in the 1930s.

One of the most famous was a problematic and heavily segregated establishment known as The Cotton Club or the Aristocrat of Harlem.

A Club of Questionable Origins

The Cotton Club was initially owned by Jack Johnson, a retired Black prizefighter, and called “Cafe DeLuxe.” However, Owen “Owney” Madden, a well-known gangster who was in prison for manslaughter at the time, purchased and renamed it in 1923.

After acquiring the club, Madden transformed it into a heavily segregated and “plantation-themed” cabaret.

The club attracted crowds not only because it served alcohol during Prohibition (a surefire way to attract clientele) but also because it appealed to whites who were intrigued