True Life Tuesday: Hazel Scott

Hazel Dorothy Scott was born on June 11, 1920 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She was the only child of R. Thomas Scott, a West African scholar from Liverpool England, and Alma Long Scott, a classically trained pianist and music teacher. She moved to Harlem in 1924 with her mother and grandmother after her parents separated. By the age of 4 she could play the piano by ear and was called a child prodigy. At the age of 8 she was accepted to Juilliard and studied under Professor Paul Wagner. In 1933 her mother formed the Alma Long Scott's All-Girl Jazz band where Hazel played piano and trumpet. 

By the age of 16 she was performing on the radio for Mutual Broadcasting System, at the Roseland Dance Hall and with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1939-43 she was the leading attraction at the downtown and uptown branches of the Café Society, an integrated establishment. Hazel was very concerned about how African Americans were portrayed in popular culture. For this reason she turned down many "singing maid" roles in Hollywood films. When she did appear in films she insisted on having final cut priviledges, wearing her own clothes and jewelry and being billed as "Miss Hazel Scott as Herself." She appeared in 5 films in total - I Dood It (1943), Broadway Rhythm (1944), The Heat's On (1943), Something to Shout About (1943) and Rhapsody in Blue (1945). The Hazel Scott Show debuted on July 3, 1950 making her the first person of African descent to have their own TV show on American television. The show became very popular and eventually was on 3 times per week. 

She was very active in the civil rights movement. She refused to play integrated venues. In 1949 she sued a restaurant in Pasco, Washington for refusing to serve her and her companion because they were black. Her victory in the lawsuit led to the Washington legislature passing the Public Accommodations Act in 1953. She voluntarily testified on September 22, 1950 in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee after her name appeared in Red Channels: A Report on Communist Influence in Radio and Television in June 1950. Her show was cancelled one week later and she ended up having a nervous breakdown in 1951. She ended up moving to Paris in 1957 and stayed until 1967. While there she appeared in the film Le desordre et la nuit in 1958. When she returned to the US she occasionally performed in nightclubs and also appeared on the soap opera One Life To Live in 1973.

In 1945 she married Baptist minister and US Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. Together they had one son, Adam Clayton Powel III. They divorced in 1960. She then married Swiss-Italian comedian Ezio Bedin in 1961. They divorced before she returned the United States. She died on October 2, 1981 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She was buried in Flushing Cemetery in Queens near jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Johnny Hodges and Dizzy Gillespie. 

Today she is remembered for her unique swinging style and fusion of jazz and classical influences. Alicia Keys cited her as an inspiration for her performance at the 61st Grammy Awards. In 2022 a ballet about her life premiered at the Dance Theater of Harlem.