Shelton Brooks (1886-1975) was a songwriter and vaudeville performer, best know for his hit song ‘Some Of These Days‘, written in 1910, and for ‘Darktown Strutters Ball’ from 1917.
Born in Canada, his family moved to Detroit when he was 15. His early vaudeville career involved impersonating Bert Williams, but he pursued a parallel career as a songwriter, and in 1909 his friend, who happened to be Sophie Tucker’s maid, managed to get the singer to listen to ‘Some Of These Days’, and she liked it enough to adopt it as her theme song, which it remained for the rest of her career. Other songs written by Brooks, include ‘Walkin’ The Dog’, ‘You Ain’t Talkin’ To Me’ and ‘Honey Gal’
Lew Leslie, a musical theatre impresario, who specialised in revues featuring African American artists, including shows at the Cotton Club and the famous Blackbirds revues, featured Brooks as Master of Ceremonies in his Plantation Revue of 1922. Brooks then joined the Blackbirds European tour in 1923. He continued to appear on Broadway through the 1920s, had a radio show on CBS in 1930, and pursued a successful nightclub career into his 60s. He was honoured by ASCAP in 1950, and in 2005 he was indcuted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame. He died, at 89, in California.
Key Songs:
‘Some Of These Days‘ (1910)
‘Darktown Strutters Ball’ (1917)