Sportin' Life: John W. Bubbles, An American Classic

by Brian Harker

Though little known today, John W. Bubbles was the ultimate song-and-dance man. A groundbreaking tap dancer, he provided inspiration to Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, and the Nicholas Brothers. His vaudeville team Buck and Bubbles captivated theater audiences for more than thirty years. Most
memorably, in the role of Sportin' Life he stole the show in the original production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, in the process crafting a devilish alter ego that would follow him through life. Coming of age with the great jazz musicians, he shared countless stages with the likes of Duke
Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald. Some of his disciples believed his rhythmic ideas had a formative impact on jazz itself.

In later years he made a comeback as a TV personality, revving up the talk shows of Steve Allen and Johnny Carson and playing comic foil to Bob Hope, Judy Garland, and Lucille Ball. Finally, after a massive stroke ended his dancing career, he made a second comeback--complete with acclaimed
performances from his wheelchair--as a living legend inspiring a new generation of entertainers. His biggest obstacle was the same one blocking the path of every other Black performer of his time: unrelenting, institutionalized racism. Yet Bubbles was an entertainer of the old school, fierce and
indestructible. In this compelling and deeply researched biography, his dramatic story is told for the very first time.

328 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2022

Reviews

[Emily Pulham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic look at the life of a lost artist who shaped some of the most well known entertainers of the 20th century. Fred Astaire called him the greatest tap dancer of all time. George Gershwin wrote the role of Sportin' Life for him. and Michael Jackson said he was his dancing inspiration. But this is the first high quality cultural biography of Bubbles. Brian Harker uses great imagery and pulls the reader right in with Bubbles' family background and history. You might find yourself weeping and gasping at the same time as you learn all that he suffered and the manipulation he experienced at the hands of white men as a black entertainer.

Thoroughly researched and well written, I can't recommend this enough to those wanting to learn more about the history of dance, theatre, opera, and American entertainment and African American contributions. You will leave reading the book thinking you would have wanted to be Bubbles' friend. He had a great charisma that Harker conveys well throughout.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched look at a performer worthy of study and an era best not forgotten. NB: the audiobook is well-voiced but riddled with mispronunciations of names, places, and the oft-repeated word “vaudevillian.” Commercial audiobooks don’t seem to have any quality control for this stuff at all anymore, if they ever did.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography. Pleased to see this well-documented biography of the legendary John William Sublett, Jr. aka John Bubbles.