Underneath a Harlem Moon

Adelaide Hall can be seen as the first modern-day international black female superstar. This work follows her career from her humble childhood in Harlem, to her triumphs on Broadway to the glamour of Paris' Moulin Rouge, concluding with an explanation of her mysterious disappearance.

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Often seen as the most important and influential female star of Harlem's Renaissance, Adelaide Hall dynamically pushed down the barriers that had previously prevented black entertainers from reaching mass recognition. The astounding media attention she received on both sides of the Atlantic during her two year starring role in Lew Leslie's Broadway revue "Blackbirds" of 1928 turned Adelaide into what can only be termed the first modern-day international black female superstar. This work documents the birth of Adelaide in Brooklyn and follows her career from her humble childhood in Harlem, to her triumphs on Broadway to the glamour of Paris' Moulin Rouge. By the end of 1932, Adelaide had performed to millions and in the process had become one of America's wealthiest black women. By 1938, not content with being dubbed the Queen of Montmartre she set her sights on conquering Britain. The book concludes with her mysterious disappearance in November 1938, which is for the first time fully explained.