Joyce Bryant (October 14, 1928)
• Joyce was born in Oakland, CA and raised in San Francisco.
• She was the oldest of 8 kids and raised as a Seventh Day Adventist.
• She eloped at 14 but the marriage ended the same day.
• In 1946, while visiting a cousin in L.A., she agreed to sing at a local club on a dare. The club owner later offered her $25 to sing on stage.
• During the 1940s, she began to perform regularly at different night clubs.
• Eventually she was booked on the same bill as Josephine Baker. To standout she dyed her hair silver using radiator paint
• In 1952, Joyce became the first black entertainer to sing at the Miami Beach Hotel despite KKK protests.
• In 1954, she became the first black singer to perform at the Casino Royal in Washington D.C.
• By the late 1950s, Joyce had grown tired of her than lifestyle. She disliked the men that frequented the clubs she performed at.
• She was once beaten by a man for rejecting his advances.
• In 1955, she quit performing.
• She devoted herself to the Seventh Day Adventist Church and enrolled in Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL.
• She traveled throughout the South and became angry at the discrimination she saw.
• She organized fundraisers for blacks so they could buy food, medicine, and clothing.
• Joyce also helped her church raise money by performing. She wore no makeup and her natural hair.
• She often met with Martin Luther King Jr. and was inspired to ask her church to take a stand against racism.
• Her church refused, which led her to return to the entertainment industry in the 60s.
• She trained with vocal teacher Frederick Wilkerson at Howard University. This led to her winning a contract with the New York City Opera.
• Joyce toured internationally with French and Vienna Opera companies.
• In the 1980s, she became a vocal instructor and worked with people like Jennifer Holliday, Raquel Welch, and Phyllis Hyman.
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