Born in tiny North, South Carolina to Mamie Kitt, who was of Cherokee and African-American descent, and an American father (surname Kitt) of German and Dutch descent, she was raised by her maternal aunt Anna Mae Riley, whom she believed was her mother up until after Riley's death, when she was sent to live in New York City with her real mother.
Kitt began her career as a member of the Katherine Dunham Company and made her film debut with them in Casbah (1948). A talented singer with a distinctive voice, her hits include Let's Do It, C'est Si Bon (It's So Good), Just an Old Fashioned Girl, Monotonous, Love for Sale, I'd Rather Be Burned as a Witch, Uska Dara, Mink, Schmink, Under the Bridges of Paris, and arguably her most recognizable hit, the sexily sung Christmas song Santa Baby. She sang quite a few songs in French, a language she picked up during her years performing in Europe, but she never lost her American accent, which made her French songs sound rather amusing to native French speakers. She dabbled in other languages as well, which she demonstrated in many of the live recordings of her cabaret performances.
In 1950, Orson Welles gave her her first starring role, as Helen of Troy in his staging of Dr. Faustus. A few years later, she was cast in the revue New Faces of 1952, introducing "Monotonous", "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby", three songs with which she continues to be identified. During her run, 20th Century Fox filmed a version of the play. Welles and Kitt allegedly had a torrid affair during her run in Shinbone Alley, which earned her the nickname by Welles as "the most exciting woman in the world". In 1958, Kitt made her feature film debut opposite Sidney Poitier in The Mark of the Hawk. Throughout the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, Kitt would work on and off in film, television and on nightclub stages. In the late 1960s television series Batman, she played Catwoman after Julie Newmar left the role. This was the role for which she would best be remembered, owing to her purring feline drawl.
In 1968, however, Kitt encountered a substantial professional setback after she made anti-war statements during a White House luncheon that reportedly made First Lady Lady Bird Johnson weep uncontrollably. Professionally exiled from the U.S., she devoted her energies to overseas performances before returning to New York in a triumphant turn in the Broadway spectacle Timbuktu! (a version of the perennial Kismet set in Africa) in 1978. In the musical, one song gives a 'recipe' for mahoun, a preparation of cannabis, in which her sultry purring rendition of the refrain "constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon" was distinctive.
In 1984, she returned to hit music with a dance song, Where Is My Man; the first certified Gold record of her career. Kitt found new audiences in nightclubs across the country, including a whole new generation of gay male fans, and she responded by frequently giving benefit performances in support of HIV/AIDS organizations.
In 2000, Kitt again returned to Broadway in the short but notable run of the revival of the 1920s-themed, The Wild Party, opposite Mandy Patinkin and Toni Collette. In 2003, she replaced Chita Rivera in Nine. In recent years she had also appeared as the Wicked Witch in the North American national touring company of The Wizard of Oz.
One of her more unusual roles was as Kaa the python in a 1994 BBC Radio adaptation of The Jungle Book. Kitt lent her distinctive voice to the role of Yzma in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove and also did other voiceover work such as the voice of Queen Vexus on the animated TV series My Life as a Teenage Robot. She continued her role as Yzma on the spin-off TV series of The Emperor's New Groove, The Emperor's New School.
In recent years, Kitt's annual appearances in New York made her a fixture of the Manhattan cabaret scene. She took the stage at venues such as the Ballroom and, more recently, the Café Carlyle to explore and define her highly stylized image, alternating between signature songs (such as "Old Fashioned Millionaire"), which emphasized a witty, mercenary world-weariness, and less familiar repertoire, much of which she performed with an unexpected ferocity and bite that presented her as a survivor with a seemingly bottomless reservoir of resilience - her version of Here's to Life, frequently used as a closing number, was a sterling example of the latter. This side of her later performances is reflected in at least one of her recordings, Thinking Jazz, which preserves a series of performances with a small jazz combo that took place in the early 1990s in Germany, and which includes both standards (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes) and numbers (such as Something May Go Wrong) that seem more specifically tailored to her talents; one version of the CD includes as bonus performances a fierce, angry Yesterdays and a live take of "C'est Si Bon" that good-humoredly satirizes her sex-kitten persona.
Personal life
Kitt was married to John William McDonald, an associate of a real-estate investment company, from 1960 to 1965. They had one child, a daughter, Kitt (b. 1962, married Charles Lawrence Shapiro); and two grandchildren, Jason and Rachel Shapiro.
Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008.
Beale Street Blues
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Old Market Street down by the Frisco Bay,
I've strolled the Prado, I've gambled on the Bourse;
The seven wonders of the world I've seen,
And many are the places I have been,
Take my advice, folks, and see Beale Street first!
You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns,
You'll meet honest men, and pick-pockets skilled,
You'll find that business never ceases 'til somebody gets killed!
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk,
Married men would have to take their beds and walk,
Except one or two who never drink booze,
And the blind man on the corner singing "Beale Street Blues!"
I'd rather be there than any place I know,
I'd rather be there than any place I know,
It's gonna take a sergeant for to make me go!
I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
Yes, I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
Because the river's wet, and Beale Street's done gone dry!
In Eartha Kitt's song "Beale Street Blues," the listener is taken on a journey through various locations and experiences the singer has had. From Broadway to Market Street to the Prado, she has seen the seven wonders of the world and many other places. However, she advises that one should see Beale Street first. The street is described as a place where one can see people of different classes and backgrounds, including "pretty browns in beautiful gowns," pick-pockets, and honest men. The street is constantly bustling with business but is also dangerous, as "somebody gets killed."
The second half of the song focuses on the scene on Beale Street if it could talk. The married men would have to leave as they would be caught in their infidelities, except for the few who don't drink. The blind man on the corner singing the Beale Street Blues adds to the ambiance of the street. The singer prefers to be on Beale Street more than anywhere else; it would take a sergeant to make her leave. The last verse mentions going to the river, and it is implied this would be to wash away any troubles the street may bring.
Overall, the lyrics of "Beale Street Blues" show the duality of life on Beale Street. It is a place where one can find joy and fun, but it is also a place of vice and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen the lights of gay Broadway,
I have witnessed the vibrant life and splendor of Broadway.
Old Market Street down by the Frisco Bay,
I have traversed the old Market Street located near the San Francisco Bay.
I've strolled the Prado, I've gambled on the Bourse;
I have leisurely walked along the Prado and gambled at the Bourse.
The seven wonders of the world I've seen,
I have laid my eyes upon the seven wonders of the world.
And many are the places I have been,
I have traveled extensively to many different places.
Take my advice, folks, and see Beale Street first!
My recommendation for anyone would be to visit Beale Street before they visit anywhere else.
You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns,
On Beale Street, you will witness attractive brown-skinned people adorned in stunning clothing.
You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs,
You will observe individuals in both perfectly fitted and secondhand garments.
You'll meet honest men, and pick-pockets skilled,
While on this street, you will have the opportunity to encounter both honest and deceitful people.
You'll find that business never ceases 'til somebody gets killed!
Until someone is fatally harmed, the street's activities persist nonstop.
If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk,
If only Beale Street had the ability to communicate...
Married men would have to take their beds and walk,
If the street could speak, husbands would leave their marital beds and walk away.
Except one or two who never drink booze,
Only a small number of married men would remain, those who abstain from alcohol.
And the blind man on the corner singing "Beale Street Blues!"
The only sound heard would be the blind man singing the melancholic Beale Street Blues.
I'd rather be there than any place I know,
Out of all the locales I've visited, there's no place I'd rather be than Beale Street.
It's gonna take a sergeant for to make me go!
It would require the presence of a sergeant or some other authority figure to force me to leave the street.
I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
I'll eventually head down to the river, maybe shortly or perhaps not.
Yes, I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
Once more, I reiterate that I plan to visit the river, possibly in the near future.
Because the river's wet, and Beale Street's done gone dry!
Why the sudden interest in visiting the river, you might ask? Well, it's because the once-thriving Beale Street has lost its liveliness.
Lyrics © BRASSWORKS MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HANDY, LUTHER HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind