16 Facts About Jimmy Slyde

James Titus Godbolt, known professionally as Jimmy Slyde and as the "King of Slides", was an American tap dancer known for his innovative tap style mixed with jazz.

Jimmy Slyde was popular in Europe and lived in Paris for a brief period of his life.

Jimmy Slyde appeared in several musicals and shows in the 1980s, and he received numerous awards for his talent.

Jimmy Slyde was known for his signature move, the slide.

Jimmy Slyde stops the cascade by banking backward, slips into a fast flurry of taps, working quick and low to the floor and ends the phrase by pulling up high and flashing off a triple turn.

Jimmy Slyde performed during the 1950s, at a time when rock and roll was emerging and diverting American interest away from big band music with tap acts.

Jimmy Slyde attempted to find work in other cities including San Francisco, Chicago, and Hollywood on the burlesque and nightclub circuits as well as in movies, but work had dried up in America.

Jimmy Slyde found a temporary job working as a choreographer for the tap dancers the Crosby Brothers in the 1960s, but in 1966 Slyde was invited to perform at the Berlin Jazz Festival in Europe.

Jimmy Slyde attended with Baby Laurence, James Buster Brown, and Chuck Green, and the crowd received them with positive praise including regarding them as "Harlem's All-Star Dancers".

Jimmy Slyde moved to Paris in the 1970s, where he worked intensively with Sarah Petronio.

Jimmy Slyde was part of the 1980s tap revival, which led him to stay in the United States and thrive much like during his early career.

Jimmy Slyde appeared on several television shows and in the 1985 television special Motown Returns to the Apollo, which won the 1985 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program.

In 1992, Jimmy Slyde was a featured artist in "The Majesty of Tap" dance concert at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Jimmy Slyde was known for being a great rhythm tapper who had impeccable musicality, perfect timing, and slides that made it appear is if he could glide across the floor effortlessly.

However, Jimmy Slyde was a humble man happy to be part of the tap community, who brought a sound-oriented emphasis to tap and called it "a translating thing".

Jimmy Slyde died on May 16,2008, at the age of 80 in his home in Hanson, Massachusetts.