Linda Hopkins was a Tony-winning American actress and blues and gospel singer.
15 Facts About Linda Hopkins
2.
Linda Hopkins went to school in "Gert Town" which bordered the Xavier University of Louisiana.
3.
Linda Hopkins first saw Bessie Smith perform Empty Bed Blues at The New Orleans Palace Theatre in 1936.
4.
Linda Hopkins greatly admired Smith and later won critical plaudits for her rendition of Smith in the 1959 theatrical presentation Jazz Train.
5.
In 1952, Linda Hopkins toured Hawaii and Japan for two years which included a stint with Louis Armstrong at The Brown Derby in Honolulu.
6.
Linda Hopkins recorded for the Savoy, Crystalette, Forecast, Federal and Atco labels and often appeared at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.
7.
In 1960, Linda Hopkins first toured Europe in the Broadway Express, the restaged production of Jazz Train.
8.
Linda Hopkins recorded "I Found Love" and "There's Nothing Like Love" with him on Brunswick in early 1962.
9.
Linda Hopkins attended Stella Adler's Acting School in New York City.
10.
Linda Hopkins starred in Me and Bessie, a one-woman show paying homage to blues singer Bessie Smith, conceived and written by Linda Hopkins and Will Holt.
11.
The critically acclaimed show ran for thirteen months and 453 performances, and Linda Hopkins was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.
12.
Linda Hopkins received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical.
13.
Wild Women Blues, conceived by Linda Hopkins and produced by Mel Howard and created by Linda Hopkins and William Lipscomb, premiered in Berlin in 1997.
14.
In October 2005, Linda Hopkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
15.
Linda Hopkins died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 10,2017, at the age of 92.