Maurice Hines
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Maurice Hines
- Genres: Jazz
Biography
Dancer, actor, choreographer, director, and singer Maurice Hines is a journeyman artist who has showcased his talents in a variety of settings, including the Broadway stage and film. From the age of five, Hines and his younger brother, the late Gregory Hines, performed as a dance duo opening shows for such legends as Lionel Hampton and others. Later, along with their father, the Hines danced on various television shows, including numerous appearances on The Tonight Show. During the late '70s, a lead spot as Nathan Detroit in a touring company of Guys and Dolls garnered Hines work on the Broadway stage in such musicals as Eubie! and Sophisticated Ladies. Eventually, he caught the eye of director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast both Maurice and Gregory in his 1984 period gangster drama, The Cotton Club. In 1986, Hines created, choreographed, and starred in the musical Uptown...It's Hot!, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Since that time, Hines has choreographed and directed numerous productions as well as music videos. A notable singer in the jazz tradition, Hines released his debut solo album, I've Never Been in Love Before, on the Arbors label in 2001 and To Nat King Cole with Love in 2006. ~ Matt Collar, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Maurice Hines
| Maurice Hines | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maurice Hines |
| Born | c. 1943 |
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Labels | Arbors Records |
Maurice Hines (born 1943) is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.
Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his younger brother Gregory. He made his Broadway debut in The Girl in Pink Tights in 1954.
Shortly after, the brothers began touring as the opening act for such headliners as Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their father joined them and Hines, Hines & Dad performed on a regular basis in New York, Las Vegas, and throughout Europe and on many television shows, including The Pearl Bailey Show, The Hollywood Palace, and The Tonight Show.
Hines decided to pursue a solo career and was cast as Nathan Detroit in the national tour of Guys and Dolls, after which he returned to Broadway in Eubie! (1978). Additional Broadway credits include Bring Back Birdie and Sophisticated Ladies (both in 1981) as a performer, Uptown... It's Hot! (1986) as a performer (earning a Tony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Musical) and choreographer, and Hot Feet (2006), which he conceived, choreographed, and directed.
Hines co-directed and choreographed the national tour of the Louis Armstrong musical bio Satchmo and directed, choreographed, and starred in the national tour of Harlem Suite with successive leading ladies Jennifer Holliday, Stephanie Mills, and Melba Moore. He directed and choreographed Havana Night in Cuba, an all-Latino production of The Red Shoes in the Dominican Republic, and created the revue Broadway Soul Jam to inaugurate an entertainment complex in Holland.
Hines has directed and choreographed music videos, including one for Quincy Jones. He is the first African-American to direct at Radio City Music Hall.
Hines' film debut, Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club, remains his sole big screen credit to date, although he appears in Oops, Ups & Downs: The Murder Mystery of Humpty Dumpty, scheduled for release in 2007. On television, he appeared in Eubie!, Love, Sidney, and Cosby.
Hines played the lead role in Washington, DC's Arena Stage production of the Duke Ellington-inspired musical Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre in April and May 2010. The Washington Post review was positive for his role and the show in general.[1]
Hines is currently at work on Yo Alice, an urban hip-hop fantasy he conceived and will direct and choreograph.
Select discography
- I've Never Been In Love Before (Arbors Records)
- To Nat "King" Cole With Love (Arbors Records)
References
- ^ Pressley, Nelson."Theater review: Arena Stage's 'Sophisticated Ladies' at Lincoln Theatre"Washington Post, April 21, 2010
External links
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Mentioned in
Eubie!
(1982 Theater Film)
Gregory Hines
(person)
Maurice Hines
(Jazz Artist, '70s-2000s)
Jelly's Last Jam
(American Theater)
Ed Palermo
(Jazz Artist, '80s-2000s)
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