Bunny Briggs

Bunny Briggs (February 26, 1922 – November 15, 2014) was an American tap dancer who was inducted into the American Tap Dancing Hall of Fame in 2006.

Briggs was born under the name Bernard Briggs in Harlem, New York on February 26, 1922. When asked about his nickname Briggs said "Well, I'm fast." At one point he thought about becoming a Catholic priest but his priest told Briggs that "God clearly wanted him to be a dancer." In the 1960s, Briggs was known to dance with the likes of bandleaders Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington, so much so that Briggs was deemed "Duke's dancer." In May 1985 Briggs performed on the NBC TV Special, "Motown Returns to the Apollo." He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1989 for his work in the Broadway show Black and Blue. He appeared on stage and in movies including the Gregory Hines film Tap in 1989. In 2002, Briggs received an honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts in American Dance by Oklahoma City University in 2002, honoring him as one of the nine doctorates of Tap Dance.

Birth and Death Data: Born February 26, 1922 (New York, New York), Died November 17, 2014

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1953

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 84143 3/10/1953 Glad rag doll Johnny Long Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 84710 6/12/1953 Cecilia Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 84711 6/12/1953 Eh là bas Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 84712 6/12/1953 Margie Bunny Briggs ; Neal Hefti Orchestra vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Briggs, Bunny," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/305584.

Briggs, Bunny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/305584.

"Briggs, Bunny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/305584

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