Edward (Prince) Bozeman: the Forgotten Step Brother
Prior to his Step Brother days, Edward Bozeman danced professionally under the name of "Prince." In 1964 when "Prince" Spencer left the Step Brothers act to go into the grocery business in Chicago, the name of his replacement was not the only coincidence. Like Spencer, Bozeman did the acrobatics and flips part of the routine, and always danced last, in the same spot that Spencer held. Step Brother Flash McDonald said at the time, "Let him be himself, instead of doing Prince's [Spencer's] routines." They all agreed. "They thought I was a kid, but I was 35," Bozeman recalled.
"I was basically a ballet and acrobatic flash dancing and rhythm dancer. I had a quick style and would do a stag leap or balance and it was never boring because it was a fast tempo. I always had good lines in my movement. I did flips, splits, slides and circles on my head and always ended the act. It stopped the show."
The Step Brothers first saw Bozeman dance in 1963 in the Royal American Show, from Tampa, at the Calgary State Fair. They saw him again, two years later, at Club O. G.'s in Kansas City, where Bozeman performed as a Bopadeer with his partner Jewel Carlos. Bozeman recalls, "Flash McDonald, who was from St. Louis, asked if I was from St. Louis and stated that St. Louis Dancers dance alike." [Robert Reed explained that most of the St. Louis tap dancers could be distinguished because they performed acrobatics in their acts.] The other Step Brothers in attendance were Maceo Anderson, Al Williams and Prince Spencer. The Step Brothers were with the Auto Show with big stars like Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley. Bozeman did not know at the time that they had seen him dance in Calgary two years earlier.
Bozeman's act also included singing, dancing and comedy. When Prince Spencer decided to leave the group, the Step Brothers asked Bozeman if he would like to dance with them. Bozeman said he probably wasn't good enough. The group reassured him that they thought he was, and said that they would call him. Two weeks later, he received a call and a plane ticket to Chicago for rehearsals with all four. Bozeman made his debut as a Step Brother in Springfield to get checked out before performing on The Hollywood Palace, a popular television show. Later, they performed at the Sands in Vegas with Dean Martin. A Las Vegas reporter, Forest Duke, wrote a favorable review about the new, young, Step Brother. Many other shows followed.
The other Step Brothers were pleased and proud for Bozeman to do their signature acrobatics and flips, as they were aging. One of Bozeman's special memories was an overseas Command Performance for the USO in Monaco with Tony Bennett. The "Little Steps," a group of 19 and 20 year old dancers that Maceo Anderson was training, were also in the show.
Mary Anderson, wife of the now deceased Maceo Anderson recalls some of the shows: "Bozeman was good for the act and did his job well. He was a good dancer and smiled a lot. He learned very quickly and fitted in with the group."
"It was exciting to be a Step Brother," Bozeman recalled. "It was my whole world. I enjoyed watching movies of Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers. I loved to dance. When they called me, I was very excited. I taught myself to dance. My brother and mother tap danced and I also jitterbugged or lindy hopped. Sammy Davis was my inspiration...singing, dancing and comedy. I learned to do it all. That's why the Step Brothers chose me."
The Step Brothers began performing at the Cotton Club, dancing with Duke Ellington followed by all of the old and modern venues: television, movies, theatres, nightclubs, and command performances for kings and queens. Their legacy is kept alive by the Challenge Dance which is seen in nearly all performances where hoofers or upper level tap dancers perform and which was recreated in the movie "Tap."
Bozeman treasures the time when Al Williams secretly invited Billy Daniels to a performance to hear Bozeman sing "Old Black Magic." Daniels was the top recording artist of that song. Bozeman was shocked and surprised to see Daniels in the audience, but performed the song well. Other shows followed with Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Durante, Gordon Mc Cree, Edie Adams, Redd Fox, Sally Rand, Eddie Fisher, Robert Goulet, Donald O'Connor, and a show for Vice President Humphrey in St. Paul, Minnesota with Frank Sinatra. There was a show in Washington D.C, honoring Duke Ellington. Previously, as a Bopadeer, he had worked with Ike and Tina Turner, and Lou Milton, a blues singing recording artist.
The Step Brothers were so good that stars like Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, and Milton Berle refused to go on unless the Step Brothers were included. They were the first Black acts in many places. The Black artists that followed from the Step Brothers "opening the door" for Black performers included Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, the Nicholas Brothers and many others. They were probably the first Black tap act to play Radio City Music Hall, which they did for ten years. They incorporated tap, jazz, rap and acrobatics into their act and created the famous Challenge Dance where dancers danced without music while the others clapped and patted their feet to keep a beat, while they tried to out dance each other. The Dance Masters of America awarded them the Life Achievement Award in 1960. In 1985 they received the Life Achievement Award for "helping break the color barrier." The group received its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Step Brothers are among the three longest lasting acts of all time.
Edward Bozeman recalls
each of the Step Brothers:
Maceo Anderson
Maceo was a beautiful person. He taught me some steps and to work with this group. Flash taught me the most. He knew how to break the steps down. Maceo did it the professional way. He would hum the rhythm and do the step. Maceo did lots of comedy and danced in the Buck and Bubbles style.
Flash McDonald
"Flash taught me the most, Bozeman said." Flash knew how to reduce it to the lowest terms that anyone could learn it. Some dancers cannot reduce a step. Pros don't often do that. I had to be flexible to learn both ways. Flash did lots of hand movement and danced in the Bill Robinson paddle and roll style.
Al Williams
Al Williams was a straight rhythm dancer.
Prince Spencer
Prince Spencer was a paddle and roll style dancer who could dance all styles.
The Step Brothers disbanded in 1989-90. Bozeman went to Vegas to see Maceo, who asked Bozeman to dance with the group "Third Generation Steps." Bozeman declined because they were all young and Bozeman did not want to be with a young group. He was left with no other dancing options when the Step Brothers disbanded. The Step Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but Bozeman was not notified of the ceremony even though he had danced with them for ten years. "Later, Maceo apologized, but I was left out and forgotten," Bozeman recalled.
After the Step Brothers disbanded, "I came back to Kansas City and worked at General Motors and Sealy Mattress companies and then started working for myself as a carpenter and general contractor," Bozeman said. He is now retired, but keeps busy, and will be seventy on May 30, 2007.
"For a long time I missed dancing. I accepted what happened. I learned lots from working with the older dancers." He recalls that most were dancing in pain and needed to stop. "I often call myself, the forgotten Step Brother."
Edward Bozeman extended the Step Brothers' performing careers by taking over the acrobatics and flips that concluded many of their routines. Edward Bozeman should not feel forgotten as he made a significant contribution to the work of the Step Brothers and the legacy of tap.
Read more of Melba's columns on www.melbasdance.com