Broadway Scenes Remembered: Nobody Bert Williams the Soulful Comedian
…h the Follies, ending his association in 1919 due to what he felt was poor material. Just prior to leaving Ziegfeld, Williams had another first becoming the first black performer to top the bill at New York’s prestigious Palace Theatre. Groundbreaking Performer Williams headlines at the Palace. Bert Williams career was cut short when he fell ill and collapsed on stage in Detroit, Michigan, with pneumonia. He was performing in the musical Under the…