By Paul Guzzo | Tampa Tribune Staff
Tampa (February 2015) — The show was
called Harlem In Havana, but Tampa could stake as much a claim to it as the
city in Cuba or the Manhattan neighborhood. This was the variety show’s winter
headquarters, plus Tampa’s Cuban heritage helped inspire the decision to
combine in one troupe the music, dance and comedy of the island nation with the
show’s African-American roots. What’s more, Harlem in Havana helped launch the
careers of such stars as Chuck Berry, Mercedes Valdez, Redd Foxx and Fontella
Bass, but its major attraction was the producer and ringmaster — Tampa’s own
Leon Claxton.
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