Annual Bricktop Concert Scheduled in Alderson

ALDERSON W.Va. (WVDN) – Alderson’s annual “Tribute to Bricktop” concert will be held on Sunday, Aug. 4 beginning at 6 p.m. on the Memorial Bridge (pedestrian bridge). The concert is free, sponsored by Alderson Main Street and the Town of Alderson with support from the Greenbrier County Commission’s Arts and Recreation fund.

Bricktop was a famous African American woman born in Alderson. Her father operated a barber shop and her mother ran a restaurant in Alderson.  Family members are buried in Alderson’s Old Greenbrier Baptist Church cemetery. Ada “Bricktop” Smith (1894 – 1984) was a talented dancer and performer gaining recognition in Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Paris. Her outgoing personality, excellent manners instilled by her mother, self-confidence, and business acumen brought her in contact with the leading artists, authors, musicians, and social elite of the post-World War I era.

Alderson’s “Tribute to Bricktop” features vocalist Susanna Robinson with noted musicians Bill Hoffman on guitar, William Penn on keyboard, and Blake Miles on upright bass. Adding to the concert are Robinson’s vocal students: Ella Butler, Aubrey Adkins, and Ky Fury.

For August, the WV Humanities Council is publishing a postcard honoring Bricktop. The text on the postcard reads: “ Ada “Bricktop” Smith. Born in Alderson, Smith was a dancer, vaudeville performer, and entrepreneur known for her popular Parisian nightclub “Chez Bricktop.” Smith’s lifelong nickname was given to her by a New York saloon keeper in reference to her naturally red hair. She was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2013. The Council facilitated the placement of a roadside Legends & Lore marker for Smith in Alderson in 2020.”

Fawn Valentine, a member of Alderson Main Street, said, “Her personality was so striking and she always told people she was from Alderson.  Come to the concert to enjoy music of her era and learn more about her.”

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