The Mysterious Dinah Cofie & Her Colored Cracks Orchestra

Madge Cofie (1880s-19??)

Born Madge Boehm around 1880/1890s (?), she first appears in London c.1916 as performer with the "Will Garland Company", which toured across the United Kingdom until the troupe disbanded the following year.

In 1918, Madge paired up with drummer Harry 'Samuel' Cofie (sometimes spelled Coffey/Coffie) and the couple departed for Europe for the beginning of a series of successful tours. Sam Cofie originated from Africa (many claimed that Sam was born Minto, an African prince) and at some point the couple embarked upon an Africa tour.

By 1920, the couple were engaged at the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle in Milan, Italy apart of the Quintetto Mirador.

Bal Tabarin (mid-1920s)

Eventually the two made their way to Paris in 1923, regularly performing at the Lido de Champs-Elysees and in the revue "Luttes Feminine" at the Bal Tabarin with their Darktown Jazzers Orchestra. Early 1927, the couple began a Spanish tour, residing in Madrid and performing at the Palmero-Alkazar Cabaret, where Madge was listed as the 'Creadora del Black-Bottom' (before the arrival of Ruth Bayton). After five successful months, in June the couple played Kursaal Cabaret in Scheveningen, Holland before returning to France. 

While in Paris, Samuel Cofie organized a new jazz band, 'Cofie's Colored Cracks', composed of African-American musicians mostly from Harlem and Chicago (The Cofies, Withers, saxophonists Angelo Fernandez, Maxwell Philpott and Wilson Townes, trumpeter Titus D. Triplett, pianist Abram Henderson and banjo player Gilbert Roberts). The band made its debut in Budapest at the Parisi Kalitka (in the jazz revue "A Neger Jazz Utolso Honapja"). Madge's singing & dancing caught on well with the Hungarians for two successful months before the group returned to Paris.

Barcelona International Exposition (1929)

After spending the spring of 1928 at the Cafe Anglais, the band returned to Madrid's Palermo Cabaret. February 1929, found the band at the Teatro Medica in Bologna, Italy with acclaimed success. Arriving in Barcelona in time for the opening of the famous, International Exposition, the group performed on the exhibition grounds (Turo-Park). This was followed by appearances through the summer at the Ideal-Rosales Cabaret (Madrid), the fall at the Mirarmar Club (Barcelona) and winter at the popular Eden Concert (Barcelona). 

Argentina (July 1934)

nter, Chez Dinah, which was managed by her husband. The club failed, and was reopened the following year as 'Shack in Pl. Pigalle', where she organized an elaborate floor show, with herself as the star. However that too failed, and early-1933 Dinah was based in Cannes & Biarritz with her close friend, Ada Bricktop Smith. Eventually the two began to feud (Brickop was known for her temper) and Dinah returned to Paris, entertaining at the Pot-Aux-Roses Cabaret on the Champs-Elysees.

Rio de Janeiro (1936)

In the spring of 1934, she opened the successful 'Le Pigall's' nightclub until it's closing a few months later. That summer, Dinah and Samuel were in Argentina appearing of Radio Prieto and performing in major establishments. Unfortunately, the following year, Samuel suddenly (According to Variety magazine) and Dinah continued performing across Argentina, becoming a popular fixture there as a solo artist. During her surjourn in Buenos Aires, Dinah became close with Afro-British bandleader, George Stretton (born William Masters in Liverpool 1887), whom she first met back in 1917 and had arrived in South America six years earlier.

In December 1935, she traveled to Brazil to headline at the Casino Atlantico's new roof garden. The large roof garden cabaret overlooked the Atlantic and Copacabana beach and had revolving floors and decorated with scenes of popular cities (New York/Paris/London/Tokyo/Madrid). Unfortunately she disappears after this engagement.

Buenos Aires (1936)