The Mysterious Dinah Cofie & Her Colored Cracks Orchestra

Dinah Cofie (1900-1959)

The origins of Dinah, the racially ambiguous entertainer, are still a mystery. She was born Madge Khamm around 1900 in Birkenhead, a busy industrial port town across the Mersey river from Liverpool in Cheshire county. She claimed in later interviews to have the product of an African-American father and an English mother. However, currently there aren't any records of her family.

During the summer of 1915, at 15-years old, Madge crossed the river Mersey to Liverpool and began performing in various local theatres and variety halls. The following year she had teamed up with a local comedian, Jack Seymour and she joined him on the British theatrical circuit. In September 1916, on a trip back from Scotland, Madge ran across Charles Harrington's “Uncle Tom's Cabin Company” in Manchester and joined as a singer. In Act 4, Scene 3: The Plantation Festival, she received considerable attention for her song and dance number, where she performed ‘Away Down Tennessee’. She quickly caught the eye of the West African actor John Bessima-Kofie, who played the lead role of Uncle Tom.

Kofie was born John Bessima Boehm-Kofie around 1884, in the British Gold Coast Colony (now Ghana) in the village of Elmina, 45 miles west of the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi. Claiming to be the son of a wealthy Ashanti chief, he was privileged enough to receive an education and by 1901, at age 17, he was studying music. By 1908, Kofie (under the name John Harris Boehm) had migrated to central England, settling in Coventry, where he met 25 year old Louisa Vernon, a clerk at the Empire Theatre. On December 7th, 1908, the couple married. Moving into the home of Louisa's parents at 126 Westwood Road, Kofie began studying to receive his driver's license.

August 1909

Then one day, he stopped coming home. Roaming around England seeking employment, in May 1909, he wound up in London, where he auditioned and received the lead role in the Uncle Tom's Cabin Company. From 1909-1913, Kofie quickly rose to fame as a successful actor, criss-crossing around the British Isles. Earning 35 shillings a week, he frequently sent his estranged wife a stipend of 10 shillings, but never sent for her to join him. On August 24th, 1909 she filed a separation order, however the order was dismissed by December 1912. Although she seems to have carried his surname for the remainder of her life, the marriage was effectively over. 

In May 1913, Kofie began working as the manager of Will Garland's Negro Opera Company. Composed of a mixture of African-American and Afro-British musicians, entertainers and a set of chorus girls known as the Eight London Belles, the company undertook a five month tour across the Russian Empire, beginning on May 15th at Warsaw's Aquarium Theater. Besides managing, Kofie also operated as a pimp, seizing the passports of the chorus girls and pressuring them to sleep with wealthy noblemen after the show. The tour eventually ended, after the women began submitting complaints to the British Embassy. Returning to London, Kofie possibly resumed working with Garland's company in 1915 before joining Harrington's Uncle Tom's Cabin Company that winter.

May 1918

In the summer of 1917, a heavily pregnant Madge left the show and returned home to Birkenhead and on July 24th, she gave birth to Beleika Boehm-Kofie. Six months later, in January 1918, John Kofie had also departed from the company, forming the comedy duo “Kofie & Kam” performing a sketch onstage called, “Her Savage Suitor”, written by John. They were frequently advertised as the funny South African Chief and his Creole assistant. The couple toured extensively across the British Isles until September 24th 1919, when Mr and Mrs J. B. Kofie boarded the RMS Abinsi in Liverpool for a four month trip to his homeland. The purpose of this trip to the Gold Coast is unknown, although it's possible John wanted to introduce his new wife to his family. 

SS Appam Passenger List

In January 1920, a six-month pregnant Madge boarded the SS Appam in Sekondi-Takoradi for the trip back home alone to Birkenhead. John followed her shortly afterwards. On May 26th, Nada May Boehm-Kofie was born and later baptized the following month on June 12th at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Shortly after her birth, the couple began a brief European tour, eventually winding up performing at Milan's Monte Merlo nightclub as members of the Quintetto Mirador with Madge playing alto saxophone and John playing drums.

Settling back in London early 1921, the children were put in the care of a family in the town of Newington (a neighborhood in South London) while her parents continued working. That February, the couple were cast in Laurence Eyre's play “Mis Nell ‘o New Orleans”, which opened February 14th and ran successfully for four months at the Duke of York Theatre before touring Britain. 

 

Bal Tabarin (mid-1920s)

Eventually the couple made their way to Paris in 1923, appearing in the revue "Luttes Feminine" at the Bal Tabarin with their Darktown Jazzers Orchestra and regularly performing at 9pm on Radio Radiola. Three years later, in 1926, they were frequently seen around the Montmartre and Montparnasse in nightclubs such as the Lido des Champs-Elysées, Harlem Cabaret and the Château Caucasien. While in Paris, John (now performing under the pseudonym of Samuel Cofie) organized a new jazz band, 'Cofie's Colored Cracks', composed of African-American musicians mostly from Harlem and Chicago (The Kofies, Frank Withers, saxophonists Angelo Fernandez, Maxwell Philpott and Wilson Townes, trumpeter Titus D. Triplett, pianist Abram Henderson and banjo player Gilbert Roberts).

In January 1927, the band began a four month Spanish tour, performing at Madrid's Palmero-Alkazar Cabaret, where Madge was listed as the 'Creadora del Black-Bottom' (before the arrival of Ruth Bayton). Afterwards the group played a month at the Kursaal Cabaret in Scheveningen, Holland. Beginning in October, the band arrived in Budapest for a two month engagement at the Parisi Kalitka in the jazz revue "A Neger Jazz Utolso Honapja". Madge's singing & dancing caught on well with the Hungarians and they were engaged for another month at the Royal Orpheum before returning to Paris.

Barcelona International Exposition (1929)

Most of 1928 was spent performing around Paris, particularly at the Café Anglais. That October, the band returned to Spain, moving into the Hotel Meuble and beginning a five month engagement at the Palmero-Alkazar Cabaret. Afterwards, they spent a brief period in Italy, playing places like Bologna's Teatro Medica with acclaimed success. Returning to Spain in May 1929 for the opening of the International Exposition, the group performed on the exhibition grounds in Barcelona's Turo-Park for two months before moving on to Madrid's Ideal-Rosales Cabaret for another two months that summer. This was followed by two months at Barcelona's Miramar Club and three months at the popular Eden Concert Musichall. 

In February 1930, the orchestra departed for Italy once again for an engagement at Rome's Teatro Excelsior before moving north in April for Switzerland for a three month engagement at Zurich's Cafe Esplanade. Afterwards the jazz band disassembled and the Kofies returned to Paris, playing the Music Box nightclub in November.

During the spring of 1931, while performing at Ange Bleu nightclub, Madge Kam-Kofie suddenly reinvented herself. She became the American blues singer, Dinah, her repertoire composed of popular African-American jazz and blues numbers while Sam continued to accompany her on the drums. On July 7th, Dinah departed for Berlin's UFA Studios to appear in the French-German comedy film, “Le Petit Écart” directed by Henri Chomette and Reinhold Schünzel. Like most Black entertainers in Europe at the time, she appeared in a nightclub scene, singing J'ai Tout Quitté Pour Mon Amour. The film was released on October 22nd. 

Returning to her homeland of England in September, she performed for a month at London's Berkeley Hotel. While there, on October 9th, she recorded two songs for Decca Records. The songs, Good For You, Bad For Me and Makin' Faces At The Man In The Moon are the only known recordings she is known to have made. 

Meanwhile, back in Paris, Sam had signed the lease for a new nightclub at 132 Boulevard Montparnasse. The establishment, Chez Dinah, opened October 15th and ran until mid-June 1932. The club rose to become a popular fixture in the Montparnasse. Black entertainers and tourists residing in Paris flocked to the club and mingled. Unfortunately, the Great Depression that was ravaging the United States had reached France and businesses began failing. Strict French laws were also making it difficult for Black entertainers to remain working in France for long periods of time. Throughout the summer of 1932, Dinah began performing in various galas, parties and nightclubs around the French capital such as the Abbaye Thélème and the Cigogne restaurant. However, according to an American gossip column on August 9th, she was unemployed. 

In September, Dinah departed for Germany for a three month engagement at Berlin's short-lived Beguine Bar. The German engagement proved to be successful and upon her return to Paris on December 7th, Sam had opened a new establishment, Cabane en Pigalle at 72 Rue Pigalle, where Dinah was the star of an elaborate floor show titled, “Below The Mason-Dixon Line”. 

However that too failed, and after a month, she departed for Cannes in January 1933, where she appeared at the Dolphin Cabaret. While there, she signed a contract with British director Robert Messulam to appear in the film, Lily of the Laguna. Unfortunately the film never materialized and Dinah returned to Paris where she partnered with Ada Bricktop Smith with plans to open a nightclub together. Unfortunately soon, the two began to feud and quickly grew into rivals. After running another failed Chez Dinah in Biarritz that summer, Dinah returned to Paris that fall, entertaining at the American Women’s Club, Le Pigall’s, Caverne d’Ali Baba, Café Alcazar and the Pot Aux Roses restaurant until May 1934.

Rio de Janeiro (1936)

Possibly influenced by Afro-British bandleader George Stretton (born William Masters in Liverpool 1887), whom Sam met in 1915 as a member of the Will Garland Company, Dinah and Sam Cofie decided to travel to South America.

June 1934

In June 1934, the couple boarded the MS Neptunia in Trieste, Italy and sailed to Buenos Aires. Arriving June 11th, the couple were given a warm welcome from the Argentine press. Nine days later on June 20th, the couple debuted at the Gran Teatro Broadway, where Dinah was billed as the ‘Reina de Harlem’. Their engagement lasted two successful weeks and upon the end of their contract, they signed a contract with Radio Prieto, where they performed throughout the summer while appearing nightly at the popular Boîte Tabú. During this engagement, Sam sent for his friend, African-American bandleader Benny Peyton and his Jazz Kings Orchestra to join the couple in Argentina.

April 1935

 

Dinah at the Monseigneur Club

In February 1935, the Dinah and her orchestra traveled to the resort town of Mar del Plata for a successful engagement. When they returned to Buenos Aires the following month, Sam was reported as gravely ill and later falsely reported as dead. However, in April, they appeared very much alive at the Boîte Monseigneur and three months later at the Téatro Maipo in the revue, “Okey, ché”. By mid-1935, Benny Peyton and his Orchestra had returned home to Europe. 

In December 1935, the couple departed for Rio de Janeiro for a three-month engagement at the Casino Atlântico’s new roof garden. The large roof garden cabaret overlooked the Atlantic and Copacabana beach and had revolving floors and the walls were decorated with scenes of popular cities around the world. The couple returned home to Buenos Aires aboard the SS Highland Monarch on March 8th, 1936.

On August 8th, Dinah, Sam and musical duo Los Filipinos (Tino Dominguez & Acosta) signed Radio Cultura LR 10, performing nightly between 7:30-9:00pm until April 1937. Dinah frequently appeared in the Radiolandia and Caras y Caretas magazines documenting her radio career.  

Dinah didn't appear again until December 1937, singing at ritzy La Chumiere restaurant with Gordon Stretton and his Harlem Knights Orchestra. Unfortunately she seems to have disappeared from the entertainment business shortly after this engagement.

At some point, Sam Cofie (John Bessima Boehm-Kofie) died and Dinah returned to England to be closer to her daughters. In the 1940s, Dinah married a man named Thomas Evans and relocated to Ghana with her daughters. In 1948, her oldest daughter Beleika (sometimes spelled Baleeka) immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City, where she died on July 13th, 1995. Her daughter, Nada May returned to London in 1950 with her son, Wallid Accad (born 1946 in Accra, Ghana). Nada later died in Shrewsbury on November 3rd, 1975. In 1953, Dinah and her second husband settled in the lush North London neighborhood of Hampstead, where she died six years later in the summer of 1959.