Who was Alberta Hunter?
Alberta Hunter was born on April 1, 1895 in Memphis, Tennessee. From that moment it seems that she was out to beat the odds. She was a frail and sickly infant, but survived. Her father left when she was quite young.[3] Her mother became the breadwinner, working two jobs to provide a comfortable a home as was possible during those days of institutionalized segregation. Yet Alberta never seemed overtly bitter about her childhood. In fact her childhood experiences with hardship as well as racism instilled in her a strong desire and determination to succeed. Although far from being rich, Alberta always had nice clothes and a clean comfortable home to live in. This became important to her for the rest of her life, and while many of her show business companions lived flamboyantly, Alberta was careful to avoid excess. And while not a passionate person, she constantly demonstrated compassion towards others. There are many curious details about her childhood. This is true partly because most of
