"Reaching for Gladys" is a short sound piece engaging with details, themes, and speculations about the life of Gladys Bentley. Gladys Bentley was a prominent blues composer, pianist, and vocalist from the early 20th century. She rose to fame in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and was well known for performing in formal menswear and parodying famous standards with hypersexual lyrics. At the height of her career, Bentley was open about her queerness and openly pursued relationships with women.
In 1952, after a long period of inactivity, Bentley released an autobiographical piece with Ebony Magazine titled "I am a Woman Again." In the article, Bentley condemns her past identity and reports that, after falling in love with a man and seeking hormonal therapy, she is finally living a "normal" life. While some sources suggest that Bentley released the article in an attempt to revive her career, the finer details of her life behind the article are largely unknown.
This sound piece approaches Gladys in reverse chronological order, starting with quotes from her Ebony article, and ending with one of her earlier recordings of "How Much Can I Stand." In addition to original musical interpretations of Bentley's "How Much Can I Stand," I've also included bits of my own personal perspective on her life and the tradition of the blues.
