Amanda Randolph Video | Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi

Amanda Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and was the older sister of actress Lillian Randolph. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's The Laytons. This short-lived program was on the air two months in 1948. The daughter of a Methodist minister and a teacher, she spent some early years in Cleveland, Ohio, where at age 14, she was earning extra money playing piano and organ. Steve Gibson, brother of Amanda and... MORE

Amanda Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She was a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and was the older sister of actress Lillian Randolph. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's The Laytons. This short-lived program was on the air two months in 1948. The daughter of a Methodist minister and a teacher, she spent some early years in Cleveland, Ohio, where at age 14, she was earning extra money playing piano and organ. Steve Gibson, brother of Amanda and Lillian and known for his Rhythm and Blues group, the Five Red Caps, is another talented family member. The Randolph family did a lot of moving; Amanda began her career in Cincinnati, Ohio. About 1919-1920 she recorded several piano rolls of hot jazz and blues music for the Vocalstyle company of Cincinnati while working as a musician in Ohio's Lyric Theatre. These are the only known rolls recorded by a black female pianist, and reveal an impressive mastery of the piano. Amanda did her work for the company under the name Mandy Randolph. She is shown as the performer of "The Yellow Dog Blues", by W. C. LESS