The First Moonwalk - Bill Bailey - The Apollo Theatre - New York - 1955
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ธ.ค. 2010
- This is one of the first ever moonwalks on film
Bill Bailey tapping to a rather quiet instrumental version of the Larks' hit "The World is Waiting for Sunrise" performed by the Paul Williams Quartet.
He's the brother of singer Pearl Bailey, but he has nothing to do with her signature song "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" which is a very old standard dating back to 1902.
Bill's frequently credited with "inventing" the "moonwalk" because of a tapdancing move called "backslide" which he does in this filmed performance. - บันเทิง
People tend to forget that tap dancing is extremely difficult, this mans got insane talent!
That was what I meant in part, neither JB or MJ made their livelihood, their shows, their life by tap dancing, to Caesar what's Caesar, BB was a great show on those days. You are very right, tap is incredibly demanding and the new public now wanted to see something broader in terms of the dancing...
I was thinking about how technology like TH-cam has killed talent such as this. What's crazier than almost killing talent by making people lazy is how TH-cam somehow keeps it alive like life support allowing the lazy folk a chance to see that Bill, was very talented at his craft.
Yes, very talented!
Am i the only one who thought that MJ invented the moonwalk ?!
@Yasuke ϟ Musa haha awesome 😵
He moonwalked outta there like an absolute legend
i agree! without a doubt true man
It's not the moonwalk it's called backsliding
Everybody saw that moves all over the world with when they dated on solo train. Solo train was televised all over the world. Everybody saw the movementhey they was just excited when they saw him do it, but people had already been doing it anyway because of his name and his music. That's the only thing.
Because he was a Jackson 5. Before.
But the dance has been all over the world and it depends on solar training.Was when it made it famous?Jeffrey daniels showed him how to do it when he didn't even know how to do it
@@AnthonyRobinson-dc3pq It doesn't matter what it was called.A man back in the 40s did it first before anybody.
You understand
But he's not the legend of the moonwalk.It was bill bailey who did it back in the forties
Moonwalk yes but let’s not forget the superior tap dancing. That man was an outstanding dancer.
Michael Jackson never claimed he invented the moonwalk. He just did it and after he did it, the dance move became popular.
Exactly what I was gone say lol.
True, MJ told in an interview that he saw some kids doing the moonwalk on the street when he was kid, then he praticed the step because it would be cool to use it.
@@detetiveluke pretty sure he was taught by Jeffery daniel. I think that’s where he first saw it too
You do know Michael learned from James brown right?
I don't think anything about this video claimed that mj claimed he invented it
Man that guy looked like he was really enjoying himself. I hope he was as happy in real life as he appeared on stage. He really had the moves.
Lee John yes you are right. At least he had work so he could feed his family.
Sadly performers and entertainers are often Not happy in real life.
what do you mean "hope he was happy"..?
you must think he wasn't happy, don't you,
you must think he was slave back then, don't you.
Jhon Ghost ha ha no friend, I was just saying that he looked really happy and that I hoped that in real life he was just as happy as he appeared on stage. There is no need to read any more into it. He obviously wasn't a slave because he was so very talented. i bet he got paid peanuts to perform but he had a job and kept food on the table for his family. I respect him because he made something of himself. You shouldnt be so quick to misinterpret what people write because not everyone has hate for people of different races. I hope you become happy soon Mate, from A fair dinkum Aussie bloke. 🇦🇺👍
@@jhonghost735 don’t be a complete dickhead it’s obvious he didn’t think that.
I bet this man didn't think he'd still be relevant nearly 80 years later.
Yet I'm here watching this legend perform! Amazing!
Well no I'm sure he didn't seeing that he got the idea from Chaplin lol.th-cam.com/video/_6mle5HRB3k/w-d-xo.html
Here WE are!
80 years?? This was like 60 something years ago
@@Don_Salieri1899 I can see math is a hard topic
@@CuriousWithOscar 1955 was 67 years ago bruh tf are you talking about no where near 80
This is Bill Bailey, through all research he is believed to be the first performer of the Moonwalk. He performed it for 30+ years starting the early 1940s when he would exit the stage, he referred to it as his “Backslide”
He’s also considered one of the greatest tap dancers of all time
Actually, bill bailey was not the first. Before him was Cab Calloway. And before Calloway probably there was another.
Michael Jackson learned from history. Performers who learn from history last forever.
Learned from? You mean 'copied'
@@chrisbelli445 He didnt really copy. Looking at the feet, MJ's formatting is similar, but not a direct copy. He possibly saw this and attempted to reuse it in his shows adding a bit of his own magic into it.
*This guy deserves more respect and credit for this*
Shouldn't you be worrying about the traitors who tried to overthrow our government?
Don't see why people are saying Michael "stole" it. He just popularized it, he never said he created it.
Tell me about it.
good point! very true!
Exactly!!
Very true
Me too
Michael Jackson never said those dance moves were his. He always thanked others for them. Especially James brown. It’s just that Michael made those moves look so good. He practically perfected them.
To be able to perform a dance such as this art form, one has to be in excellent physical shape. There is no doubt about his strength! He was or is an excellent dancer to behold.
Michael Jackson was the great performer he was by studying the moves from all the greats who came before him. For those who are criticizing this man's moon walk, remember this man was wearing tap shoes...and that's insane.
I came here expecting something not even remotely close to the moonwalk, and left with my mind blown 🤯
Am i the only one who thought that MJ invented the moonwalk ?!
Ditto
@@SherinFunmes - MJ invented the name moonwalk for it but everyone else called it the “back slide” prior to his reinventing it.
@@WilliamPoston ok thanks... but how do you know t was called the backslide?
What MJ refined is called the 'MoonWalk'. What inspired him prior is called the 'BackSlide'.
Tap dancing is not as easy as it looks.
GREAT PERFORMANCE !!
The long lost art of tap dancing. Wonderful!
2:02 Moonwalk
Thanks
Damn y'all impatient as hell. It's only a 2 min video
Check it again it's 2:04
@@FaithandNova right! I was about to say, just watch the damn video, dude had some insane tricks
Am i the only one who thought that MJ invented the moonwalk ?!
70 years later we’re watching this video on a Phone....you would have told someone that back then , they’re heads would explode
So true. In the future you'll be watching the same video in your head, no need for a phone.
@@avi8r944 with the way were progressing I doubt it. We've been stuck in a cycle for a while now.
@@avi8r944 no that would suck
they already had small tvs, so you re wrong its 70 years not 200
@@Vrey662 ok Captain Obvious! Lol you feel better now
BACK TO THE FUTURE! "You're not ready for this but ur kids will"! That's what I felt watching this
Bill was brilliant.
Michael Jackson only learned it from streetdancers which MJ give credits to his book saying that they teach him how to do that, then he enhanced the dance to add more illusion to it. And of course this video shows the origin of where the moonwalk came from.
"Study the greats and become greater. "
"The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work."
-Michael Jackson
This deserves more likes and attention.
Well said.
There is also a story that a Motown choreographer taught it to him, too.
@@Cantaste michael jackson* the king of pop
@@Cantaste
I'm just gonna pretend you didn't say that.
What a beautiful dance performance, cheerful and with humanity
Indeed!
Some dancer have to give him credit moonwalk very good MJ definitely watched this man and made the polished up moonwalk famous
See, there's nothing new under the sun. Unfortunately, it's not always about who did what first. It's about who takes it to another level with their charisma and magic and OWNS it. The pioneers should always be respected though
Glad I’m not the only one looking at this in 2018
I know
I'm with you
The first "moonwalk" was at the Apollo, and the first ACTUAL moon walk was the APOLLO 11 mission. Interesting coincidence.
+aaardvarkkk Illuminati confirmed?
*****
You have nice lips. :I
*****
Very illuminati-esq.
***** They must not have liked the fact that you're part Illuminati.
*****
It's too bad you two have virtual kids together. I was going to invite you to live at my house. Then again, they are VIRTUAL kids, so you're still invited. Oh, it might interest you to know I threw my Illuminati book away.
Wow, Bill Bailey was an incredible dancer. This is awesome.
Most dancei started in the 20 and 30 in clubs and in the streets this is nothing new
I love that Michael took black art and put it on the world stage and made sure people knew where it came from...people don't understand the magnitude of what he set out to do and achieve. God rest his suave soul, no one did it like him.
@@1Andelina1 Black people have been doing the *backslide* (AKA moonwalk) for long. It predates Al Norman.
People have to know the difference between what's original and what's popular. Michael Jackson never said he originated the moonwalk. He just made it popular.
Pure GOLD! What a showman, what a performance!!!! I could only dream of moving like him. Damn……. I need to go rethink my life
Micheal didn't invent the moonwalk, but he perfected it
Michael Jackson, he LEARNED from the best in his field and was never ashamed to admit it.
R. I. P. To both men, they worked their talent and it paid by leaving us with some beautiful moves....
"Study the great become the greater"by michael jackson
he created it but michael jackson perfected that shit
Cab Calloway was doing that back in the 30's way before Bailey in 1955. They called it the buzz.
It was perfected before Michael Jackson in the late 70's. Check out the history
Michael Jackson copied that shit
Jeffrey daniels From The Group Shalamar Taught Michael The steps That embodied The MoonWalk Step....Also His Move Were Influenced By The Dancers Of Soul Train,The Almighty Lockers Of Los Angeles And James Brown. Just Watch His Peformances From The Dancing Machine Era Until The End.....Just A Brief Lesson.
james hayden True. Teach the youngin's. And let me add to this lesson. The BEST MOONWALK EVER DONE, [I hate to hurt folks feelings] was not by Michael Jackson, but Basil Fearrington, the bass player from MTUME. He glided like a puck on an air hockey machine ... UNBELIEVABLE !
Awesome! There are no performers like him left any more.
The band, the tapping, the introduction of the next tap move...ugghh beautiful!! 😢
Low pay, low appreciation of his gift, and yet his smile would light up the night. He enjoyed sharing his gift, regardless of others ignorance. That is true strength and joy
The Nicholas Brothers had to be from another planet. No human could dance like they could.
Yes, Mr. Bailey did just moonwalk off the stage. 😲
I've seen video from 1912 where young brothas were doing the moonwalk. There is nothing new under the sun, as they say.
Michael didn't invent the moonwalk but he made it famous all over the world
He popularized it so much that I ignorantly thought he created the dance! Wow
Sid Patankar it's not his fault
Thanks.
Yeah I will keep saying The Truth Da King Of Pop Made it famous in 1983 And it became so popular up until now
Yes
2:03 is where he does it.
Okie thx.
Bill Bailey was awesome there is a MOON WALK for each generation ❤
He did the damm thing on his outro!💙
This man gave birth to the legendary and the inconic dancer we've known. Give him respect!
The Best.
So you're telling me no one has ever thought about walking backwards before this?
There was a Mexican dancer that was recorded doing the moonwalk a yew years before this was recorded
And im sure someone from 400BC thought about walking backwards too
You miss the dammit at the end of your sentence lol got damnit 😂
@@JerryDaBes 🔴 hating! 😁
I bet ants use to fear this man.
Wow he moonwalked at the end! 👏🏼
Michael's moonwalk is smooth af.
@the zodiac guru he didn't copy he didn't do it the same way
I know
@the zodiac guru He didn't "copy" anyone. Jeffrey Daniel personally taught Michael how to moonwalk and he ended up practicing it so much he did it better than the pioneers.
Yes but Michael’s was a little bit better because his was straight and Bill’s was going a bit crooked and sideways.
I agree
Now I know Billie
Then I need to find Jean
iamkadafii underrated comment 😂😂😂
Actually the first “backslide” (tap dancing) was done by Leon James in 1933. MJ was taught how to “moonwalk” (breakin) by Jeffrey Daniels of Shalamar. MJ never credited himself with creating the moonwalk, he just about perfected it. The backslide and moonwalk are actually two different types of moves, in two different styles of dancing. The backslide is so much easier to do. I have a Masters in break dancing of the 80’s, both as a study then as a cardboard street corner performer 😂😅
Respect 🫡
That’s crazy. Black people are so talented 💯
He does the moonwalk at 2:04 for you impaitent kids. Smh
Thanks...
A prototype of course...
Long occurrence told short is thank you for the information; I gotta go explore the usage of 'got' to get back to my work towards speaking more accurately and honestly to myself for myself first so that I may share more with others someday. And that includes my love of tap dancing too, I want to tap and speak, sing with a fraction of the same infectious good he has. (Orange heart cause where in the heck is the emoji button) Laura Lora not warwa Lora
Ah yeaah
Well he might have been the first to be film doing it but mj popularized it
MJ was a very rare talent, but he never said he invented the moonwalk. He studied what others had done and took most of it to a higher level. Its just like Neil Peart duplicating the patterns from his favorite old time drummers and adding his own touch so younger people could appreciate it.
THANK U!
Well said
MJ never said he was the first to do it to my knowledge, but he truly was amazing at it. And kept getting better over time.
EXACTLY!
But he wasn't as good as ANY of these guys. th-cam.com/video/35nIo8aBw-g/w-d-xo.html
Love how you can see each step with the old time tap. Today they just make noise as fast as possible.
OMG This man was Awesome! I've never heard of him!
Bro we are literally watching an 90 year old video…that’s crazy to me
68 years old. We are watching a film made in 1955. The dancer in the film, Bill Baily, also performed this 'moonwalk' (called 'The Buzz', back then) in the 1943 film, _The Cabin in the Sky,_ and 'The Buzz' goes back to the 1930s.
He had it hard back then ... and he still showed em nothing but class and grace! From a time when real men lived.
Reminds of my years in Hoover Elementary in Oakland, CA. I remember we had a school janitor that wore tap shoes and would perform to us. Those were some good years.
That was great to watch and learn the earliest recorded moonwalk. And Mr. Bailley was top notch.
Just imagine this , this guy is so insanely good at dancing that he using the moonwalk (mj’s Main attraction) as his walk off. This man is a legend
@I Gladiator Music Not at all, it has been around since 1930
😂 he’s like, that’s my outro, boo (drops mike, moonwalks out) 🕺🏿
for sure. unequivocally true!!
Moonwalk Starts at 2:03
still absolutely amazed he was able to moonwalk in tap shoes, that was fantastic...
From what I have seen Michael Jackson simply just perfected the moonwalk and did it better than anyone else ever did.
Hello friend, how are you doing today
@@Mariebrunette784 Hello, I'm doing good thanks. How are you doing?
Not better than anyone else... Turbo from the movie "Breaking" use to glide even better than Michael. MJ learned it from him and his partner Poppin' Taco in the 80s. Taco was even in the Smooth Criminal video.
His sound was so clear and on point. I love tap!!
The sounds you hear is as a result of someone drumming. He was just merely dance and the drum stick sound
2:03 What you came for
Thanks
Thank you!!
The first time on the history that an artist made a moonwalker. Simple amazing
Nope, it was done way earlier, but by the same guy - this recording here is just the first one, where it is clear to see.
I loved the way people dressed in the old times suits & ties often. Back then they also had real talent✌that was definitely the moon walk😂
Hello friend, how are you doing today
@@Mariebrunette784 I'm fine & yourself
man just moonwalked himself outta there
respect
Amazing. Never heard of Bill Bailey and that's clearly the moonwalk. Great video
Never heard of Bill Bailey?!?! .....All you had to do was click your heels together 3 times and say "won't you please come home, won't you please come home, won't you please come home"
There was a dancer "tap dancer" Bill Bailey who did the moonwalk move in 1955 in the Apollo theatre in New York. You can see it here on TH-cam. Probably this move is much older than we thought.
What a talent!
2:03 it starts
So much Black history being rediscovered! Thank You! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
A white audience honouring and respecting these black artists, always did.
@@iansalgado9709 I don’t think so...
@@rayburton4867 Stop being divisive i don't racists would watch this video
@@trifonspartan4993 whatever....
Why does It matter if it's a black guy. Black history is Human History
Excellent history lesson. Thank you for this video.
Insane tap. Just insane! Amazing!
Michael version is amazing but original has its unshakable respect!
I can't believe it. The moonwalk in 1955? Wow! By the way the dancing abilities of this man are really impressive. He made those strange moves with such ease. It's mesmerising.
Actually, the first moonwalk was in the 20s, when Cab Calloway called it the Backslide
@@mister_silent6 20s? Please where can I see that?
@@fornlike I don't know I saw a video from that time and I cant find it. BUt I also did some research and yes, it was first called the backslide.
@@mister_silent6 Thank you for this information. From a research I just made you can be right.
This fantastic dancer is also Pearl Baileys brother! 😊😊😊
I LOVED Pearl Bailey! When I was 8 years old, my parents took me to see her in “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway. (Her co-star was the legendary Cab Calloway.) What an incredible performer. Obviously, talent runs in her family!
@@harrisgoodman1564 You have great taste!
So much swag in his moonwalk!
MJ never said he invented the Moonwalk. In fact, he said in a speech that many dances today originated from black people way back like the Jive etc. He has always given credit to the masters that he said he learned from like Sammy David Jr, Fred Astaire, Jackie Robinson etc. He simply popularized it and perfected it!
true but people forget the facts after many years. In a way Michael was like the Christopher Columbus of the moonwalk. He reinvented it for the modern music culture but obviously he wasn't the first one to do it.
Uhh... that's Sammy DAVIS Jr.
😁
@@youresoakinginit2113 Clearly a typo!
Anybody just come from that fire Noah’s Ark rap
Yelp
Yup
Wtf yea this fucked man
Mcclainboy1 my ark !
🖐
But Mike was so smooth!!!!!! It was like MJ Glided backwards!!!!! I loved watching this!!!! 🫶🏾
01:34
"That's one my girl likes to see."
🤣🤣
I like how he's just randomly talking too.
Michael never claimed the Moonwalk as his. He had learn it like every one who wanted to do it :-) He always publicly said he learned it from the "kids on the streets" HOWEVER no one MoonWalked like him. I've no doubt he watched Bill Bailey like he did with anyone who performed at the Apollo. Michael is the KING
Hmm!....where are you from? Although Michael exposed the so-called "moonwalk" to the masses, he was in no way the best! Smooth but not the best. He explains that! There were quite a few "poppers "(street dancers) who had perfected the backslide! I realize you are not from the Cali streets therefore relying soley on Google for your information!
@@a.c.6475 I'm from Dublin. We don't have many poppers over here :-) I lived in Boston for 16 yrs and Phoenix for 3yrs. You are talking to a MJ fan and we think Michael is the best dancer and singer on the face of the earth and to persuade us otherwise is a loosing battle :-) Good try though
@@niallbyrne6474 Hold on there potna!....I didn't say M.J. was not a great entertainer, I too am a "rabid" Jackson Five fan! But you see....I grew up in San Diego where I and many others were poppers back in late 70's to mid 80's! I have witnessed first hand the buttery-smooth backsliding style of my fellow dancers! Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer on earth no doubt! But if he was with us even he would agree that he wasn't the greatest in street dancing! I cannot help if you sir have not seen otherwise, I have!
@@a.c.6475 I've been to San Diego and loved it. I'll forgive you for not thinking Michael is not the best Moonwalker in the world since you said he was the greatest entertainer on earth :-)
@@niallbyrne6474 Thank you! For a moment I thought I was not worthy!😌 lol!
This is a legitimate moonwalk not like J Brown use to do. I agree that this is the first moonwalk. Wow!
No thats not a moonwalk
Sorry the first moonwalk was done in Mexico by an actor named Resortes and that was in 1950 th-cam.com/video/C-26Xy0PS_Y/w-d-xo.html
The first moonwalk is from Resortes 1950 look it up
clovamon that was in 1959. Billy did it first
It’s the same physical formula and art form purpose of the moonwalk, except Michael perfected the illusion of it and added an attitude
This dance move was originally called the "Backslide" and yes, people were doing it long before Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson because of the icon he was already at that time, took it to another level dance-wise. And while it's true that in his adult years that Michael Jackson learned some dance moves from former Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel, he also learned from 3 other prominent dancers. Boogaloo Shrimp (Turbo from the Breakin/Breakdancing movie franchise) Bill "Slim The Robot" Williams from the Legendary dance troupe "The Lockers", Bruno "Poppin Taco" Falcon(who played Turbo/Boogaloo Shrimp and Ozone's nemesis in the movie Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo). But the main person MJ used to watch watch and mimick when he was a child was James Brown.
At first I was expecting a tricky tap move but that was definitely the moonwalk at the end there!!
Excellent performance. I doubt that it is the first moonwalk ( backslide ). My 92 year old mother who grew up in New York city remembers see street performers dancing like this during the 1930s and 1940s. Tap dancing is a lost art that we rarely see nowadays.
its been called "the buzz" then "backslide" and finally "moonwalk" and yes been there since 40's or may be earlier but really came alive with MJ , no one had ever done it as smooth and as cool as him...
There it is, The Moonwalk!!! Was it MJ??? NO!!! The incredible Bill Bailey!!
Some of yall say thay this isnt the first moonwalk because of how smoothly michael did it. This is the first moonwalk in history way before MJ, he just made it popular its still cool though
2:03 You're Welcome
Some capes don't wear heroes.
@@KAMProductions couldn't have said it better myself
Michael didn’t invent the moonwalk, he just made it better!
or he kept it alive ;-)
@@TheCuicito Both
I mean he didn't invent it there is other people who did it better just cuz somone who did the moon walk doesn't mean they did it better he did like a dog walking backwards Smh🙄
@@mohammadmushaq1938 WHAT THE FUCK
@@mohammadmushaq1938 MICHAEL JACKSON WAS THE BEST AT MOONWALKING AND THAT'S A FACT!! SRSLY A DOG WALKING BACKWARDS?! JUST TRY MOONWALKING YOURSELF AS SMOOTH AS HE DID
All the haters here are the ones that missed it. Michael jackson didn't miss it. He's a genius for Putting together the ultimate show and performance
2:02 the moment that you've been waiting for
The caption never said Billy Bailey did it the best. It simply pointed out that he was the first person recorded doing it. If there was not a first, there would not be something else for someone else to build on and perfect it (i.e. Michael Jackson).
SO RELAX! No one's taking anything away from the late great Michael Jackson.
Nor should anyone take anything away from what the late great Billy Bailey did.
Both can be celebrated respectively.
🗣️ Say it louder for the "MJ stole it" buffons.
Like what Michael said, you learn from the old and make it greater! Brilliant Bill is outstanding
The Moonwalk(under many different names) goes way back to the 1870's as per the Wikipedia page about it. In a November 1969 episode of H.R. Pufnstuf, Judy the Frog teaches everyone a new dance called "The Moonwalk", which includes two instances of a stationary moonwalk. And that was the first instance of it being called the Moonwalk. Hence right after the astronauts landed on the moon in July of 1969.
actually it goes back to the moon walk back in 52 BC when the Romans attacked Vercingetorix ! Dang homie, that was bad for Asterix& Obelix !
another person full of $hit. It is a LIE. The first moon walk was done in 1932 by Charlie Chaplin. People are always trying to take the original and say a black person did it first. But guess what?? MJ was not the first person to do it. Bill Bailey was not the first person to do it. Even James Brown was not the fist person to do it. They all stole the move from Charlie Chaplin. A WHITE GUY ----> th-cam.com/video/_6mle5HRB3k/w-d-xo.html
@@truthspeaker7446you are wrong give up trying to be right. How does it feel to be proven wrong so many times lol loser.
This man has musical feet. An elite tap dancer.
2:03 FYI, moon walk starts here. credit must go this this guy for giving the world his 1st moon walk.