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{ "url_title": "Pat Suzuki", "title_sort": "suzukipat", "links": { "json": "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/articles/Pat%20Suzuki/?format=api", "html": "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Pat%20Suzuki?format=api" }, "modified": "2024-01-08T19:42:15", "title": "Pat Suzuki", "body": "<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n <div id=\"databox-PeopleDisplay\">\n <table class=\"infobox\" width=\"200px;\">\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Name\n </th>\n <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Pat Suzuki\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Born\n </th>\n <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n September 22 1930\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Birth Location\n </th>\n <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Cressey, California\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n Generational Identifier\n </th>\n <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n <p>\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Nisei/\" title=\"Nisei\">\n Nisei\n </a>\n </p>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n </table>\n </div>\n <div id=\"databox-People\" style=\"display:none;\">\n <p>\n FirstName:Chiyoko;\nLastName:Suzuki;\nDisplayName:Pat Suzuki;\nBirthDate:1930-09-22;\nDeathDate:;\nBirthLocation:Cressey, California;\nGender:Female;\nEthnicity:JA;\nGenerationIdentifier:Nisei;\nNationality:US;\nExternalResourceLink:;\nPrimaryGeography:;\nReligion:;\n </p>\n </div>\n <p>\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Nisei/\" title=\"Nisei\">\n Nisei\n </a>\n singer and star of\n <i>\n Flower Drum Song\n </i>\n on Broadway.\n </p>\n <p>\n Born as Chiyoko Suzuku in the Central California farming town of Cressey in 1930, she was the youngest of four children of Chiyosaku and Aki Suzuki, and grew up on the family farm. With her family, she was incarcerated as a child at the\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Merced_(detention_facility)/\" title=\"Merced (detention facility)\">\n Merced Assembly Center\n </a>\n and the\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Amache_(Granada)/\" title=\"Amache (Granada)\">\n Amache\n </a>\n , Colorado, concentration camp during World War II. After leaving Amache to work on a Colorado sugar beet farm, the family moved back to California after the war. After high school, Suzuki attended San Francisco City College and San Jose State, while also singing a small nightclub on weekends. She headed east, intending to go to Europe, but ended up broke in New York in 1954. She subsequently landed a job in the road company of the play\n <i>\n Teahouse of the August Moon\n </i>\n .\n <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-1\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-1\">\n [1]\n </a>\n </sup>\n </p>\n <p>\n When on tour with the show in Seattle, she went to a nightclub named The Colony and sang with the band. Club owner and local jazz impresario Norm Bobrow hired her a regular at the club, where she made her debut in July 1955. Bobrow became her manager, and the two also become a couple. It was here that she was \"discovered\" by Bing Crosby, who helped her secure a record contract with RCA Records, with her first album released on its Vik subsidiary in 1958. Three more albums would follow; her third,\n <i>\n Broadway '59\n </i>\n was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1960. She also began making appearances on various television shows.\n <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref1_2-0\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref1-2\">\n [2]\n </a>\n </sup>\n </p>\n <p>\n In the meantime, the legendary team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist and producer Oscar Hammerstein II were developing a play for the Broadway stage set in San Francisco's Chinatown and looking for Asian American performers for the cast. Rodgers spotted Suzuki on one of her TV appearances and she ended up cast as one of the leads in\n <i>\n Flower Drum Song\n </i>\n , the American born nightclub performer Linda Low. The show opened on Broadway on December 1, 1958 and ran for over 600 performances. Suzuki and co-star Miyoshi Umeki landed on the cover of\n <i>\n TIME\n </i>\n magazine's December 22, 1958 issue. After the show's run ended in 1960, a movie version followed, but the role of Linda Low went to Nancy Kwan.\n </p>\n <p>\n In 1960, she married photographer David Shaw, who was well-known for his work for fashion magazines and for\n <i>\n LIFE\n </i>\n . Assigned to photograph Jacqueline Kennedy for\n <i>\n LIFE\n </i>\n in 1959, he became the family's semi-official photographer, and he and Suzuki became friends with the Kennedys. She sang at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961. After the birth of a son, Suzuki cut back on her performances before later announcing her retirement from show business.\n <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref2_3-0\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref2-3\">\n [3]\n </a>\n </sup>\n </p>\n <p>\n The couple divorced in 1965, and she returned to performing, making her living with nightclub appearances and acting in stage productions, along with occasional television appearances. In 1974, she played one of the leading roles in the pioneering Asian American play\n <i>\n The Year of Dragon\n </i>\n in both the New York production and the subsequent PBS television production. She was also a regular in the short-lived 1976 ABC TV series\n <i>\n Mr. T. and Tina\n </i>\n starring Pat Morita, one of the first network show featuring a predominantly Asian American cast. In addition to various TV roles, she continued to perform in nightclubs and did benefit shows for Asian American organizations.\n <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref3_4-0\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref3-4\">\n [4]\n </a>\n </sup>\n She was honored by the\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Japanese_American_National_Museum/\" title=\"Japanese American National Museum\">\n Japanese American National Museum\n </a>\n in 2001 and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California in 2005 and appeared in\n <i>\n [\n <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"https://resourceguide.densho.org/Manzanar:%20Story%20of%20an%20American%20Family%20(play)/%7CManzanar:\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n An American Story\n </a>\n ]\n </i>\n in 2005. A compilation CD titled\n <i>\n The Very Best of Pat Suzuki: The RCA and Vik Recordings\n </i>\n was issued by Taragon Records in 1999.\n </p>\n <div id=\"authorByline\">\n <b>\n Authored by\n <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Brian_Niiya/\" title=\"Brian Niiya\">\n Brian Niiya\n </a>\n , Densho\n </b>\n </div>\n <div id=\"citationAuthor\" style=\"display:none;\">\n Niiya, Brian\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n <h2>\n <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n For More Information\n </span>\n </h2>\n <div class=\"section_content\">\n <p>\n Cross, Lucy E. \"\n <a class=\"external text offsite\" href=\"http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/pat-suzuki\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n Pat Suzuki.\n </a>\n \" Masterworks Broadway website.\n </p>\n <p>\n \"The Girls on Grant Avenue.\"\n <i>\n TIME\n </i>\n Magazine, Dec. 22, 1958, p. 42+.\n </p>\n <p>\n Lee, Joann Faung Jean.\n <i>\n Asian American Actors: Oral Histories from Stage, Screen, and Television\n </i>\n . Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2000.\n </p>\n <p>\n Wakiji, George M. \"Pat Suzuki: Chanteuse Extraordinaire.\"\n <i>\n Rafu Shimpo\n </i>\n , Dec. 20, 1957, 19.\n </p>\n </div>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"Footnotes\">\n <h2>\n <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Footnotes\">\n Footnotes\n </span>\n </h2>\n <div class=\"section_content\">\n <div class=\"reflist\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal;\">\n <div class=\"mw-references-wrap\">\n <ol class=\"references\">\n <li id=\"cite_note-1\">\n <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-1\">\n ↑\n </a>\n </span>\n <span class=\"reference-text\">\n George M. Wakiji, \"Pat Suzuki: Chanteuse Extraordinaire.\"\n <i>\n Rafu Shimpo\n </i>\n , Dec. 20, 1957, 19; Lucy E. Cross, \"Pat Suzuki.\" Masterworks Broadway website, accessed on June 6, 2014 at\n <a class=\"external free offsite\" href=\"http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/pat-suzuki\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/pat-suzuki\n </a>\n .\n </span>\n </li>\n <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref1-2\">\n <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref1_2-0\">\n ↑\n </a>\n </span>\n <span class=\"reference-text\">\n Wakiji, \"Pat Suzuki: Chanteuse Extraordinaire,\"; Cross, \"Pat Suzuki\"; \"The Girls on Grant Avenue,\"\n <i>\n TIME\n </i>\n , Dec. 22, 1958, 42;\n <i>\n Pacific Citizen\n </i>\n , June 10, 1961, 3; Paul de Barros, \"Obituary: Norm Bobrow, Seattle Jazz Champion,\"\n <i>\n Seattle Times\n </i>\n , Apr. 17, 2008, accessed at\n <a class=\"external free offsite\" href=\"http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/obituary-norm-bobrow-seattle-jazz-champion/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/obituary-norm-bobrow-seattle-jazz-champion/\n </a>\n on Nov. 1, 2016.\n </span>\n </li>\n <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref2-3\">\n <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref2_3-0\">\n ↑\n </a>\n </span>\n <span class=\"reference-text\">\n \"Biography of Photographer Mark Shaw,\" Mark Shaw Photographic Archive,\n <a class=\"external free offsite\" href=\"http://markshawphoto.com/biography-of-photographer-mark-shaw/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n http://markshawphoto.com/biography-of-photographer-mark-shaw/\n </a>\n ; \"Never-Before-Seen Kennedy Family Photos Released,\" CBS News, Sept. 19, 2012,\n <a class=\"external free offsite\" href=\"http://www.cbsnews.com/news/never-before-seen-kennedy-family-photos-released/\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n http://www.cbsnews.com/news/never-before-seen-kennedy-family-photos-released/\n </a>\n ; Bob Thomas, \"Pat Suzuki Resumes Career After Her Nursery Stint,\"\n <i>\n Ocala Star-Banner\n </i>\n , Oct. 6, 1963, p. 30,\n <a class=\"external free offsite\" href=\"http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19631006&id=1PYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CQUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4929,920973\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19631006&id=1PYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CQUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4929,920973\n </a>\n , all accessed on March 6, 2014. Larry Tajiri, \"Vagaries: Latest from Broadway,\"\n <i>\n Pacific Citizen\n </i>\n , Jan. 20, 1961, 3.\n </span>\n </li>\n <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref3-4\">\n <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref3_4-0\">\n ↑\n </a>\n </span>\n <span class=\"reference-text\">\n See for instance, Karen Chinn, \"Pat Suzuki: Coming Home,\"\n <i>\n International Examiner\n </i>\n , Oct. 1979, p. 3.\n </span>\n </li>\n </ol>\n </div>\n </div>\n <!-- \nNewPP limit report\nCached time: 20240418160804\nCache expiry: 86400\nDynamic content: false\nComplications: []\nCPU time usage: 0.015 seconds\nReal time usage: 0.021 seconds\nPreprocessor visited node count: 188/1000000\nPost‐expand include size: 1817/2097152 bytes\nTemplate argument size: 213/2097152 bytes\nHighest expansion depth: 6/40\nExpensive parser function count: 0/100\nUnstrip recursion depth: 0/20\nUnstrip post‐expand size: 3109/5000000 bytes\nExtLoops count: 0\n-->\n <!--\nTransclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template)\n100.00% 16.038 1 -total\n 41.30% 6.623 1 Template:Databox-People\n 18.19% 2.918 1 Template:Reflist\n 8.52% 1.367 1 Template:AuthorByline\n 8.36% 1.341 1 Template:Published\n-->\n <!-- Saved in parser cache with key encycmw:pcache:idhash:2109-0!canonical and timestamp 20240418160804 and revision id 35876\n -->\n </div>\n </div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"toplink\">\n <a href=\"#top\">\n <i class=\"icon-chevron-up\">\n </i>\n Top\n </a>\n</div>", "categories": [ "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/categories/People/?format=api", "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/categories/Arts/?format=api" ], "sources": [], "coordinates": {}, "authors": [ "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/authors/Brian%20Niiya/?format=api" ], "ddr_topic_terms": [], "prev_page": "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/articles/Pat%20Morita/?format=api", "next_page": "http://encyclopedia.densho.org/api/0.1/articles/Patricia%20Saiki/?format=api" }