The Resume

(September 30, 1913-April 19, 2003)
Born in Pratt City, Alabama
Birth name was Charles Sylvan Atkinson
Tap dancer and choreographer
Partnered with Charles ‘Honi’ Coles (1940-59)
Appeared on Broadway in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ (1949-51)
In-house choreographer for Motown Records (1964-71)

Why he might be annoying:

He started as a singing waiter.
His second wife had previously been married to Honi Coles, which must have made for some awkward moments in their partnership.
He was supposed to introduce the Temptations on the ‘Motown 25’ TV special, but his part was cut four hours before taping (1983).

Why he might not be annoying:

He won his first dance contest at age ten.
He won a Tony for choreographing the musical ‘Black and Blue.’ (1989)
He received a fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts to teach ‘vocal choreography,’ the distinctive stage moves he created for acts like the Temptations and the Supremes.
Martha Reeves said, ‘Our performances had twice the value because of his input.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 79]
• Choreographers
• I Am Vaudeville [A-L]
• I Appeared on Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon [C-D]
• I Died in 2003 (Ranked: 89)
• I Have Pancreatic Cancer
• Motown Vocalists
• My Nickname is Part of My Name [A-L]
• Profiles 47501-47750 (Ranked: 47723)
• Sweet Home Alabama
• Tap Dancers

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying