*The Original Copasetics were formed on this date in 1949. They were an ensemble of star tap dancers formed in New York City. The Copasetics formed due to Bill Bojangles Robinson’s death to help revive the dance art of tap.
The first group included composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn, the choreographers Cholly Atkins, Honi Coles, Charles “Cookie” Cook, and his dance partner Ernest “Brownie” Brown. Other dancers included Chuck Green, Jimmy Slyde, and Howard “Sandman” Sims.
The group took its name from Robinson’s familiar observation that “everything is copasetic” and was honored in the 1989 Broadway revue Black and Blue.
