Amateur Night at the Apollo

Amateur Night at the Apollo is live entertainment with a history. This weekly talent competition began in 1934 and within months became a leading showcase for emerging performers. Among its early winners was a 15-year-old Ella Fitzgerald. Since then the series has launched the careers of James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Lauryn Hill.

Today Amateur Night attracts performers and audiences from around the world. Audience members, known for their toughness and expectation that contestants “be good or be gone,” gleefully choose the winners.