Jamelle Dolphin

Jamelle Dolphin – Jamelle is the grandson of John Dolphin and is represented by AWS. The John Dolphin story was developed by AWS Management into a non-fiction book, which is now available on Amazon Kindle. AWS is also producing the stage musical, Recorded In Hollywood, which is currently in development. The screenplay treatment, written by a WGA writer is available for option. (All rights reserved, intellectual property is copyright at the Library of Congress, and registered with the Writer's Guild of the West). John Dolphin was the most successful black businessman in South Central Los Angeles during the 40s and 50s, owning a record store, radio broadcast, and record labels with some of the finest doo-wop and early R&B on the West Coast.

Everyone who was anyone in the black entertainment business, stopped by John Dolphin’s store, Dolphins of Hollywood, on Vernon and Central Avenue in Los Angeles during the 40s and 50s, until his murder in 1958. He was only 56 years old. Many musicians recorded music on John’s record label. The legendary Sam Cooke (A Change is Gonna Come, Chain Gang, You Send Me, Wonderful World), was a good friend of John’s, as was Leon Washington, editor of LA’s seminal black newspaper, The Sentinel. When singers and musicians would visit his store, John played their music from hugely popular radio show, that was broadcast right from the store window, and store guests included Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina, James Brown, Little Richard, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Quincy Jones, and more. John was a pioneer of desegregation in the L.A. music scene, and overcame tremendous pressure and discrimination from a racist L.A.P.D., and pre-Civil Rights Act society. This important, but overlooked, story is an essential part of American music history, an important piece of black history, and an even bigger piece of Los Angeles history.