1976 February 3

Black Experience in the Arts Collection

Master tap dancer Conrad "Little Buck" Buckner introduced himself to students at the University of Connecticut in his 1974 appearance by performing several dance routines. He told students about growing up in Kansas City, Missouri and how his father, a singer, taught him to tap dance at age 5. As a child, he performed alongside many future famous entertainers such as Jane Wyman, Patricia Wymore, Joan Crawford, and Marlon Brando. Even as a young man he comprehended that he was the only black performer on stage or in a program. Buckner performed on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including a September 27, 1959 performance on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan show