Celestine Tate Harrington (October 15, 1955 – February 25, 1998) was an American quadriplegic street musician who was well known for playing the keyboard with her lips, teeth and tongue on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Tate was born with arthrogryposis multiplex, which erodes connective tissue, and in her case, greatly reduced her limb development[2] (also variously ascribed to an attempted abortion[3][4]).
[5] She met a nursing home aide in 1974, while she was in care at a rehabilitation center,[2] and she gave birth in November 1975[6] to daughter Niya; the boyfriend had advised abortion, and was not around.
[2] When Niya was four months old, Celestine visited the Philadelphia Department of Public Welfare for assistance, but instead the social worker recommended that the child be removed, claiming that she could not be receiving adequate care.
[6] In the custody hearing Celestine "startled the courtroom" when she dressed and undressed Niya using only her lips, teeth and tongue.
In a Jet magazine article covering the court case, Celestine demonstrated typing 35 words per minute, handwriting, playing the organ, controlling a television, and taking complete care of her baby with her mouth.
[10] In January 1978, she announced plans to publish her autobiography, then titled All By Myself, with J.B. Lippincott & Co., and to "get out of this house ... find me a man and move to the suburbs.
[12] Jet reported in late 1980 that Celestine had attempted suicide by overdose, due to difficulties finding a home, and publishers turning down manuscripts of her autobiography (then titled To Those Who Ask: Why Me?)
Starting in the 1980s she performed on streets in downtown Philadelphia, then shifted venues to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, playing on a portable keyboard using her tongue.
[15][16] She went to court to challenge the constitutionality of the law, but her attorney had reached a settlement with the city to apply for a permit to solicit, as veterans do.
[3][9] Her daily street performances, in front of Bally's Park Place casino and Caesars, included "Stormy Weather", "Amazing Grace",[9] "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "Born Free",[21] and patriotic hymns like "America the Beautiful"[2] and other religious tunes.