Having immigrated from Latvia, the Immerman brothers operated a Harlem delicatessen and made their fortune as bootleggers.
[3] Acts performing there included Louis Armstrong,[4] Fats Waller, Wilbur Sweatman, Peg Leg Bates,[5] Bricktop[6] and Fletcher Henderson.
Like the Cotton Club, Connie's Inn featured African American performers but restricted its audience to whites only.
[3] Members of the Ziegfeld Follies, heiress Gertrude Vanderbilt, and numerous others poured in from downtown to enjoy the shows at Connie's Inn and were sometimes influential in moving their revues to Broadway.
The repeal of Prohibition and the Great Depression played roles in the ultimate closure of Connie's Inn, and the Immerman brothers were forced to obtain individual employment.