[Gregory Hines]' own brand of stick-to-itiveness-there are those who have a different name for it-led to some pretty unusual professional experiences. During rehearsals for "Sophisticated Ladies," in which he'd been cast in his first starring role, he complained vociferously about the path the show was taking. The morning after "Ladies" opened at the Kennedy Center, the producers announced that Hines had been fired, despite rave reviews for him and mixed ones for the show. Yet within hours, Hines found himself rehired, and director-choreographer Donald McKayle given the boot. According to the vindicated star, the company had refused to perform without him.

The Hines Kids-later known as the Hines Brothers, still later known as Hines, Hines and Dad after their drummer father joined the act-went on to perform at the Apollo Theater and on the nightclub circuit. Though they did attend the Professional Children's School for a time, the brothers worked mostly in the summer and during vacations, affording them time for a neighborhood life, football, baseball and basketball, and a healthy family relationship.

By the time Hines reached his mid-twenties, he'd had it with The Act. "I was married, with a daughter; I had a great apartment, a nice car, a dog-and I was miserable," he recalls. "It's one thing to come out of college and go to work at your father's law firm and be the Son at the end of Hines, Hines and Son. But this was different. All artists come to a point when they want to do it their own way."