Explore the remarkable life and music of Indiana songwriter Stoughton “Bruz” Fletcher, a groundbreaking artist whose work challenged conventions of gender and sexuality decades before the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Host Kyle Long will talk with author and researcher Tyler Alpern, whose book “Camped, Tramped and a Riotous Vamp” remains the definitive biography of Bruz Fletcher.
Born into one of Indiana’s most prominent and wealthy families, Bruz Fletcher spent his childhood at the lavish Indianapolis estate Laurel Hall. Despite his privileged upbringing, Fletcher struggled to find acceptance in a society that offered little space for openly queer voices. Drawing on his experiences, he developed a distinctive songwriting style filled with wit, sophistication, camp humor, and coded references to LGBTQ+ life.
During the 1930s, Fletcher wrote and recorded songs unlike anything else being produced in American popular music. Among his most remarkable works is the 1937 recording “It,” a song centered on a non-binary character. Today, Fletcher is recognized by scholars as one of the earliest American songwriters to create music explicitly reflecting LGBTQ+ experiences.
Yet despite his talent, Fletcher’s life was marked by personal struggles. In 1941, at the age of 34, he died by suicide, leaving behind a body of work that would remain largely forgotten for decades
Tune in for an in-depth look at one of Indiana’s most fascinating—and most overlooked—musical innovators.
