Blacks on Broadway
Bob Cole
Robert Allen Cole was born on July 1, 1868, in Athens, Georgia, the son of former slaves. Like Will Marion Cook and James Reese Europe, he became one of the most important composers of his generation, creating a model for other African-American musicians and composers. By 1891 Cole was a member of Jack's Creoles, a black minstrel company based in Chicago. Within two or three years, however, Cole began to hammer out his own vision of black theater.
“Under the Bamboo Tree”
“This song was written by Bob Cole and J. Rosamond Johnson.
By 1901, Bob Cole and Rosamond Johnson had put together a sophisticated vaudeville act. Dressed in evening clothes, Rosamond played classical works on the piano, then the pair sang their own compositions and ended the act with a soft-shoe routine by Cole. According to Rosamond, they were walking back uptown after a performance one day when he began to hum the African-American spiritual Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen. Hearing the song, Cole got the idea to rearrange it and work it into their act. When Rosamond objected that this was sacrilegious, Cole responded, "What kind of a musician are you anyway? Been to the Boston Conservatory and can't change a little old tune around." By the time Rosamond finally conceded, Cole had already written the words. The resulting song, Under the Bamboo Tree, sold over 400,000 copies, making it one of the biggest sellers ever.
Described as "the king of ragtime tunes", it was one of the most significant and successful ragtime songs before 1910. Its setting is an African jungle where a Zulu and a dusky maid become convinced that two men can live as cheaply as one. Even though the lyric was authored by 2 African Americans, it would be found terribly offensive today.” — Joop’s Musical Flowers
“…Cole is "the single greatest force in the middle period of the development of black theatricals in America." Although he is still not well known today, history bears out much of Johnson's claim. Cole was one of the handful of truly pioneering black composers and performers of his time.” - Library of Congress
A TRIP TO COONTOWN - 1898
“The first full-length New York musical comedy written, directed and performed exclusively by Black people. It relied on minstrel stereotypes to tell the story of con artist Jimmy Flimflammer's unsuccessful attempts to steal an old man's pension. With variety acts thrown in to keep things lively, the show had a successful tour and two runs in New York.” - BlackWorkBroadway.com
Williams & Walker
Abbey Mitchell
Abriea "Abbie" Mitchell Cook (25 September 1884 – 16 March 1960), also billed as Abbey Mitchell, was an American soprano opera singer. She performed the role of "Clara" in the premier production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in 1935, and was also the first to record "Summertime" from that musical. - Wikopedia
Shuffle Along and Porgy & Bess
Bert Williams
Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being the first black man to have the leading role in a film: Darktown Jubilee in 1914. - Wikopedia
