AN AMERICAN MUSICIAN
In 1842 that solemn and respectable newspaper, the New Orleans 'Bee,' published an obituary for an itinerant African-American street-hawker and singer whose name and history were generally unknown.
Going by the sobriquet of "Old Corn-Meal," this character was widely-known to (and apparently widely-mourned by) not just the citizens of New Orleans, but also to a great many businessmen and visitors from the Americas and Europe.   Similar eulogies appeared in the 'Picayune,' while two decades later he was still being remembered in the New York news.
For more than a dozen years, Old Corn-Meal had driven his wagon through the city, stopping at the major hotels, government offices, and business-districts to sell bags of "Indian meal" from the back. He announced his presence and attracted customers by dancing and singing. He was known for switching back and forth between his natural baritone voice and a high-pitched falsetto, accompanying himself in popular tunes as well as his own creations. Frequently, while slave-auctions were taking place in front of the City Hotel or at the St. Charles, he would be there at the edges of the crowd purveying his corn meal and music.
He is known to have appeared on the stage at the St. Charles in 1837 (a skit in which his horse fell from the stage and died) - spoken of as the first appearance by a black man on a white stage in New Orleans. He later performed on several occasions at the Camp Street Theatre. Which tells us that he was widely-known, and his performances were appreciated.
For us today, Old Corn-Meal would just be a "character" (maybe similar to San Francisco's Emperor Norton). Except that his unique performances were observed and faithfully copied by Thomas D. Rice - the early white performer who perfected the minstrel-show character Jim Crow.   Rice visited New Orleans in 1835, and returned the following year with a skit called "Corn Meal." And George Nichols, the originator of the song 'Jump Jim Crow' (originally sung in circus-clown costume, before Rice made Crow a "darkie") was reported to have copied the tune from Old Corn-Meal earlier in the 1830s.
The blackface minstrel-shows which grew in popularity from the that period - as well as the later "coon-songs" of vaudeville and ragtime that followed - owe a great deal to this New Orleans character. And the music and racial-characterization bowdlerized from his musical performances created a significant perception of African-Americans that has echoes today. In justice, we are certain that Old Corn-Meal had no intention of victimizing his people, and would likely be bewildered by the manner in which his songs and dancing would be construed.
#anamericanmusician
Historic images of Jim Crow dancers accompanied by the song:
https://youtu.be/T5FpKAxQNKU?si=e7S0QskDrV-grCxh