The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #52464 Message #1835404
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
15-Sep-06 - 01:04 PM
Thread Name: Origin: Jim Along Josey / Jim Along Josie
Subject: RE: Jim Along Josie: lyrics and origin
I'd say a damn good job of reading. I noticed a couple of places where you mis-spelled a mis-spelled (invented dialect) word, but that don't make no never mind. The blackface minstrels were very popular on the English stage, with both touring and local troupes performing. This sheet music is not credited to any group of performers, so may be a compilation.
The names Romeo Prescott and Bill Shikspur may belong to actual performers (or their names in slightly changed form) and perhaps could help date the sheet music (I would guess 1840's).
There are several copies in the Bodleian, but I haven't checked them. One has been printed in one of these threads, but I haven't looked for it yet.