I think "coon" music was generally composed and performed by white men in English music-hall and American burlesque/vaudeville; I've even heard of black men "blacking up" to perform, because it was not acceptable for black people to be on the stage.

As I understand it, "coon" music portrayed a life of happy darkies living a life of innocent sweetness despite their hard work - must have been attractive to the audiences of music hall and vaudeville, who themselves lived in such conditions of bestial misery.