interesting black history & music

Subject: RE: interesting black history & music
From: sian, west wales
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 10:59 AM

Can't help Charley, but I thought I'd just mention a passage I cam across just this weekend. I was reading "Face the Music: Church and Chapel Bands in Cornwall" by Harry Woodhouse - which I've now finished and enjoyed tremendously - and he has this on p. 95: "In his excellent book, 'Music and Musicians in Early 19th Century Cornwall', Dr Richard MacGrady tells the story of the negro slave Joseph Emidy, who played the violin, and settled in Falmouth. We found in the accounts for Crantock for 1830: 'Paid Thos. Emidy for Repairing Violoncello 10s 6d', and again in the St Michael Penkevil accounts for 1838: 'Paid to Thos. Emidy for repairing the Bass Vile £1.' It is likely that Thomas came from the same family."

OK - just a small thing but it sounds as though Joseph was freed and found a home in Cornwall. Be kind of interesting to know more ...

sian

Subject: RE: interesting black history & music
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 10:15 AM

That's interesting, Charley. Thanks for posting.

Hope you are able to find more about Ella Madison.

Subject: RE: interesting black history & music
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 09:41 PM

This is more of an inquiry about the musical Black performing groups that my mother's nurse maid was associated with in the 19th century. Her name was Ella Robinson Madison.

Ella was born in 1854 in Saratoga Springs, New York, the youngest of 10 children. At the age of 15 she moved to New York City and marched in the last 14th Amendment Day parade. Her first acting role was as "Topsy" in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a production which began at New York City's Grand Opera House and then toured Europe in 1878, beginning in England and then going to Germany and Switzerland.

When she returned to New York City, she formed a partnership with a Charles Asbury. This new act was called "The Virginia Duo" and opened at the Museum Theatre. Later "The Virginia Duo" toured Europe performing in Holland as well as England, Germany and Switzerland.

She then formed an association with Herman Lindy's "Female Quartet" and toured again in England and Continental Europe. She traveled abroad and performed for years, finally returning to New York City in 1891. According to Edward Perry, "Ella Robinson sang before many crowned heads and other aristocrats. She received numerous decorations, jewels and money."

I haven't been able to find any reference via Goggle for the musical groups she was associated with. Although I have found occasional references to her agents.

She also played a singing role in the first production of Porgy (later transformed into Porgy & Bess) in the late 1920's.

I would appreciate any further leads or information.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: interesting black history & music
From: GUEST,Dani
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 07:28 PM

Hey, give us a minute!

It is scary how soon something can fade away when there are so MANY threads these days.

Refresh every once in a while, and you'll catch some fish like me : )

Dani

Subject: RE: interesting black history
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 04:08 PM

Isn't anybody interested in hearing authentic music from the past? If you are, post a ocmment - just a word of thanks or whatnot, or this thread will disappear.

Subject: RE: interesting black history
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 07:53 PM

Thanks for posting. The music is beautiful - so rich.

Subject: RE: interesting black history
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 10:30 PM

Here's the URL, and with luck, a blue clicky:

http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artists-Document-Records-Black-Vocal-Groups-Vol-9-1929-1942-MP3-Download/10875295.html

deep river singers

You have to scroll down to find the Deep River Singers. However, I'm sure all the groups are good.

Subject: interesting black history & music
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Feb 08 - 10:24 PM

February is Black History month, and a few days ago the Kansas City Star had an article about Western University, a black college in what is now Kansas City, Kansas.

Even better, it had links so that we can hear singers from Western on the Internet. Ta da!

Here's some good stuff from the article:

It's impossible to know what a Kentucky audience expected that March night in 1927 when the all-black Jackson Jubilee Singers from tiny Western University in Quindaro, Kan., took to the stage.

But it's clear what they thought when the haunting strains of the last spiritual faded into a brief silence.

The 500 rapt listeners, the largest crowd ever gathered in the high school auditorium, leaped to their feet in an "uproar of applause," according to one news account.

"Last night's program was conceded to be one of the best that has ever been presented in Paducah," the reviewer gushed.

So who were these Kansas performers who inspired such unabashed praise?

Much about the Jackson Jubilee Singers has faded into history. But for a time, roughly between 1907 and 1940, they were wildly popular with both black and white audiences.

They toured the United States and Canada on the old Chautauqua circuit that brought culture, packaged as popular entertainment, to the masses.

But more crucial than that, the troupe of talented young singers raised awareness of and funding for Western University, making it for a brief time one of the best-known secondary schools for African-Americans in the nation and the best musical training venue for blacks in the Midwest.
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I am going to put the link to the recording in the next post to make sure I don't lose the material above. Give me five minutes.