A selection of black artists who performed over the past two centuries
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THE BANJO PLAYER

THE BONES PLAYER

THE FIDDLE PLAYER

IN THE STORE
by Kemble

JAMES HEWLITT
in Shakespearean Role
African Grove Theatre

IRA ALDRIDGE
began acting career at African Grove Theatre

ELIZABETH GREENFIELD
Singer 1820s
Toured Europe

AFRICAN MUSICIAN
Africans introduce banjo to America

THE LUCAS FAMILY
Pre-Civil War Minstrels

"DANCING THE SLAVES"
Slaves were forced to dance on the decks of the ships that brought them to the New World so that they would appear healthy on the auction block.

JIM CROW
T.J. "Daddy Rice, an unemployed white actor, watched a crippled black man sing and dance. Rice copied his song, dance and clothing, blacked his face and started the blackface minstrel stereotype.

JUBA
Early Tap Dancer

JOSIAH HENDERSON
his life experiences formed the character of
"UNCLE TOM"

"THE WHIPPING"
Favorite scene of audiences for the play,
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

BILLBOARD POSTER
Made up of a collage of the characters and scenes from play

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON (center)
BOB COLE (left)
J.ROSAMOND JOHNSON (right)
Song-writing team for many Broadway hit shows and stars 1900-1910

BOB COLE (standing)
J. ROSAMOND JOHNSON (seated)
Toured U.S. as performers without appearing in blackface. Sang both classical arias and Broadway show tunes.

BOB COLE as WILLIE WAYSIDE
A REAL RENAISSANCE MAN
Bob was a Writer, Director, Actor, Singer and Dancer. He wrote and self-produced one of the first all-black Broadway shows

GEORGE WALKER (left)
BERT WILLIAMS(center)
ADA OVERTON WALKER

BERT WILLIAMS & GEORGE WALKER
This dapper comedy team heard that one of the Rockefellers loved to Cakewalk so they offered him a challenge which he did not accept.

ADA OVERTON WALKER
GEORGE WALKER
Ada was quite a gifted performer also. When her husband, George was near death, she donned his costume and went onstage in his place. She was so convincing that they say the audience never knew the difference

BERT WILLIAMS
A light-skinned man of West Indian heritage, Bert spent his entire stage career in blackface.

BERT WILLIAMS
Loved by all audiences, Bert became a major star in the Ziegfield Follies after the death of his partner, George Walker.

BERT WILLIAMS
It was said that Bert could elicit laughter from an audience without moving more than six inches

MADAME SISSIERETTA JONES
aka BLACK PATTI
Classical Singer who toured with her show
BLACK PATTI'S TROUBADOURS

SO-DIFFERENT SOUTHERN FOUR
Touring company for TOBA aka "Tough on Black Actors"

BESSIE SMITH
Mother of the blues

CHARLES GILPIN

IN ABRAHAM'S BOSOM

EARL JONES
Father of James Earl Jones