The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1874-10-29

uANJo nraNIsoKNcKs
RICE ANp 1N tUow=eA trnBy ur rGtu.
uJNr LINCOLN.

s#Wuti hadlagd.
RCpurlsF-To your know lcdge who
was tbo frst man who blaeked bis face as
8 MINSTREL
II WAS r. y. Rice, who became 80 ia.
nous as Jim Grow and Long Tail Blue.
Tie was lamp-lighior Ia theatre IN
Louisville when Mrs Drake, The ancestor
q the Chapman sisters, was there he
drsl sung the song as a benefit. Il rep
resented q local character Of Louisville,
and made a great biz. You recolleet Il
wish was the President
OF these United States
I'd lick m0lgssrs candy
Aud swing upon tho gates.
Wheel about aud turn about,
And do Just so.
Aud every time | whegl.ahout
| jump jim Grow,
He also did the famous opera Of Oh.
Hushl That opera was written by
kentuekiau, Phil White, who became
Prothouotsry of Philadelphia, aud WAS
noted as a temperance lee uer Rice
went to England in 1887, to star on his
own account and Ia his own pieces
lie was very patriotic, though, aud wore
on his coat and vest, aud pants even
American gold coin for buttons, aud
eagles, half eagles and two and a half
pieces,
suppose be had imitators at onoel
Yes, indeed immediately following
Daddy Rice came George " Dickson,
DE was once an editor oi newspaper Ia
New York IN 1888, think. He was
also a leader in the hcan riot at the Park
Theathrc, ia New York. He went about
as political singer in the campaign OF
1910, singing the Harrison songs.
When was negro minstresy first or.
ganzcd?
IL was on the occasion Of Dick Pei.
hams benefit In the latter part Of 1872
The baud was composed of Pelham,
Frank Brewer, now dead; Dan Emmett
now keeping Il saloon in Chicago; Billy
Whitloeh, now in the Custom House,
New York, aud myself.
And what songs did you have on the
programme?
We had such as Dan Tucker, Boat
man Dance, jim along Josey, jimmy get
your hoe cake done, Mnssa IN the cold
ground, Lucy Long, Lucy Neal, Lubly
Fanny, etc were done without a petit.
coat, aud there were individual burles-
ques in those days, a Ia Fanny FIser,
by Dan Gardner or Barney Williams
Barney Williams, do you sayl
Yes, Barney was an ambitious perform.
er, and he wanted to be minstrel. lie
would play the bonee ono night. the tam
hourne the next, oranythiug they chose
TO put him At, You recollect IN 1874 WHOM
Clay and Frelinghuysen were running,
we used to go about in black singing
songs. One day we went up to Raritan,
New Jersey, to serenade Frelnghuysen.
The day previous we had been down TO
Rhode Island TO try and sing Governor
Dorr out of his scrape. On this account
the Jersey folks took it that we had no
right to sing Whig songs, and we receiv-
ed salute of tomatoes, potatoes, cab
bages, turnips, sc. Barney got bis Irish
up and wanted to fight the whole crowd,
but prudence got the better part Of valor,
aud we went down to our boats, and get.
ting on our day clothes, escaped. There
was In the company at that time man
by the name Of Sam johnson, who is now
millionaire in 81, Louis. He was called
the Green Mountain Boy, and was a fan-
tastiG fiddler
Speaking Of Barney Williams rcminGs
us to ask if minstrolsy pays as we'll as the
legitimate business?
Perhaps not as a rule. Yet, John 4.
Owens may attribute his success, or hi.
/ first start in life to playing Uncle Tom.
| lie played it at the 81. Charles Theatre,
( Baltimore, under bis own management.
/ lie was Uncle Tom, with the Howard
family, which played Eva, Topsy and 81.
Clair. That engagement secured his
present homestead, liquidated al his
debts, aud brought him out with thou.
sands Of dollars Ia his pocket.
( Aud what has it done for the opera;
/ might mention hundreds who have
graduated from minstrelsy 10 opera.
mast mention the great author OF ~ wish
| I was ia Dixie" President Lincoln
wished 10 have that proclaimed ~ ma.
tional song, lie said once, II they tthe
1 soutb) steal the country, don't let them
steal that song. Emmet has furnished
minstrel tronpes with many Of their songs
and nearly an Of their popular walk
arouuds, such ~ Amt Giad," "Coms
out Of de Wilderness" etc Artemas
Ward wrote one popular song, "lIand
Down De Trumpet" He got the points
from a camp-meeting In Ohio.
a young man in one Of the Penobsoot
/ river towns ia MaiHc, recently supposiDg