<I>Down In Memphis -They're Wearing Out Their Shoes, Dancing To "The Blues"</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1916
name: label: Composed by
content: Hi Wilson
label: Written by
content: Hale N. Byers
label: Published by
content: Charles Leslie Johnson, American, 1876 - 1950
label: Published by
content: Chas. L. Johnson Music Company, American
label: Owned by
content: Vernon Sugg McDonald, American, 1906 - 1982
notes: label: Description
content: Sheet music for the song Down in Memphis. The front cover for the sheet music features an illustration of an African American man dancing while several other people look on and play instruments. The scene takes place on a dock at night and a boat can be seen in the water. Red and white type on the front cover above the image reads: [DOWN IN MEMPHIS / -THEY'RE WEARING OUT THEIR SHOES, DANCING TO "THE BLUES"]. Below the image, red type reads: [The / great "levee" / song of the South / by / HI WILSON / HALE BYERS]. A text box logo in blue ink on the bottom of the front cover reads: [CHAS. L. JOHNSON / MUSIC COMPANY / GORDON-KOPPEL BLDG. / LIVE-WIRE / MUSIC / MUSIC COMPANY / KANSAS CITY, MO.]. The front inside cover has sheet music in black ink for additional songs. The interior of the sheet music consists of three pages of sheet music in black ink for Down in Memphis. The top of the back cover has a drawing in black ink of a man playing a trombone. There is also sheet music for a song titled: [Doodle De-Dum].
label: Statement
content: Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
place: label: Place collected
content: Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
label: Place printed
content: Kansas City, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
label: Cultural Place
content: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Blackface
label: Topic
content: Ragtime (Music)
label: Topic
content: Stereotypes
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Racist and Stereotypical Objects
label: Classification
content: Written Music
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Sylvia Alden Roberts
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.275.3
objectType: label: Type
content: sheet music
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 13 3/4 × 10 5/16 in. (34.9 × 26.2 cm)