ever produced was Thomas G. Bethune, who was born a blind slave at
Columbus, Ga., He became known throughout the world as “Blind Tom”.
He played difficult pieces on the piano when only four years old and
began giving concerts when eight years old. Although he had never
received any instructions he could correctly imitate the most difficult
piece after hearing it played but once. He was taken to Europe where
he won fame and honors playing before the crowned heads in all of the
important countries. His audiences would sit spellbound and entranced
as he imitated on the piano nearly every imaginable sound. Especially
were they moved and seemed to feel they were going through the actual
experience when he played “The Shipwreck.” At such times his magic
fingers drew from the ivory keys the far and low rumblings of fast
coming storms; the clanking of rattling chains among hastening crews;
the weird moans of increasing winds; the blood-curdling shrieks
of swooping sea-gulls; the distant booms of beach-breaking waves;
the flapping slaps of wind-whipped sails; the creaking timbers of
tossed-about ships; the soft murmurs of praying voices; the sudden
crashes of lightning bolts; loud rolling peals of overhead thunder and
the splashing sounds of down-pouring rains.
Another piano prodigy of the race is J. W. Boone of Columbia, Mo., who
became blind in his infancy. He is known as “Blind Boone” and although
he has been touring the country for forty years, he is still giving
piano recitals that hold his audiences in wonder and awe. He has such
a wonderful memory for musical details and such a delicate ear for
detecting musical sounds that he frequently listens to the playing of a
recognized pianist who has the sight of both eyes, and when that person
has finished, “Blind Boone” will go to the piano and amuse the audience
by showing the mistakes made by the other player and then presenting
the piece correctly. By many critics he is considered today as the
equal if not the superior of the famous “Blind Tom”. (Ref. Work’s Negro
Year Book, 1918-1919 edition, pgs. 327-28-29).
Named below are a few of the many Colored pianists in America today,
many of them having studied under some of the best masters in Europe
as well as in America, and all of them being finished musicians, and
several of them of national renown.
Nettie C. Asberry, Tocoma, Wash., S. N. Arter, Neola Bailey, Hampton,
Va., Bertha Beaumann, Boston, Mass., “Eubie” Blake, Lawrence Brown,
Boston, Mass., J. H. Buchanan, Durham, N. C., Mrs. L. E. Cain,
Princeton, N. J., Mae Clements, Mrs. R. N. Dett, Hampton, Va., Cleo M.
Dickerson, Chicago, Ill., N. Doxey, Eva Dykes, Washington, D.C., J.
H. Hebron, Phila., Pa., Mary Gibson, Washington, D.C., Clyde Glass,
Wilhelmina Harrison, and Mildren B. Jones of Chicago, Ill., E. Aldama
Jackson, N. Y., William King, Phila., Pa., Mrs. E. Lambert, Princeton,
N. J., Wm. S. Lawrence, Boston, Mass., Andradas Lindsay, A. Matthews,
Cincinnati, Ohio, Susie McDonald, Newark, N. J., Martha Mitchell,
Nellie M. Mundy, N. Y., Josephine Muse, Washington, D.C., Portia W.
Pittman, Maud Powell, A. W. Quarles, Cincinnati, Ohio., Helen H. Price,
Brooklyn, N. Y., C. Luckeyth Roberts, N. Y., Arthur W. Ross, Ruth
Rowan, Durham, N. C., Amy Steffens, Milwaukee, Wis., Samuel Stewart,
Columbus, Ohio, T. T. Taylor, Chicago, Ill., Roy Tibbs, Washington,
D.C., Hazel D. Thomas, E. Torney, Baltimore, Md.
The Pace Phonograph Corporation, New York City, is the first of its
kind in the world to be composed only of Colored people. It is presided
over by Harry H. Pace, a Colored man who founded it, and it is
turning out records reproducing only Negro music sung or played only
by Colored musicians. All of its officials and employees are Colored,
and its chief purpose is to preserve in vocal form such as are left of
the slave-songs of America. Its records are known as the “Black Swan
Records,” that are already in much demand and finding large sales.
Today the original and unique, singing of Perry Bradford’s “blues”
by Mamie Smith, is attracting admiration and endless praise on both
sides of the ocean. Her successful singing for the reproduction of
her voice on the records of the Okeh Phonograph Co., has made her the
first Colored female singer to so suddenly achieve world fame along
that line. It is said that the royalties from her records amount to
such a sum that it would gladden and look big in the eyes of even prima
donna singers in the operatic world. The records containing her voice
are in such demand by the public that the manufacturers turning out
the disc have to put on night shifts in conjunction with day shifts
in order to fill the orders piled up on their desks. In the fall of
1920 Miss Smith’s stage singing had become so popular that she had to
table engagements from Paris and London in order to fill a thirty week
touring engagement in the United States.
Band Musicians throughout the world heard of and learned to admire the
late James Reese Europe, who was one of the greatest “jazz” musicians
the world has ever heard. Of the four best bands overseas during the
World War and representing the four greatest nations, James Europe’s
American Colored bandmen were in demand more than any of the others,
especially in England and France.
At the St. Louis World Exposition of 1904 and at the Panama Exposition
held at San Francisco, Cal., in 1915, Major W. H. Loving, as conductor
of the famous Philippine Band, was among those who were awarded the
highest band honors for being among the greatest bandmasters of
the world. Other Colored musicians who have achieved success and
recognition as band leaders are quite numerous in America, and a few
of them are mentioned herewith; Lieut. Tim Bryan, F. L. Drye, W. H.
Howard, W. L. Jackson, C. Wesley Johnson, N. Clarke Smith, A. J.
Thomas, W. H. Vodery, and P. G. Lowery who has developed such a great
band that yearly throughout the seasons it is to be found with the
Ringling Bro. Show as one of its most important bands. W. H. Graham, as
well as a great band leader is a talented composer of band music. His
home is in Denver, Colorado.
According to the determinations of one of America’s nationally
recognized authorities and critics on Negro music composition, the
following ten named Colored composers are among the foremost in the
United States:
Harry T. Burleigh, whose “Deep River”, “Jean” and “The Soldier”
are three of his voice compositions that are among his numerous
spirituals and art-songs published by Ricordi & Co., New York City.
For his work as a singer and composer, Mr. Burleigh was awarded the
1917 Spingarn Medal.
Melville Charlton, whose piano production: Poeme Crotique is
published by Schirmer & Co., New York City.
Will Marion Cook, whose “The Bandanna Land”, “The Casino Girl”,
and “The Rain Song” are among his popular choruses in Negro style
that are published by Schirmer & Co., New York City. As director
of The New York Syncopated Orchestra and the celebrated Clef Club
Orchestra, Mr. Cook has won himself a place among the first-place
orchestra leaders in America and Europe.
R. Nathaniel Dett, whose chorals: “Chariot Jubilee”, “Listen To The
Lambs” and “I’m So Glad Trouble Don’t Last Alway” are among his
voice spirituals published by John Church Co., New York City; his
piano composition “Magnolia” which is one among others published
by Summy & Co., Chicago. A white publication, Musical America of
December 17, 1919, said, “If R. Nathaniel Dett had written no other
work, his “Chariot Jubilee” would suffice to make his name.” Mr.
Dett is also a noted pianist.
Carl Diton, whose pipe Organ production; “Swing Low Sweet, Chariot”
is published by Schirmer & Co., New York City, and whose voice
composition; “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” is published by Presser &
Co., Philadelphia, Pa.
Helen Hagan, who has composed for the piano; Concerto with
orchestral accompaniment (manuscript).
J. Harvey Hebron, who has produced for the voice splendid
semi-classic ballads (American Magazine Co., 1514 South St.,
Phila., Pa.,) and for the violin and piano: Sonata in E
(manuscript).
J. Rosamond Johnson, whose classic ballads and light operas have
been written for the white company, Klaw & Erlanger and such noted
white actresses as Lillian Russell. In the production of many of
his pieces, J. Rosamond was ably assisted by his brother James
Weldon Johnson who also was the translator for the English libretto
of “Goyescas” the Spanish grand opera produced by the Metropolitan
Opera Company in 1915. James W. also has several French music
translations to his credit. The works of J. Rosamond Johnson are
published by Ditson & Co., Boston, Mass.
Gerald Tyler, who has composed for the voice, Art-songs that are
published by Schirmer & Co., New York City.
Clarence Cameron White, whose violin Spirituals are published by
Carl Fisher & Co., New York.
The “blue song” compositions of W. C. Handy are known and sung all
over the world. He is president of the Handy Music Co., of New York
City, which is the leading firm of its kind among Colored people in the
world. Perry Bradford is composer of the “Crazy Blues” that have made
himself, Mamie Smith and the Okeh phonograph records nationally and
internationally famous.
N. Clark Smith is second to none among American Colored musicians as
a composer of instrumental, especially, band music. For several years
he was band leader of the Tuskegee Institute expert band and also
served for a long period as bandmaster of the famous Old Illinois 8th
Regiment. Today he is Director of Music at the Lincoln High School,
Kansas City, Mo.
The following list contains the names of some of the leading musicians
who are foremost composers of different lines of music: Mrs. B.
Consuelo Cook, J. E. Dowell, E. Edmonds, W. H. Farrell, Harry Freeman,
Jessie L. Gaynor, A. P. Grant, H. P. Gilbert, L. Godfrey, Nora Douglass
Holt, Edwin F. Hill, E. A. Jackson, Scott Jolpin, E. T. Jenkins, Joe.
Jordan, Turner Layton, Therwold Otterstrom, Dave Payton, J. S. Pollen,
Alex Rogers, H. E. Stewart, Dekiven Thompson, Clarence Williams,
Spencer Williams, Geo. Hoff.
[Illustration]
IN ATHLETICS
SOME MAN.
When a white star fames in football fray,
Three rivals at most against him play;
And he gets the cheers of every fan
For they feel for him no racial ban;
But when Colored star in white games set
Eleven “cave men” play him “to get”;
And when thro it all they can’t him “can”
He sure must be what is called “SOME MAN”.
--_Harrison._
The main thing every boy and girl should have or begin to acquire
in early life, and then continue to keep during his manhood or her
womanhood, is a clean, healthy, supple and well-developed muscular body
that is guided and governed by a pure thinking and self-controlling
mind. And such a body is mainly built up and preserved by taking plenty
of out-door playful exercises in early childhood; by taking frequent
parts in athletics games played in a fair and honest way against
friendly rivals while in young manhood and womanhood; and by regularly
and systematically going through a good drill of setting-up exercises,
gymnastics or calisthenics throughout both middle and old age. These
same childhood games and youthful athletic sports have their good
effects upon the young and tender minds by early teaching them courage
in times of facing big odds and developing self-control during the
angry moments of an exciting game when temptations so often come up to
strike an unfair blow or say some mean and rude thing. And these same
out-door activities have their purifying results upon those minds in
that they are nearer to Nature and thereby prompt more Godly thoughts,
words and deeds among such minds than do certain in-door pastimes that
are not so wholesome. No country in the world surpasses America in the
general suppleness in movement, gracefulness of carriage and all-round
muscular development and physical prowess of the bodies belonging to
its people. And the following named records show that American Colored
youths have played large and valuable parts in helping to build up the
physical reputation of the United States that is today recognized as
the leading country in international athletic sports.
In Football
W. H. Lewis (one of the ablest Colored lawyers in America today)
before graduating from Harvard proved to be the greatest football
center, Colored or white, in his college and of his time. Every fall
when Harvard now faces her, Brown University heaves a loud sigh of
regret that Fritz Pollard, a Colored All-American Half-back, is not
on her football team to again and mostly alone carry the brown and
white pennant to a crushing victory over the almost unbeatable crimson
and white colors. Williams has since made such a football record at
Brown that he was given a place on an All-American team by the New
York World. It was Johnny Shelbourne, All-American Fullback, who was
one of the four stars on Dartmouth football team that so smoothly
steam-rollered the team of the University of Pa., with a score of
44 to 7 on Franklin Field, at Philadelphia, Pa., November 13, 1920.
Shelbourne is also such a sprinter that he is able to “fade-away”
over a 40 yard stretch in 4 4-5 seconds. Calloway not only made the
Varsity team of Columbia but has proved one of its most valuable men.
All football teams that have recently played against Northwestern
University have felt the brawn and held the weight of “Buddy” Turner.
Washington & Jefferson in their latest football games have fully
relied upon the punting toe of their Colored player, West. Athletic
writers and critics on the staffs of both the Chicago Tribune and
Colliers Weekly have given Duke Slater, the Iowa tackle, a place on
an All-Western football team. Leon Taylor was made All-Ohio Conferee
fullback at Oberlin, Ohio. Smith’s tricks of going completely wild when
turned loose on the gridiron of Michigan Agr. College caused them to
put him on an All-American team for safe keeping. When knocking men
right and left on the field of Minnesota University, Marshall acted
so much like a Minnesota Indian on the war path that they had to do
something to sort of tame him down, so they put him on an All-American
team. Beside winning his letters in baseball, basketball and track
athletics, A. Hamblin of Knox College was made captain of his 1918
football team. M. Richmond, on account of his excellent defensive and
offensive playings was made captain of the Des Moines College 1917
football team. Sol Butler, when playing on the Dubuque College football
team, came in such close contact with and made such lasting impressions
on his opponents that they will until their dying days remember having
met a Sol Butler at some time and at some place. W. E. Morrison and
W. Brown were two of the outstanding stars who played on the Tuft
College varsity eleven at the times it beat Harvard and gave Princeton
one of the toughest battles and one of the worse heart-stop-beating
scares it has ever had on a football field. In New England, the names
and pigskin deeds of those two charging warriors, especially that
of Morrison are still fondly remembered and always referred to with
admiration and pride. Paul Robeson of Rutgers College was made an
All-American End. Walter Camp (white) of Yale University in selecting
his All-American Football Team of 1918 said, “There never was a more
serviceable end, both in attack and defense than Robeson--the 200 pound
giant of Rutgers. Defensively this team is remarkably strong with
Robeson and Alexander backing up the line as secondary defense; Taking
turns at this they would be employed in a line of work to which they
are thoroughly accustomed and in which they have had no peers in many
years.” (quotation from Work’s Negro Year Book, 1918-1919 edition, page
44). Other Colored youths who have won distinction as football players
in white universities and colleges are; Taylor at the University of
Pa., Bullock at Dartmouth, Gray and Pinkett at Amherst, Ayler at Brown,
Chadwell at Williams, Craighead at Massachusetts Agri. College, Jones
at Harvard, Ransom at Belout, Young and Wheeler at Illinois, Johnson
and Ross at Nebraska, Tibbs at Syracuse, Green at Western Reserve and
Roberts at Colorado Reserve, Niles at Colby.
On The Track and Field
Howard P. Drew, the present holder of the Official A. A. U. world
record of 9 3-5 seconds for 100 yds, was selected in 1918 as a member
of the All-American Athletic Team and in 1919 as a member of the
All-American Track Team. In writing of Drew in the Philadelphia North
American of July 17, 1920, Lawson Roberston (white) Coach of Athletics
at the University of Pa., said: “Just before Drew broke down eight
years ago in Stockholm he showed enough speed in his trial heat to
warrant the belief that he could beat any man in the final by 3 yards.
In the semifinal heat he “pulled” his tendon when he had covered about
80 yards and limped in the remainder of the distance. Even at that he
won his semi-final heat by about eight yards from Thomas of Princeton,
the 1912 intercollegiate champion.” The following quotation on Drew is
extracted from Work’s Negro Year Book, 1918-1919, page 44: “At the 1918
Western Conference College Outdoor Track and Field Championship Events,
Howard Drew, the world’s famous sprinter staged a comeback by winning
against a very fast field the 100 and 220 yard dashes. A comment on
Drews’ performance said: “By winning the 100 and 220 yard dashes from
the fastest fields that the middle western colleges could boast, Drew
demonstrated that his victories were not due to accident or lack of
formidable opponents. If any further proof were needed, the time would
amply attest the high standard of Drew’s sprinting as he ran the 100 in
10 seconds. When it is taken into consideration that Drew is 28 years
of age and has been competing for thirteen years, during which time he
has won numerous victories and equalled the world’s record time in both
of these events, it can be seen that his latest triumphs are little
short of athletic marvels.”
Beside being one of its best football players, Sol Butler was also one
of the best all-round athletes Dubuque College ever turned out, and
was holder of the American A. A. U. broad jump record of twenty-four
feet and eight inches. In July 1919 Butler (now of Drake College) won
the broad jump in the Inter-Allied Games at Pershing Stadium, France.
He was one of the athletes selected to represent the United States in
those games. Butler also won the broad jump event at the Relay Carnival
of the University of Pa., by leaping 23 feet 5 3-4 inches. Even in his
youngster frolics while attending the Hutchinson, Kan. High School,
Butler showed his unusual speed by getting loose at Evanston, Ill., on
March 28, 1914, and pushing 60 yards of air out of the way in 6 2-5
seconds. When he finally slowed down at the end of that affair and
kept still long enough to listen he learned those boyhood runaway wild
steps had established the best United States Inter-Scholastic Track
Record for that event.
Edward Orval Gourdin
The field sensation among the white colleges during the past two years
has been E. O. Gourdin, the Harvard all-round star athlete. This
Colored athlete is at this writing unquestionably the backbone and
mainstay of the Harvard track team, and throughout their competitions
with other colleges, Gourdin has been in the majority of cases the
highest individual point scorer for his college. And yet, his victories
have been under the most trying conditions and circumstances. Being
a star in many events and the chief one upon whom Harvard depended,
in numerous meets he has repeatedly been called upon to skip from one
event to another and back again without stopping to catch his breath or
get a rest: even fates, especially during the spring of 1921 seeming to
be against him, for it usually rained the day before or the day he had
to perform. As his best work is done on dry ground, and he fully knows
it, his wet, muddy and slippery events were of course entered with a
certain amount of mental depression, but his courage never faltered
nor his willingness halted. During the spring of 1921 when Harvard and
Yale met in their annual track meet, the track was soaked from a former
rain; yet, Gourdin won the 100 yard dash from Yale in 10 2-5 seconds.
Although the runway was uncertain from dampness, the take-off risky for
the same reason and the pit wet from holding rain, he won the broad
jump from Yale by hurling himself through the air 24 feet and 4 inches.
In the shot-put under favorable conditions he clears 41 feet and in the
220 yard dash he hugs 22 seconds so tight that it can’t get away from
him.
Extra! Extra! Extra! Special Delivery Red Rush Telegram!
At last, fates and the atmospheric elements smiled down upon the
Colored athletic world wonder and marvel, “Ned” Gourdin, by giving him
“A Perfect Day” (no drizzling rains, no wet slippery grounds, no damp
heavy airs) on July 23, 1921. On this date, that hilariously kissed
the sun “good night” and joyously embraced the moon “good morning”,
was held a dual track meet between the Harvard-Yale teams and the
Oxford-Cambridge teams of England, at the Harvard Stadium. Regarding
the results of that meet, the writer quotes the following extracts as
part of an article that, according to the Chicago Defender of July 30,
1921, appeared in the July 25, 1921 issue of the Boston Daily Post:
“By Wilton Vaugh”
“Edward Orval Gourdin now goes down in the Harvard annals as the
greatest track athlete ever to represent the Crimson.
“His record-breaking jump of 25 feet 3 inches in the running broad jump
last Saturday at the stadium international college meet was just a
climax to his amazing achievements on the cinders.
“Amazing Record”
“But that particular feat alone would have been enough to rank “Ned”
with the elite of Cambridge, because the world has been waiting twenty
years for a man capable of matching Peter O’Connor’s leap of 24 feet
11¾ inches. The Harvard idol accomplished it, and with such a margin
that it now seems hopeless of developing a greater jumper for a number
of years, anyway.
“His all-round prowess on the track would have been sufficient to rate
him with the best. Had he chosen to specialize in any one of the eight
events it is not beyond the scope of human thought to see him shatter
different marks. His best winning records in the matches he has already
tried are:
100-yard dash--9 4-5 seconds.
220-yard dash--22 1-5 seconds.
440-yard run--52 1-5 seconds.
Running broad jump--25 feet 3 inches.
Running high jump--5 feet 9 inches.
Running hop, step and jump--45 feet 3 inches.
Javelin throw--140 feet.
Discus throw--110 feet.
In the above meet on July 23, 1921 Gourdin also won the 100-yard
dash from his closest rival, Rudd, the famed sprinter and captain
of the British team.
During his athletic career, the late J. B. Taylor of the University
of Pa., was a track wonder in both America and Europe. When in action
he had the easiest and prettiest carriage of body and the smoothest
clocklike movement of limbs of any sprinter seen on the cinder path for
years. When making his 440 yard and other records he used a remarkable
sprinting stride of nine feet--about two feet longer than the average
sprinter takes.
While at Harvard, T. Cable won fame as a hammer thrower; L. V. Alexis
was a star trackman, and E. L. Davidson won the 125 pound-class
wrestling Collegiate Championship in competing against the best white
wrestlers of his class from the other six big colleges that had entered
the match. A. L. Jackson was one of the best hurdlers Harvard ever
turned out. B. Dismond of the University of Chicago and Lee Umble of
Colorado University made records for their schools, and Umble is today
one of the best wrestlers of his class in the West. J. T. Carter has
won recognition as a crack sprinter on the Brown track team, Dewey
Rogers is a star trackman on the University of Pa. track team and his
ability to push 440 yards back of him in 50 2-5 seconds shows he has a
pair of heels that must be closely watched or they may some day on some
cinder path get fast ideas to elope from their owner. Rogers in one of
his 440 yards sprints defeated the captain of his own track team--Earl
Eby.