Monarchs of minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to dateRice, Edw. Le Roy (Edward Le Roy)
History
Monarchs of minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to date
Rice, Edw. Le Roy (Edward Le Roy)
Actors -- United States; Minstrel shows
He was a good bass singer and banjoist, and was the first to sing “Lucy
Neal.”
He died in Philadelphia, January, 1859.
WILLIAM PARROW, who was with Joe. Sweeney’s Minstrels in the 40’s, and
was said to be the original Old Bob Ridley, was murdered at Lebanon,
Tenn.; he died November 29, 1870.
* * * * *
WM. HENRY RICE, long famous for his burlesque female impersonations,
sat on the end with his own minstrel company in Cincinnati, September,
1872.
* * * * *
“PONY” MOORE (George Washington Moore). This unique character in
minstrelsy, up to the time of his death, enjoyed the double distinction
of being the oldest living minstrel, as well as having attained greater
longevity than any other known black-face performer.
There have been many versions of the veteran’s interesting career. Mr.
Moore in a letter to the author, dated December 3, 1908, says his first
appearance was in New York with Welch and Delevan at the old Broadway
Circus in negro opera, playing in black-face, in 1844.
In a series of articles commencing August 1, 1909, in Lloyd’s _Weekly
News_ (London, England), Mr. Moore stated that he must have been about
twenty-one when he first blacked his face, and speaks of Frank Brower,
who was in the same company with him as having got the idea of making
the first set of “bones” then known.
This would make the date 1841, and as the incident concerning Brower
actually did occur while with Roger’s Circus, during the week of July
4, that year, the date of his first appearance in black-face may be
safely stated to have been in 1841. Previous to this, however, he had
been associated in many capacities with various circuses, but chiefly
as a driver; it had been said that he handled as many as forty horses
at one time, and in that way received the sobriquet of “Pony,” which
clung to him all his life.
It was in 1844 that his first prominent engagement as a black-face
performer, however, occurred.
Mr. Moore further stated that “he joined Haworth and Horton’s Opera
Troupe, September 13, 1854, and the year following organized Hunter,
Hedden and Moore’s Troupe.”
It is a fact that J. Hunter and William Hedden, the one a comedian
and the other a fine dancer, were with Raynor’s “Christy” Minstrels
as late as May 1, 1856, as likewise was “Pony” Moore. The Raynor
Company returned to New York and opened there on February 2, 1857,
playing about a month, after which they took a tour previous to their
departure for England; Mr. Moore left the company at the conclusion of
the New York engagement, and at once joined Matt. Peel’s Minstrels;
he continued with this company until in the Summer of 1858, they
played an engagement in New York. A short time later Matt. Peel left
the organization which subsequently was known as Sniffen’s Campbell’s
Minstrels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account