Luke Schoolcraft
Luke Schoolcraft | |
---|---|
New Orleans, Louisiana | |
Died | March 10, 1893 |
Genres | Minstrel show |
Years active | 1865–1893 |
Luke Schoolcraft (November 13, 1847 - March 10, 1893) was an American minstrel music composer and performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows throughout the North after the American Civil War.
Early life
Schoolcraft was born in
- Not Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who is credited with the discovery of the source of the Mississippi River.
Career in minstrelsy
Minstrelsy was America's first original contribution to the theater arts.[3] It was popular from just before the American Civil War to the end of the 19th century. Today minstrelsy and its attendant blackface is viewed as racist and anachronistic, however it was the preeminent entertainment in the United States during the life of Luke Schoolcraft, and he was one of the most well-known and successful performers.[2]
In Terre Haute
By his twenties, Schoolcraft was touring the nation and performing in variety shows. Negroes were not the only ethnic group who were lampooned in minstrel shows; indeed Schoolcraft began performing Dutch songs until several hits as a blackface performer landed him in the minstrel ranks.
In New York City
In 1872, Schoolcraft moved to New York City and made a spectacular debut at Richard M. Hooley's Opera House in Brooklyn on March 25, 1872. Newspapers there declared that he was "an immediate hit."[2] During this period, one of Schoolcraft's original songs, Oh! Dat Watermelon became popular. Today, this song is among the best-known minstrel pieces of that era.
Partnership with Coes
Schoolcraft joined with his old friend George H. Coes in 1874 and they formed "one of the most famous minstrel tandems in history."[2] Schoolcraft & Coes appeared with a number of leading companies including Emerson's Megatherian Minstrels and Barlow, Wilson, Primrose & West. By 1880, the two settled with their families in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and continued to tour throughout the country performing their minstrel act in a variety of shows and venues.
When Coes was unable to continue his career due to poor health in 1889, the partnership dissolved. Schoolcraft continued to perform solo as part of a number of shows including
Compositions
Luke Schoolcraft produced a number of songs, but his most well-known pieces were:
- Oh! Dat Watermelon (1874)
- Shine On, Shine On (1874)
References
- ^ Federal Writers' Project; Lyle Saxon (1940). Louisiana: A Guide to the State. New York, New York: Hastings House Publishers. p. 213.
- ^ a b c d e f McCormack, Mike (February 2, 2003). "Luke Schoolcraft's life touches on minstrel shows, composing". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
- ISBN 0-8195-5294-1.
- ^ Dumont, Frank (March 27, 1915). "The Younger Generation in Minstrelsy and Reminiscences of the Past". New York Clipper. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
- ^ "Funeral of Luke Schoolcraft". Worcester Daily Spy. March 17, 1893.