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Author Ammen, Sharon, 1951- author.

Title May Irwin : singing, shouting, and the shadow of minstrelsy / Sharon Ammen.

Imprint Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2017]
©2017
LOCATION CALL # STATUS
 2nd FL Humanities Library Books  PN1969.M5 A46 2017    Available
Collation xi, 252 pages, 18 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 23 cm.
text txt rdacontent
still image sti rdacontent
unmediated n rdamedia
volume nc rdacarrier
Series Music in American life
Music in American life.
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-238) and index.
Contents Introduction : May and me -- Never were there such devoted sisters -- Stardom -- The profoundly troubling history of the coon song -- The "only one boss bully" -- Unbounded domesticity -- Causes and compromise -- The road to rainbow's end -- Epilogue : me and May.
Summary "Before Sophie Tucker "corked up" to entertain her audiences with ragtime songs in Negro dialect, and before Fanny Brice stumbled into the footlights in her rendition of the "Dying Swan," May Irwin (1862-1938) was the reigning queen of comedy and "coon" songs on the American stage. This project, the first serious study of May Irwin, traces the comedic performer's colorful and successful career and also examines the strategies that Irwin employed to maintain both popularity and power while stepping far outside traditionally defined boundaries of late nineteenth-century womanhood. Ammen considers the content and style of Irwin's comedy; her repertoire and status as a "coon shouter"; her position as a celebrated cook and homemaker; and her social and political activities. Irwin's career began as a singing act with her younger sister, Flora, when May was 12. The Irwin Sisters achieved enough success over the next few years to gain a regular spot at Tony Pastor's popular theatre in New York City. After six years with Pastor, May, then 21, struck out on her own and went to work for Augustin Daly's stock company, where she developed her comedic and improvisational skills. By the 1890s she was established as a star on the vaudeville circuit as well as the legitimate stage and a few films. In addition to her theatrical work, both onstage and as a manager, Irwin was also known as an accomplished homemaker and loving mother; a political activist; a real estate tycoon; a prolific composer of songs; and the writer of many articles as well as a popular cookbook"-- Provided by publisher.
Subject Irwin, May, 1862-1938 -- Criticism and interpretation.
Irwin, May, 1862-1938. fast (OCoLC)fst00427328
Minstrel shows -- United States -- History.
Minstrel music -- United States -- History and criticism.
African American entertainers -- History.
Blackface entertainers -- History.
African Americans -- Music -- Influence.
African Americans. fast (OCoLC)fst00799558
African American entertainers. fast (OCoLC)fst00799146
Blackface entertainers. fast (OCoLC)fst00833860
Minstrel music. fast (OCoLC)fst01023489
Minstrel shows. fast (OCoLC)fst01023491
United States. fast (OCoLC)fst01204155
ISBN 9780252040658
0252040651
9780252082153
025208215X
9780252099090
ISBN/ISSN 99971915387