Lester A. Walton in Lafayette Theatre, Harlem - 18 March, 1915
from Ragged but right / Lynn Abbott, pages 20-1:
So after nearly sixteen years showing white people how colored people sing this variety artist was given an opportunity Monday afternoon to let the colored folk see how they chirped "coon songs" and those of the ragtime brand. But the efforts of the lady fair under a coat of tan was [sic] not convincing, and some of the disorderly patrons in the audience showed their disapproval by hissing. It was obvious that many promptly realized in the beginning that they were not listening to the real thing...
Lynn Abbott and Doug Seroff (ed.), Ragged but right / Lynn Abbott (Jackson, 2007), p. 20-1. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1447090924950 accessed: 4 October, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
hide composerscoon songs |
Experience Information
Date/Time | 18 March, 1915 |
Medium | live |
Listening Environment | in the company of others, indoors, in public |
Notes
Observation on response of the crowd to an unconvincing performance.