Williams and Walker I Countee Cullen
Williams and Walker open "In Dahomey," the first all-Black
musical on a major Broadway stage
George Walker and Egbert Austin Williams were a vaudeville comedy team and had one of the most renowned and successful stage partnerships in American theatrical history. They decided to team up when they met in San Francisco in the early 1890's. Williams and Walker pioneered a new kind of "Black" humor and eventually developed their own company. With musical shows such as "Clorindy, the Origin of the Cakewalk," "Sons of Ham," and "In Dahomey," they opened the door for other African-American actors, singers, dancers, and musicians, and redefined the boundaries of legitimate Negro Theater.
"In Dahomey" was the idea of George Walker. He wanted to use the African elements of the American Negro background as the theme of the show. Although he and Williams didn't know much about Africa, they wanted to try something new. Will Marion Cook composed the music and Paul Lawrence Dunbar and Alex Roger wrote the lyrics. On February 18, 1903, it was the first full-length black musical comedy that played on Broadway at the New York Theater. The show later traveled to England and the cast performed at the Shaftesbury Theater in London and later at Buckingham Palace in a royal command performance for the birthday party of the Prince of Wales. Some of the songs Williams and Walker made famous are: "I'm a Jonah Man," "I May Be Crazy but I Ain't No Fool," "I Wants to be a Actor Lady," "Miss Hannah from Savannah," "Bon Bon Buddy," and "Nobody."
Countee Cullen is born in Louisville, Kentucky
Born in Kentucky, Countee Cullen
was raised New York City by his paternal grandmother. In 1918, he was adopted by the Reverend Frederick
Asbury Cullen, minister of Salem M.E. Church, one of the
largest congregations in Harlem. This was a turning point
in his life; he was introduced to the heart of
of Black activism and achievement. Early in his life, Cullen won a citywide
poetry contest; his winning verses were
widely reprinted. He attended New York University (B.A.,
1925), won the Witter Bynner Poetry Prize, and was elected
to Phi Beta Kappa. His first collection of poems,
"Color" (1925), was be published to critical acclaim before
he finished college. Cullen's several volumes of poetry
include "Copper Sun" (1927); "The Black Christ" (1929); and
"On These I Stand" (published posthumously, 1947)
He also wrote a novel dealing with life in Harlem,
"One Way to Heaven" (1931), and a children's book, "The Lost Zoo" (1940).