Edison's version of a minstrel show condensed into two minutes: From 1904, the Georgia Minstrels.
Georgia Minstrels
Company
Edison's National Phonograph Company
Cylinder #
8672
Category
Minstrels
Title
Georgia Minstrels
Performed by
S. H. Dudley & Len Spencer
Circa
1904
Announcement
"The Georgia Minstrels. Edison record."
Edison's minstrel series recordings generally
followed an amusing and highly compressed minstrel show format:
"Gentlemen, be seated!"
A fanfare
"Introductory overture..."
A quick little ditty
Applause, cheers and whistling
A short comedy routine, usually punctuated with forced belly laughs
A short song, often ending with a chorus
Applause, cheers and whistling
Though the format was the same, Edison's earlier minstrel recordings
went by different names, perhaps attempting to reflect minstrelsy across the nation,
such as the "Louisiana Minstrels", "Mississippi Minstrels", "Tennessee Minstrels",
and even the "California Minstrels".
However, as with this selection, the "Georgia Minstrels", in most cases there
doesn't seem to be much connection between the title and the presentation.
