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Chris Smith and the Bowmans

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10588167.2012.732783

1540-9503

Benjamin Franklin,

Abstract Chris Smith (1979–1949) is regularly considered to have performed in vaudeville and written songs with one Bowman, Elmer. In fact, he collaborated in both vaudeville and songwriting far more frequently with another Bowman, Theodore. This article specifies which Bowman worked with Smith at which times and clarifies issues relating to these relationships. Keywords: Elmer BowmanEuday BowmanTheodore BowmanChris SmithView correction statement:Corrigendum Acknowledgments With pleasure, I acknowledge the assistance of Laurel Baker. Notes 1. A dispute arose over the question of which publishing house owned “He's a Cousin of Mine.” For a summary of the issues, see Lester A. Walton, “‘He's a Cousin of Mine.’ Declared to Be Sole Property of Gotham-Attucks Company,” New York Age, 19 March 1908, p. 6, col. 5. 2. The copyright notice for and the front cover of the sheet music to the last of these songs record the title as “You're in the Right Church but the Wrong Pew”; the caption title on the first page of music in the sheet music uses the title “The Right Church but the Wrong Pew.” In note 44, I explain my method of titling compositions. 3. Smith's mother should not be confused with the blues singer Clara Smith, who was also a South Carolinian. 4. See, for example, Maxwell F. Marcuse, Tin Pan Alley in Gaslight: A Saga of the Songs That Made the Gray Nineties “Gay” (Watkins Glen, NY: Century House, 1959), 263; Eileen Southern, “Smith, Chris,” Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 343; Paul Oliver, Songsters and Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 50–51; Eunmi Shim, “Chris Smith and the Ragtime Song” (master's thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993), 20–22; David A. Jasen, Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song (New York: Routledge, 2003), 374–75; and Shim, “Smith, Chris,” in Harlem Renaissance Lives: from the African American National Biography, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 455. The entry for Smith on a Web site that documents jazz musicians from Charleston, South Carolina, also states that Elmer Bowman was from Charleston and was Smith's earliest vaudeville partner: http://www.charlestonjazz.net/smith-chris/ (accessed October 20, 2012). Because the first known published song composed by Smith and Bowman appeared in 1898, the youths probably arrived in New York around 1897, when Smith was seventeen or eighteen. 5. Edward B. Marks, They All Sang: From Tony Pastor to Rudy Vallée (New York: Viking, 1935), 88. 6. Walton helped establish the Colored Vaudeville Benevolent Association, to which Smith belonged. See Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 17 June 1909, p. 6, col. 3. Largely because of Walton's efforts, the New York Age is the main source of information about the professional lives of Theodore Bowman and Elmer Bowman. Walton records appearances by the husband-and-wife vaudeville team of Theodore Bowman and Cora Terry in “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 4 March 1909, p. 6, col. 4; 15 April 1909, p. 6, col. 4; and 22 April 1909, p. 6, col. 3. He also mentions Theodore Bowman in his column of 29 June 1911, p. 6, col. 4. Additionally, this same newspaper mentions him in “Dramatics and Athletics,” 26 September 1912, p. 6, col. 2; “Dramatics and Athletics,” 9 April 1914, p. 6, col. 3; Bob Slater, “Theatrical Jottings,” 24 November 1923, p. 6, col. 3; and Slater, “Theatrical Jottings,” 9 January 1926, p. 6, col. 2. Walton mentions Elmer Bowman, always on p. 6, in “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 19 November 1908, col. 4; 14 January 1909, col. 4; 15 April 1909, col. 4; 13 May 1909, col. 3; 16 September 1909, col. 3; 7 April 1910, col. 4; 26 May 1910, col. 3; 25 August 1910, col. 3; 8 September 1910, col. 4; 1 December 1910, col. 4; 16 March 1911, col. 2; 6 April 1911, col. 2; 29 June 1911, col. 4; 27 July 1911, col. 4; 21 December 1911, col. 4; 22 February 1912, col. 2; 21 March 1912, col. 3; 6 June 1912, col. 4; and 20 June 1912, col. 2. Elmer Bowman is mentioned in “Dramatics and Athletics” in subsequent issues of the New York Age, always on p. 6, though the authors are unidentified: 31 October 1912, col. 2; 1 May 1913, col. 2; 24 July 1913, col. 2; 30 October 1913, col. 3; 19 February 1914, col. 2; 19 March 1914, col. 3; 18 June 1914, col. 2; 13 August 1914, col. 2; 3 September 1914, col. 2; 1 October 1914, col. 3; 8 October 1914, col. 5; 25 February 1915, col. 2; and 27 July 1916, col. 2. Elmer Bowman is also mentioned in “News of Greater New York,” New York Age, 19 February 1914, p. 8, col. 2; “Out of Town Correspondence,” New York Age, 31 December 1914, p. 3, col. 2; and “Elmer Bowman, Song Writer Dies Suddenly,” New York Age, 27 July 1916, p. 1, col. 6. Fletcher mentions Theodore Bowman in 100 Years of the Negro in Show Business (New York: Burdge, 1954), 50, 147; Elmer Bowman, on 147. 7. Eunmi Shim, “Chris Smith and the Ragtime Song,” 21 n. 9. 8. Two documents, one official, indicate that Bowman was born in Colorado: his death certificate and “Elmer Bowman, Song Writer Dies Suddenly,” the latter of which also records his presumed date of birth. If he was six at the time he was enumerated for the 1880 Census, then his accepted year of birth, 1877, is incorrect. The source of information about him for the 1880 Census was his mother, who presumably knew his age and where he was born. Whether the enumerator recorded her information correctly cannot be determined. This Census is the earliest document I have located that mentions Elmer Bowman. The Bowmans are not in the Independence, Missouri, city directory for 1888–1889, so they had probably moved from that town by then. Eliza, and presumably her children, lived in Denver, Colorado, no later than 1892, when her name appears in the Denver city directory. In New York, the adult Elmer Bowman possibly identified himself as coming from Colorado, which became interpreted as meaning that he was born there. The identity of the person who provided biographical information for his death certificate cannot be determined. The 1880 Census identifies Bowman's parents (his father is not named) as having been born in Virginia; Bowman's death certificate indicates that they were born in MS, which probably means Mississippi but could mean Missouri. A death notice for Elmer's brother, Jesse, confirms that the Elmer Bowman living in Missouri in 1880 was the one who became active in New York entertainment circles: “Jesse A. Bowman, brother of Elmer Bowaman [sic], the well-known song writer, died June 8, at his home in Englewood” (Lester A. Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 20 June 1912, p. 6, col. 2). The death certificate is from the Department of Health of the City of New York, Bureau of Records, registered number 21532. 9. The team of Drew and Bowman is documented in “Variety and Minstrel,” New York Clipper, 13 November 1897, p. 615, col. 5, and p. 617, cols. 4–5. On p. 615, Bowman's partner is identified as John K. Drew; the text indicates that Drew and Bowman “are producing a new specialty, and can be engaged.” On p. 617, a display advertisement, probably composed by Drew, refers to the “tremendous success” of the team's specialty, “Town Hall Tonight.” The Springfield performance is mentioned in the New York Dramatic Mirror, 27 November 1897, p. 20, col. 2. 10. Elmer Bowman's first known published songs, all in 1898, are “Mister Black Man, You's to Blame” (words and music by Sidney L. Perrin and Bowman), “My Little Darkskin Baby Mine” (music by Albert Johns, and words by Bowman), and “Mister Your Room Rent's Due” (music by Bowman, and words by Burt Grant). Though the cover of the sheet music to this last title identifies Elmer Brown as composer of the music, the first page of music and the copyright notice credit it to Elmer Bowman. That Bowman was best known as a songwriter is confirmed by his obituary, “Elmer Bowman, Song Writer Dies Suddenly.” 11. Copyrighted in May 1901, this song was so popular that it inspired a writer to record the origin of its title. The story appeared in several newspapers, including Sun (New York), 23 November 1901, p. 5, col. 6; Utica (NY) Observer, 23 November 1901, p. 6, col. 4; Ogdensburg (NY) News, 1 December 1901, p. 3, col. 2; Elmira (NY) Gazette and Free Press, 9 December 1901, p. 4, col. 3; and Journal and Republican (Lowville, NY), 26 December 1901, p. 1, col. 4. It was also published in Music Trade Review 33 (14 December 1901): 38. Some of these stories omit the final paragraph. 12. Lester A. Walton notes that “the show will open within a few weeks in Philadelphia, and will later come to New York for a run” (“Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 13 May 1909, p. 6, col. 3). I cannot confirm that it was produced in Philadelphia. The Washington production is documented in “‘The Revellers’ in Washington,” New-York Daily Tribune, 25 May 1909, p. 7, col. 5; “Washington: Charles Richman Is Seen in The Revellers—Luna Park Opens—Notes,” New York Dramatic Mirror, 29 May 1909, p. 7, col. 4; and “‘The Revellers’ Produced,” New York Clipper, 5 June 1909, p. 427, col. 3. The New York production is documented in “Beefsteak Party at Maxine Elliott's,” New York Times, 8 September 1909, p. 9, col. 3; “The Drama: Maxine Elliott's Theatre,” New York Tribune, 8 September 1909, p. 7, col. 2; Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 16 September 1909, p. 6, col. 3; and “New York City,” New York Clipper, 18 September 1909, p. 813, col. 2. 13. Eileen Southern comments about Bowman and the Clef Club in “Bowman, Elmer,” Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 43. Run by and for black musicians, the Clef Club served as a booking agency and produced concerts by its members. For an account of the club by someone with first-hand knowledge of it, see Tom Fletcher, 100 Years of the Negro in Show Business, 251–73. For documentation that Fletcher—a vaudeville singer, dancer, and comedian—performed with the club's orchestra and glee club, see “Along the Color Line,” Crisis 8 (July 1914): 112 (under “Music and Art”). Possibly contradicting Southern's claim that Bowman led Clef Club orchestras from 1912 until 1916, Elliott S. Hurwitt observes that early in 1914 Tim “Brymn became the conductor of New York's Clef Club Orchestra, following the schism that climaxed with the departure of its founding director, James Reese Europe” (Hurwitt, “Brymn, Tim,” in Harlem Renaissance Lives: from the African American National Biography, 86.) Perhaps Hurwitt refers to the Clef Club Symphony Orchestra that gave concerts in prestigious locations, including Carnegie Hall (1912–1915), and Southern means that Bowman led touring Clef Club bands, or bands that played at less exalted venues than those of the Symphonic Orchestra. That Bowman led a Clef Club band at the Broadway Central Hotel (he played mandolin) can be documented. See “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 13 August 1914, p. 6, col. 2; 3 September 1914, p. 6, col. 2; 1 October 1914, p. 6, col. 3; and 8 October 1914, p. 6, col. 5. 14. For documentation of Bowman's involvement with the Billie Burke Company, see Lester A. Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 7 April 1910, p. 6, col. 4; 25 August 1910, p. 6, col. 3; 8 September 1910, p. 6, col. 4; 1 December 1910, p. 6, col. 4; 16 March 1911, p. 6, col. 2; and 29 June 1911, p. 6, col. 4. Bowman's employment with L'Estrange is recorded in “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 19 February 1914, p. 6, col. 2. Smith and Bowman's “That Puzzlin' Rag” (1912) is dedicated to L'Estrange. 15. For evidence that Bowman appeared in Thais, see “Buffalo, N. Y.,” New York Age, 5 October 1911, p. 8, col. 3. This was a production of a four-act play by Paul Wilstach published in 1911 by Bobbs-Merrill in Indianapolis. Bowman possibly performed as one of the play's slaves. 16. “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 24 July 1913, p. 6, col. 2. 17. “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 25 February 1915, p. 6, col. 2. 18. In addition to documenting the songwriter's parents, Colorado birth, cause of death, and place of death, Elmer Bowman's death certificate notes that at the time of death Bowman had lived in New York for seventeen years. Bowman's death is noted in “Elmer Bowman, Song Writer Dies Suddenly,” and, in this same issue of The New York Age (27 July 1916), in “Dramatics and Athletics,” p. 6, col. 2. While recording the date and place (Denver) of Bowman's birth, “Elmer Bowman, Song Writer Dies Suddenly” also states that “a wife, mother and sister survive him”; the death certificate indicates that Bowman died a widower. His death is also mentioned in “The Horizon,” Crisis 12 (September 1916): 248 (under “Personal”), where Bowman is identified as a Coloradoan. He is buried in grave 15, row 24, plot L in St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, New York. 19. The names of Bowman's parents appear on the marriage application of Theodore Bowman and Cora Terry, which is included in Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910, as well as in the entries for Nancy Bowman and Edward Bowman in South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766–1900, and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877–1901. 20. The 1886 Charleston City directory includes an Alfred Bowman, who worked at the West Point Mill. The address of his residence is omitted. Because the 1887 city directory records that Albert Bowman worked at this mill, the person identified as Alfred Bowman in 1886 could have been Albert. 21. The 1891 Charleston city directory identifies an Albert Bowman but does not record his address or indicate that he was “colored,” as Theodore Bowman's father is identified in earlier volumes of the city directory. The Albert Bowman mentioned in the 1891 city directory worked at West Point Mill, as did Theodore Bowman's father. These Albert Bowmans are probably the same person, Theodore's father. 22. Smith's residence in the late 1880s and early 1890s is difficult to determine. The 1894 Charleston city directory identifies a “colored” Charles Smith as residing at 38 Cannon. If this person was the brother of Chris Smith, who had a sibling named Charles, Chris might have resided with him in 1894, just down the street from Theodore Bowman, who, around this time, lived at the rear of 141 Cannon. 23. The Census of 1900 indicates that the household of Theodore Bowman and Annie Bowman (age twenty-four) also included Bertha Smith (age twenty-three). If she was the sister of Annie Bowman, as seems likely, then Annie's maiden name was probably Smith. Precisely where and when Bowman and Annie were married is not known. They were not married in Manhattan in 1898 or 1899, according to the Municipal Archives of the New York City Department of Records (letter to author from Leonora A. Gidlund, Director, 17 August 2011). 24. Advertisement for a reception for William A. Riker, New York Age, 11 April 1907, p. 3, cols. 4–5. Tom Fletcher also performed at this event. 25. According to Virginia Births and Christenings, 1853–1915, Cora L. Terry was born in Hanover, Virginia, on 20 December 1889 to W. H. and Mary Terry. The marriage application of Bowman and Terry identifies her father's first name as William and identifies her birth place as Lynchburg, Virginia. 26. Lester A. Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 29 June 1911, p. 6, col. 4. 27. “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 26 September 1912, p. 6, col. 2. 28. “Dramatics and Athletics,” New York Age, 9 April 1914, p. 6, col. 3. 29. The Boston city directory includes this information about Theodore Bowman, but also information about a Theodore A. Bowman who was in the insurance business and lived in Medford. Although the 1910 Census indicates that the entertainer's middle initial was A. (for Albert, the name of his father), the Theodore A. Bowman in the city directory seems not to be the South Carolinian. I have located only one reference to Bowman, the composer and performer, between 1920 and 1925. It reads as follows: “There is a letter in the Age office for Theodore Bowman, formerly in the show business in Washington, D. C.” (Bob Slater, “Theatrical Jottings,” New York Age, 24 November 1923, p. 6, col. 3). 30. Bob Slater, “Theatrical Jottings,” New York Age, 9 January 1926, p. 6, col. 2. 31. The absence of Cora Terry Bowman from official documents regarding Theodore Bowman following the 1920 Census might result from the couple having divorced. The 1930 Census enumerates a divorced forty-three-year-old Cora L. Bowman living in Tuskegee, Alabama, with her son Charles S. Bowman, thirteen, and mother, Mary Vaughan, seventy-three. This Cora Bowman is possibly the woman who had been married to Theodore Bowman. 32. Bowman's business card identifies him as “author of ‘Go Way Back and Sit Down.’” It was viewable online as late as July 11, 2011 at http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/store/RARE-BUSINESS-CARD-BLACK-SONG-WRITER-ELMER-BOWMAN-1900S_350447778390.html. Though the image has been removed, I retain a copy. I am indebted to Joshua Garris for locating this image. The photograph of Theodore Bowman and Smith may be found in Fletcher, 100 Years of the Negro in Show Business, facing 147. 33. The quotation is from Lester A. Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 15 April 1909, p. 6, col. 4. Smith's 1909 vaudeville act with Elmer Bowman apparently did not last long. Three and a half months after announcing its formation, Walton wrote, “This week Chris Smith, the song writer, and wife signed to go with the Smart Set Company, which will be headed by S. H. Dudley” (“Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 29 July 1909, p. 6, col. 3). A week later, Walton recorded that Chris Smith and Jim Burris were collaborating on songs for the Smart Set Company (“Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 5 August 1909, p. 6, col. 3). Then, Walton commented that “Chris Smith will not go with the Smart Set Company as was announced recently. He has formed an act with Billy Harper. Mrs. Smith will complete the trio which will be known as Smith, Harper & Co.” (“Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 19 August 1909, p. 6, col. 3). Walton's “Music and the Stage” columns in the New York Age detailing the activities of Smith and Harper include these, always on p. 6: 19 August 1909, col. 3; 23 September 1909, col. 4; 30 September 1909, col. 4; 4 November 1909, col. 4; 18 November 1909, col. 3; 10 February 1910, col. 2; 5 May 1910, col. 4; 12 May 1910, col. 4; 19 May 1910, col. 2; 26 May 1910, col. 3; and 20 October 1910, col. 4. The last of these notices quotes an anonymous columnist who characterizes the nature of the group's act: “The Harper-Smith Trio is at the American Music Hall, Chicago. The act was a big hit last week in Omaha. In speaking of the trio the Omaha Bee said: ‘The Harper-Smith Trio are clever in their own way. They are colored dancers and singers, and present the best and amusing sort of typical coon songs, coon fun and coon dancing.’” Despite dissolving their vaudeville team, which began and ended in 1909, and engaging in separate activities, Smith and Elmer Bowman remained friendly to the degree that they subsequently wrote songs together. Walton mentions Theodore Bowman and Elmer Bowman for the second time in one column in “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 29 June 1911, p. 6, col. 4. 34. Evening News (North Tonawanda, NY), 13 July 1897, p. 1, col. 4. I assume that this Smith and this Bowman are the team of Chris Smith and Theodore Bowman, though evidence that they are is lacking. A College Glee Club performed at this concert, but so did other groups and individuals. The earliest printed reference to the team of Smith and Bowman I have located appears in “At Brooklyn Theaters,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 6 October 1901, p. 17, col. 5. 35. Fletcher, 100 Years of the Negro in Show Business, 147; Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 4 March 1909, p. 6, col. 4; Walton, “Music and the Stage,” New York Age, 15 April 1909, p. 6, col. 4. Fletcher's conversation with Smith probably occurred in late 1900 or early 1901. Fletcher states that Smith vowed not to use the word “coon” in his next song, “Good Morning Carrie!,” which was copyrighted in April 1901. Smith and Bowman might have been criticized for being derivative. They published a display advertisement that states, “We do not copy anybody's act; our idea is strictly our own” (New York Dramatic Mirror, 20 December 1902, p. 43, cols. 1–2). If the act had not been so criticized before the advertisement was published, it was afterwards. In a review of the team's performance at Keith's Union Square, an anonymous writer states, “Smith and Bowman in an act modeled after that of Cole and Johnson were fair” New York Dramatic Mirror, “Vaudeville,” 10 October 1903, p. 18, col. 1 [under “Last Week's Bills”]). At this time, Robert Cole's vaudeville partner was J. Rosamond Johnson. This same page indicates that, at Keith's Union Square, Smith and Bowman “scored their usual hit” (col. 3 [under “Vaudeville Jottings”]). 36. “Vaudeville Route List,” New York Clipper, 1 October 1904, p. 734, col. 1. The vaudeville engagements of Smith and Bowman are documented in at least two publications, the New York Dramatic Mirror and the New York Clipper. In the New York Dramatic Mirror, see “Vaudeville,” 18 October 1902, p. 21, col. 4 (under “Vaudeville Performers' Dates”); “Vaudeville,” 15 November 1902, p. 21, col. 3 (under “Vaudeville Performers' Dates”); “Vaudeville,” 12 September 1903, p. 16, col. 3 (under “Hurtig and Seamon's”); “Vaudeville,” 10 October 1903, p. 18, col. 3 (under “Vaudeville Jottings”) and p. 22, col. 1 (under “Philadelphia, Pa.,” written by S. Fernberger); and “Vaudeville,” 14 November 1903, p. 24, cols. 1 (under “Boston, Mass.”) and 3 (under “Portland, Me.”). In the New York Clipper, see “Vaudeville Route List,” 15 August 1903, pp. 582, col. 4 (where the team is identified as Smirl and Bowman), and “New York City,” 584, col. 4 (under Brooklyn's “Henderson's Music Hall”); “Vaudeville Route List,” 3 October 1903, p. 758, col. 3; “Vaudeville Route List,” 10 October 1903, p. 784, col. 2; “Vaudeville Route List,” 17 October 1903, p. 808, col. 3; “Massachusetts,” 24 October 1903, p. 827, col. 1 (under Gossip) and “Vaudeville Route List,” p. 832, col. 4; “Vaudeville Route List,” 7 November 1903, p. 884, col. 3; “Massachusetts,” 14 November 1903, p. 903, col. 1 (under “Howard Athenaeum”); “Vaudeville Route List,” 28 November 1903, p. 956, col. 2; “Vaudeville Route List,” 12 March 1904, p. 55, col. 5; “Vaudeville Route List,” 2 April 1904, p. 127, col. 4 (where the team of Smith and Gorman is probably Smith and Bowman); “Vaudeville Route List,” 16 April 1904, p. 175, col. 3; “Vaudeville Route List,” 23 April 1904, p. 201, col. 4; “Vaudeville Route List,” 14 May 1904, p. 274, col. 5; “Vaudeville Route List,” 6 August 1904, p. 540, col. 4 (where the team of Smirl and Bowman is really Smith and Bowman, as is confirmed in the same issue of the paper, “Brooklyn,” p. 544, col. 3 [under “Dreamland”]); and “Vaudeville Route List,” 10 September 1904, p. 659, col. 5. At the time of the Smith and Bowman act, Harry Smirl and Rose Kessner were performing in vaudeville as Smirl and Kessner. 37. “Singing and Dancing Trio,” New York Dramatic Mirror, 6 July 1907, p. 15, col. 1. The reviewer writes about the group's performance at Henderson's Music Hall, Coney Island. The “young woman” who completed the trio was probably Gertrude Smith, who is identified as the actress wife of Chris Smith in the 1905 New York State Census. 38. “Amusements,” Binghamton (NY) Press and Leader, 5 December 1907, p. 4, col. 3 (under “At the Armory”). Pages after the first incorrectly date this issue of the newspaper 5 November 1907. 39. “Amusements,” Binghamton (NY) Press and Leader, 6 December 1907, p. 4, col. 3. This page includes an advertisement for the Armory Theater that mentions the act (col. 7). An identical notice appears in the issue of 4 December 1907, p. 4, col. 7. This newspaper also notes the act in “Amusements,” 30 November 1907, p. 4, col. 2 (under “At the Armory”). 40. See “Among the Music Publishers,” New York Dramatic Mirror, 27 July 1907, p. 12, col. 4. In this same issue of the newspaper, “Common Sense” is mentioned in an advertisement by its publisher, Thompson Music (col. 1). 41. The quotation is from “Music and Song,” New York Clipper, 28 September 1907, p. 864, col. 4 (under “Walter Jacobs' Notes”). This same source identifies Bowman's act as one of the “up-to-date acts” performing “Some Day When Dreams Come True,” composed by Phil Staats and published by Walter Jacobs in 1906. The Smith-Bowman Trio is mentioned in two publications, with all notices appearing in 1907. Notices in the New York Dramatic Mirror include “In Brooklyn Theatres,” 29 June, p. 7, col. 3; “Singing and Dancing Trio,” 6 July, p. 15, col. 1; “Among the Music Publishers,” 27 July, p. 12, col. 4; and “The Vaudeville Stage,” 17 August, p. 14, col. 1 (under “Vaudeville Performers' Dates”). The trio is also noted in Binghamton (NY) Press and Leader (see notes 38–39). A news release about (and by?) Walter Jacobs relates this: “Mr. Jacobs is about to publish a song for the first time in his business career. Its title is, ‘Mr. Moon, Kindly Come Out and Shine.’” (“In the World of Music Publishing,” Music Trade Review 37 [31 October 1903]: 46 [under “Jacobs of Boston”]). 42. The first advertisement (in the form of a news release), which titles the song “Oy-Yoy-Yoy-Yoy,” appears in “In the World of Music Publishing,” Music Trade Review 37 (19 December 1903): 45 (under “Another Success from Walter Jacob”); the second, in New York Clipper, 16 April 1904, p. 180, cols. 1–5. In the late 1890s, two productions titled Gayest Manhattan were staged in New York. The first, subtitled Or Around New York in Ninety Minutes, opened on March 22, 1897, at Koster & Bial's Music Hall and ran for sixty-five performances. The second, subtitled A Burlesque Extravaganza in Three Acts, opened on January 3, 1898, at the Star Theatre and ran for eight performances. It reopened on September 19, 1898 at the Harlem Opera House and ran for seven performances. Though the list of songs performed in the 1898 Gayest Manhattan does not include “Oi Yoi Yoi Yoi,” it does include “Extracts from the Vaudevilles,” which might have included this song. Because this version of Gayest Manhattan was performed in Harlem, it might have included songs by black composers or that appealed to black audiences. I cannot identify the songs performed in the 1897 Gayest Manhattan. See Richard C. Norton, A Chronology of American Musical Theater (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 1: 617. I cannot identify the team of Moore and Bailey. 43. The only known copy of the sheet music to “Coon's Day in May” is in the British Library. 44. Occasionally with sheet music, a title appears differently on the front cover and the caption title on the first page of music. In such a case, I use the latter title. With songs for which I have not seen sheet music, I use titles recorded in copyright notices. When a discrepancy exists between a title in the sheet music caption title and the copyright notice, I use the former. One song not listed here is provisionally by Smith and Bowman. Its title comes from the front cover of the sheet music to “The Humming Coon,” which identifies Smith and Bowman as the writers of three songs, including “Ellen, I Am Serenading You.” Because I can locate neither sheet music to nor a copyright notice for this song, I cannot confirm that it is by Smith and Bowman. This attribution could mean that “Ellen, I Am Serenading You” is by one, but not both, of the composing team of Smith and Bowman. Because “The Humming Coon” was published in 1902, “Ellen, I Am Serenading You” was published no later than this year, if it was published at all. 45. Smith and Bowman composed the music for this song; Richard C. McPherson (Cecil Mack) wrote the words. For a humorous anecdote about “Good Morning Carrie!,” which presumably brought the authors “national fame,” see “Orpheum Theatre,” Utica (NY) Sunday Journal, 16 November 1902, p. 12, col. 3. 46. The sheet music for this song has the title “Since I Heard from Home”; the copyright notice, “Since I've Heard from Home.” 47. The caption title on the first page of music includes an exclamation mark, which is absent from the title on the front cover of the sheet music. The copyright notice records the title as “Ain't That an Awful Feeling.” 48. Smith and Bowman composed the music for this song; Henry Wise wrote the words. 49. The front cover of the sheet music to this song records the title as “I Ain't 'Lowed to Answer Letters.” 50. Smith and Bowman composed the music for this song; Frank Montgomery wrote the words. 51. The Integrated Catalogue of the British Library records the title of this song as “Oh Missus Sue Brown.” The sheet music to and copyright notice for the song record it as “Oh Missus Sue Blue.” 52. The British Library has at least seventeen pieces of sheet music to songs by Smith and Bowman (no given names). Its Integrated Catalogue identifies Bowman as Elmer in all cases. The Baylor University Libraries assign “While the Rain Am Falling” and “Liza, or You Only You” to him, while the University of Virginia Library credits “Mame, or the Mountain Maid” to him. These libraries do not explain why they identify Smith's Bowman collaborator on these songs as Elmer. Online catalogs accessed October 20, 2012. In “Chris Smith and the Ragtime Song,” Eunmi Shim identifies two additional songs by Smith and Bowman, the undated “Climb Up Ye Children Climb” (291) and “Yo' Wasting Time,” published in 1904 (277). Actually published in 1890, “Climb Up, Ye Chillu