Page 20 Porttand ObNrver Section II February 211. 1111
Fame came to them in Bo ton at the World Peace
Jubilee in 1872 , where their s trong voice ca rried the
train of The Battle Hy mn of the Republic throughout
the oli cum . From then on, they beca me inter-
nationally known through tours throughout the tates
and urope .
For the next seven year they travelled, co nstantl y in-
creasing the coffer of the university' treasu ry by over
SI S0,000.
a result of their tour, one co ntr ibuti on wa
th e co nstru ction of Jub ilee H all which is till on Fi k'
University' campu .
The ingers' ucce s, both artistically and financially.
created a tradition in Black college that c ists today-for
Ham pt n In s titute was the second college to form a
inging grou ; an d o th ers follo wed uit.
Th e end of the war c reated diffi cultie for individual
performer , bo th white and Bla ck, ith a few e cep-
tion s 1ha1 have already been ment i ned, and wh o e
careers began durin antc-bcllum time . Now 1ha1 peace
had returned, American audience I urned to uropean
performers for olo entertainment.
o n equen1ly voca l en embles , o pera companies,
mu s ic oc ietie (c hiefly cla i al), bra band and
review ab o unded after the war . Min lrel troupe con-
1 inued i n their popularity and bec ame the trainin g
ground for fu tu re tar .
nles a performer was a member o f a large min trel
troupe , diffi c ultie were experienced . mall, unknown
group ha d 10 "roug h it," often doubling a stage
h and s, j anitor , ticke t seller ; find the ir o wn a c-
com da1i o n in off times, unfriendl y town , adve rt i e
their \ how wit h previews in the to wn quare, pro vi d e
their o wn co tume , a nd o on . Nevertheless, a i legion
with as piring performers, they were willing to endure in
hope~ o f making it.
nl 1he e eptiona l made the" Bi Time ." nc year
bef re Milburn' ong wa fir st published, a on wa
born 10 free parent s in Flu h ing, New York . He wo uld
wr ite mu ic that would be familiar, o ne hundred year
later, t o million of people who were unknow ingly
Ii tening 10 the compo it io n of a Blac k man .
JAMES BLAND ( 18S4- 191 I) , one of eight children ,
was de tined 10 become the darling of the conti nent , and
wr iter of songs that would become 1andards not only in
the country of hi birth, but in urope a well.
H i father, Allen Bl and , attended W ilberforce and
berlin o llege in hio, and re eived a law degree from
H oward niversit . When Jame was twe lve, Mr . Bland
wa s the fi r l Bia k appoin ted a an examiner in the
Un ited tales Patent Offi ce, o th e famil y moved to
Washingt o n, D. ., where Jame attended local chool .
To the co n 1erna1ion of hi parent , a a youth, he
demon trated a greater propen it y toward the banjo
than boo k s. H e ompo ed hi s own tune and could
often be fo und downtown on 1ree1 corner singing and
pla ing for change . n elderly mu ic teacher taught him
how 10 t ra n cribe hi mu ic. H e compo ed a tune that
wo uld become a tate s ong : arry M e Back To O ld
Virginny whil e a teenager and ang and pla ed it for a
white min trel named eorge Primro e , wh o wa then
appearin g in Wa hington . Thi , and other tunes that he
omposed , Primro e played and sang in hi ho w.
pon g raduating from high chool, he t1ended
H oward niver ity for hi parent s had a pirations for a
profess i na l career f r their on .
•
While at Howard , James became fam iliar with an -
tebellum sto ries fr o m
me of th e student s who had
been lave , and he acquired an appreciation for Bia k
fo lk mu i , including pirituals .
He developed a tyle of playing the banjo and si nging
th at crea1ed request fo r hi appearance at various socia l
event . ventua ll y, hi s reputation g rew I the point
where he wa a ked to ente rta in dinner gue t al the
anva b ac k lub where President le ela nd wa a
member . T hi led to further s u cess a s a n entert ai ner
and the deci io n th at law upheld no appeal fo r him . He
JAMES A. BLAND
KATU TELEVISION
Salutes Black History Month
and would iike to take this
opportunity to congratulate the
Black Community on its
significant contributions and
many achievements.
A SALUTE TO OTIS REDDING
Thirteen years after his untimely death , Otis Redding ' s
presence and influence in the world of popular music remains
stronger than ever .
Stax Record 's star Otis Reading helped define the " soul "
sound of the 60's, his impassioned vocals and songwriting
projected a sense of emotional commitment few have matched
since . When he died in the icy waters of Lake Manoma in
Madison , Wisconsin on Decem bear 10, 1967, it was a loss to
us all .
KATU··
On The Rocks
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