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.James A. Bland was an African-American -minstrel performer and songwriter and performed in England and the U.S. Besides this song, which he wrote in 1879, he also composed Carry me back to old Virginny, Virginia's state song. |
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African-American Sheet Music.
Acquired through the Ruth and Susan Sharp, Claude Simpson Memorial, and Thomas A. Bailey Memorial Book Funds.
This collection of over five hundred pieces of sheet music contains works written by African-Americans, some of them published by African-American publishers, including music by Andy Razaf, Art Tatum, Mary Lou Williams, Thelonius Monk, Thomas Waller, W.C. Handy, Eubie Blake and many others. The collection also contains a broad selection of music with African-American themes, published between 1877-1967. The coon songs, rags, cake walks, blues and other musical examples, along with their cover art, form an invaluable tool for the study of cultural history, representing the intersection of attitudes towards race, tastes in vernacular music, marketing tactics of the entertainment industry, and styles of graphic design.
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