In this Book
- May Irwin: Singing, Shouting, and the Shadow of Minstrelsy
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: University of Illinois Press
- Series: Music in American Life
summary
May Irwin reigned as America's queen of comedy and song from the 1880s through the 1920s. A genuine pop culture phenomenon, Irwin conquered the legitimate stage, composed song lyrics, and parlayed her celebrity into success as a cookbook author, suffragette, and real estate mogul. Sharon Ammen's in-depth study traces Irwin's hurly-burly life. Irwin gained fame when, layering aspects of minstrelsy over ragtime, she popularized a racist "Negro song" genre. Ammen examines this forgotten music, the society it both reflected and entertained, and the ways white and black audiences received Irwin's performances. She also delves into Irwin's hands-on management of her image and career, revealing how Irwin carefully built a public persona as a nurturing housewife whose maternal skills and performing acumen reinforced one another. Irwin's act, soaked in racist song and humor, built a fortune she never relinquished. Yet her career's legacy led to a posthumous obscurity as the nation that once adored her evolved and changed.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-xiv
- Introduction: May and Me
- pp. 1-12
- 2. Stardom
- pp. 36-68
- 4. The “Only One Boss Bully”
- pp. 90-114
- 5. Unbounded Domesticity
- pp. 115-136
- 6. Causes and Compromise
- pp. 137-160
- 7. The Road to Rainbow’s End
- pp. 161-176
- Epilogue: Me and May
- pp. 177-188
- Chronology
- pp. 189-194
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 227-238
Additional Information
ISBN
9780252099090
Related ISBN(s)
9780252040658, 9780252082153
MARC Record
OCLC
957696722
Pages
288
Launched on MUSE
2017-01-05
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2017