The Rediscovery of George "Nash" Walker: The Price of Black Stardom in Jim Crow America - Hardcover

Daniel Atkinson

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798855803167

Publisher: SUNY Press, 2025

Synopsis

The Rediscovery of George "Nash" Walker is the first biography dedicated to the life and cultural contributions of this actor, writer, and producer who revolutionized Black American theatre during the early twentieth century. In 1892, Walker left his hometown with a medicine show and quickly formed a partnership with comedian Bert Williams that would last nearly eighteen years. Under the moniker of "The Two Real Coons," Williams and Walker used their comedy to erode the stereotyped White image of minstrel-style "cooning." Their theatrical company produced many popular plays, including Clorindy/A Lucky Coon (1899–1900), Policy Players (1900–1901), Sons of Ham (1901–1902), In Dahomey (1902–1905), Abyssinia (1905–1906), Bandanna Land (1907–1909), and Mr. Lode of Koal (1909–1910), even performing on Broadway and abroad. An activist at heart, Walker insisted that audiences receive carefully curated Black entertainment, told from a uniquely Afro-American perspective. Unfortunately, Walker contracted syphilis and was forced to retire in 1909, marking the end of the first golden age of Black theatre. Despite his landmark contributions, Walker's story has been largely forgotten. Drawing on archival resources, newspaper accounts, memoirs, oral histories, and manifestos written by Walker, this book celebrates the accomplishments of the vanguard generation of Black artists who were active between the close of the Civil War and the start of World War I.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel E. Atkinson is an independent scholar who earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Washington where he specialized in Afro-American music and culture.

Edition details

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798855803167
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400