Entertainment repeats itself through media trends from the past. The most fascinating comparison from the past to present are the Minstrel shows and American popular culture.
Minstrel shows date back to the early 1830's that portrayed segments of comic skits, variety acts, dancing acts, and music acts. Originally minstrel acts were led by entertainers with black faces which depicted the traits of African Americans that were brought over from Africa to America to engage in slavery. Minstrel shows were arranged in three acts. The first would traditionally be dancing, the second, being a "pun-filled" stump speech, and the third act would be concluded by the "slapstick" musical plantation act. Music played a large role in the Minstrel shows. The songs sang in the shows were performed by artists such as; "Zip Coon (1834), Old Dan Tucker (1842), Miss Lucy Long (1842), and De Camptown Races (1850)," (Kun 2010).
We see pop culture in the United States repeat itself just as entertainment in general repeats itself, however, the creation of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse is the most well known "Minstrel show" inspired form of entertainment. Mickey Mouse's first appearance was in Steamboat Willie, a black in white, silent film debuted in 1928. In the film we see Mickey interact with Minnie on a steamboat as Minnie accidentally drops the sheet music to "Turkey in the Straw" written and sung by Zip Coon from 1834. Mickey picks up the sheet music and begins to whistle "Turkey in the Straw."
Steamboat Willie Song (Turkey in the Straw)
Today in 2010, children would identify "Turkey in the Straw" with the song "Do your ears hang low?" As we see nursery rhymes develop from Minstrel shows in the early 1830's, we then note to see hip-hop today develop their tracks from nursery rimes like "Do your ears hang low?" For example, rapper "Jibbs" broke into the music industry by remixing the harmony of "Do your ears hang low?" into "Does your chain hang low?"
Jibbs- Does your chain hang low?
From Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse to American nursery rhymes to Jibbs' "Does your chain hang low?" we can conclude that there is a cohesive for American popular culture. This cohesive is repeating entertainment's history and using these traits to create something new. Think of it as reinventing pop music.
Kun, Josh (2010), http://soundclash307.tumblr.com/, Los Angeles, California: University of Southern California.
Lott, Eric (1993), Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 019509641X.
Minstrel shows date back to the early 1830's that portrayed segments of comic skits, variety acts, dancing acts, and music acts. Originally minstrel acts were led by entertainers with black faces which depicted the traits of African Americans that were brought over from Africa to America to engage in slavery. Minstrel shows were arranged in three acts. The first would traditionally be dancing, the second, being a "pun-filled" stump speech, and the third act would be concluded by the "slapstick" musical plantation act. Music played a large role in the Minstrel shows. The songs sang in the shows were performed by artists such as; "Zip Coon (1834), Old Dan Tucker (1842), Miss Lucy Long (1842), and De Camptown Races (1850)," (Kun 2010).
We see pop culture in the United States repeat itself just as entertainment in general repeats itself, however, the creation of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse is the most well known "Minstrel show" inspired form of entertainment. Mickey Mouse's first appearance was in Steamboat Willie, a black in white, silent film debuted in 1928. In the film we see Mickey interact with Minnie on a steamboat as Minnie accidentally drops the sheet music to "Turkey in the Straw" written and sung by Zip Coon from 1834. Mickey picks up the sheet music and begins to whistle "Turkey in the Straw."
Steamboat Willie Song (Turkey in the Straw)
Today in 2010, children would identify "Turkey in the Straw" with the song "Do your ears hang low?" As we see nursery rhymes develop from Minstrel shows in the early 1830's, we then note to see hip-hop today develop their tracks from nursery rimes like "Do your ears hang low?" For example, rapper "Jibbs" broke into the music industry by remixing the harmony of "Do your ears hang low?" into "Does your chain hang low?"
Jibbs- Does your chain hang low?
From Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse to American nursery rhymes to Jibbs' "Does your chain hang low?" we can conclude that there is a cohesive for American popular culture. This cohesive is repeating entertainment's history and using these traits to create something new. Think of it as reinventing pop music.
Kun, Josh (2010), http://soundclash307.tumblr.com/, Los Angeles, California: University of Southern California.
Lott, Eric (1993), Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 019509641X.
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