Subject: X5674/1 Re: Re: "Billy" Whitlock (1813-1878) Early Minstrel Banjo Player? From: "Fred Mason"
I know the following about him:
he wrote and published his autobiography in 1878. (am trying to locate a copy and if successful, will share any family info found with you.)
He met Joel Walker Sweeney in Lynchburg VA 1n 1838 and learned banjo from him. Billy W. was traveling as a circus musician at the time. Sources differ on home state...NY and VA both given. No details.
Played on stage in 1840 in Philadelphia with a fiddler as a duo.
and of course I have a bunch of stuff on his minstrel show era.
Best,
Fred Mason
[email protected] Subject: X5674/2 The saga of "Billy" Whitlock (1813-1878) Early Minstrel Banjo Player? From: "Fred Mason"
Thanx Peter...
I have that most of that info and also a citation from "The Birth of the Banjo" Katonah NY Museum banjo history show catalog stating that Billy Whitlock was born in New York (State???) in 1813. He was a printer by trade before joining the Waring, Raymond & Company Circus in 1837. That year he met Joel Walker Sweeney (so-called Father of the Banjo) in Lynchburg Virginia and had a few lessons with him. On Jan 31,1843, he and Dan Emmett, Dick Pelham and Frank Brower performed as the Virginia Minstrels at the Chatham Theater in New York City. Deemed to be the first "minstrel troupe show".
That sheet music cover of the "Ethiopian Songs" is supposed to show Billy as the blackface character on left playing banjo! (Man on right supposed to be John Diamond, his partner) No detail though and I downloaded a hi-res copy from Library of Congress.
Hoping to connect him to my NY Whitlock line.
Still looking for his printed Autobiography.
Fred Mason
[email protected] Subject: X5674/3 attached Pix of Billy Whitlock Banjo minstrel From: "Fred Mason"
Peter:
Attached is a pix of "Cousin" Billy Whitlock (Minstrel Banjoist) born William M. Whitlock in NY in 1813. Died 1878. A Daughter was married to Edwin Adams.
Billy was first a printer...actually a compositor and then joined circus as a singer before learning banjo.
Does this help match anything close in the database?
There is a manuscript autobiography supposedly quoted from in an issue of New York Clipper newspaper in 1878. Am tracking it down thru Library of Congress microform collection.
Fred