George H. Coes (c. 1828 – March 16, 1897) was an American
minstrel music performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows in
California and throughout the
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
.
Early life
Coes was born in
Providence, Rhode Island in about 1828.
Career in minstrelsy
Minstrelsy was America's first original contribution to the theater arts. It was popular from just before the
American Civil War to the end of the 19th century. Though minstrelsy and its attendant use of
blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
is now viewed as racist and anachronistic, it was the preeminent entertainment in the United States during the life of George H. Coes, and he was one of its most well-known and successful performers.
Early career
Coes went to California in 1852 and was associated with a number of minstrel acts, principally in
San Francisco, before he returned east and opened with Woods and
Christy's Minstrels in New York City in 1857. In 1858, Coes returned to California and joined with
Sam Wells to form Coes and Wells' Minstrels.
That partnership did not last and Coes returned to performing in other companies. In 1867, after years of performing in the minstrel companies of others, Coes joined with
S.S. Purdy and
Frank Converse to form Coes, Purdy and Converse's Party, which opened in
Harlem on March 19, 1867.
Partnership with Schoolcraft
Coes joined with his old friend
Luke Schoolcraft
Luke Schoolcraft (November 13, 1847 - March 10, 1893) was an American minstrel music composer and performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows throughout the North after the American Civil War.
Early life
Schoolcraft was born in New Orlean ...
in 1874 and they formed "one of the most famous minstrel tandems in history."
Schoolcraft & Coes appeared with a number of leading companies including
Emerson's Megatherian Minstrels and
Barlow, Wilson, Primrose & West. By 1880, the two settled with their families in
Cambridge, Massachusetts and continued to tour throughout the country performing their minstrel act in a variety of shows and venues.
When Coes was unable to continue his career due to poor health in 1889, the partnership dissolved. Coes was stricken with paralysis in 1891 and died at his home at 205 Hampshire Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 16, 1897.
Compositions
George H. Coes produced a book of music in 1877, entitled
George Coes' Album of Music
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
which included a number of hits, including:
*Clouds and sunshine; or, I've just arrived from Dixie (1877)
References
See also
*
Minstrel show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coes, George
1820s births
1897 deaths
Songwriters from Rhode Island
Blackface minstrel performers
Blackface minstrel songwriters
Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island
Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts
19th-century American singers
Songwriters from Massachusetts