''Jerico-Jim Crow'' is a 1964 musical, with a book written by

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

and William Hairston. It was a pioneering work in the

urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

style, based on the themes of the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

in the United States. According to Hughes scholar and biographer

Arnold Rampersad Arnold Rampersad (born 13 November 1941) is a biographer, literary critic, and academic, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the US in 1965. The first volume (1986) of his ''Life of Langston Hughes'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer ...

, Hughes "virtually pioneered" the black gospel musical, first with ''

Black Nativity ''Black Nativity '' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel sty ...

'' (1961) and then with ''Jericho-Jim Crow''. ''Jerico-Jim Crow'' premiered on Sunday, January 5, 1964, at the Sanctuary Theatre,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was co-directed by

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

and William Hairston and conducted by Hugh Porter, with Marion Joseph Franklin, Jr as associate musical director and musical accompanist, the musical was favorably reviewed in ''The New York Times'' by Richard F. Shepard, who said: "This rousing production is an unabashedly sentimental and tuneful history of the Negro struggle up from slavery." A cast recording was released in 1964 by

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

. Porter, Hugh.
Langston Hughes' Jericho-Jim Crow

Original cast

* Joseph Attles *William Cain *Dorothy Drake *

Micki Grant Micki Grant (born Minnie Louise Perkins, June 30, 1929 – August 22, 2021) was an American singer (soprano), actress, writer, and composer. She performed in ''Having Our Say'' (as Sadie Delaney), ''Tambourines to Glory'' and ''Jericho-Jim Crow' ...

* Rosalie King *Metrogene Myles *

Gilbert Price Gilbert Price (September 10, 1942 – January 2, 1991) was an American operatic baritone and actor. Price was a protégé of Langston Hughes. He was a life member of New York's famed Actors Studio. Price first gained notice in 1964, for his ...

Songs

* "A Meeting Here Tonight" * "I'm On My Way" * " I Been 'Buked and I Been Scorned" * "Such a Little King" * "Is Massa Gwine to Sell Us Tomorrow?" * "How Much Do You Want Me To Bear?" * "Where Will I Lie Down?" * "

Follow the Drinkin' Gourd ''Follow the Drinking Gourd'' is an African-American folk song first published in 1928. The ''Drinking Gourd'' is another name for the Big Dipper asterism. Folklore has it that enslaved people in the United States used it as a point of referenc ...

" * "

John Brown's Body "John Brown's Body" (originally known as "John Brown's Song") is a United States marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of t ...

" * "

The Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic", also known as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" or "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" outside of the United States, is a popular American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe. Howe wrote her l ...

" * "Slavery Chain Done Broke at Last" * "

Oh, Freedom "Oh, Freedom" is a post-Civil War African-American freedom song. It is often associated with the Civil Rights Movement, with Odetta, who recorded it as part of the "Spiritual Trilogy", on her ''Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues'' album, and with Joa ...

" * "

Go Down, Moses "Go Down Moses" is a spiritual phrase that describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 5:1: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may se ...

" * "

Ezekiel Saw the Wheel "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" is an African American spiritual arranged by William L. Dawson. It has been recorded by such artists as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, John Lee Hooker, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Tillers, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, The C ...

" * "Stay in the Field" * "Freedom Land" * "God's Gonna Cut You Down" * "Better Leave Segregation Alone" * "My Mind on Freedom" * "

We Shall Overcome "We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the American civil rights movement. The song is most commonly attributed as being lyrically descended from "I'll Overcome Some Day", a hymn by Charles Albert Ti ...

" * "The Battle of Old Jim Crow" * "Come and Go With Me"

References

1964 musicals Off-Broadway musicals Plays by Langston Hughes Works about American slavery {{musical-theat-stub