John Trusty Gibson (February 4, 1878 – June 17, 1937) was an African-American businessman, theatrical producer and manager and real estate investor, who was one of the pioneers of black entertainment in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania. He was the wealthiest African-American in Philadelphia in the 1920s due to his ownership of the Standard and

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...

theatres and management of various African-American vaudeville and black musical acts. He was appointed the vice president of the Managers and Performers vaudeville circuit in 1922.

Early life and career

Gibson, the son of George Henry and Elizabeth Johns Gibson, was born on February 4, 1878, and grew up in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He was nicknamed "Little Giant", and graduated from Morgan College Preparatory School. He later received an honorary LLD degree from the school in June 1928. Gibson moved to Philadelphia in 1899. He initially worked in various odd jobs, and had stints peddling meat and caning chairs, before moving into the theatrical world in 1910, when Samuel Reading hired him as a partner in his movie and Vaudeville theatre, The North Pole. Though the North Pole theatre was not a success in the end, Gibson remained optimistic and bought out Reading for $800. Gibson married Ella on September 15, 1914.

Theatre and real estate

Gibson acquired the

Standard Theatre Standard Theatre or Standard Theater may refer to: ;in Australia *Royal Standard Theatre, in Sydney, known as "Standard Theatre", since demolished ;in Canada; * Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) ;in the United States *Standard Theatre, early n ...

from Joseph W. Cummings on South Street in July 1914. The theatre thrived, with Gibson booking the likes of Bylow and Ashes, singers

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

and Ethel Waters, Erma C. Miller's "Brown Skinned Models" (known as the "Black Rockettes"), and jazz bands led by the likes of

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

. He became the wealthiest black man in the city in the 1920s after purchasing the

theatre from E. C. Brown and Andrew Stevens in 1921 for $420,000. Gibson bought a big estate in Whitemarsh, neighboring the

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

Estate, a home in West Philadelphia and a red Pierce Arrow car with his own personal chauffeur. He invested heavily in real estate. On 24 July 1922, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' announced that Gibson had been appointed the vice president of the Managers and Performers vaudeville circuit. Despite his wealth and the success, Gibson was ruined by The Great Depression at the end of the 1920s, and was forced to sell both the Standard and Dunbar theatres, which later became cinemas. The Depression left him close to poverty in his final years. He died on 17 June 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, John 1878 births 1937 deaths African-American businesspeople Businesspeople from Baltimore Businesspeople from Philadelphia American theatre managers and producers 20th-century African-American people