Merit, Not Sympathy, Wins: The Life and Times of Blind Boone Annotated Edition
Author(s): Mary Collins Barile and Christine Montgomery (Author, Editor)
- Publisher: Truman State University Press
- Publication Date: 1 June 2012
- Edition: Annotated
- Language: English
- Print length: 256 pages
- ISBN-10: 1612480659
- ISBN-13: 9781612480657
Book Description
In post-Reconstruction America, John William "Blind" Boone, an illiterate, itinerate musician, overcame obstacles created by disability, exploitative managers, and racial prejudice to become one of the country's most beloved concert performers. Melissa Fuell-Cuther's out-of-print biography, Blind Boone: His Life and Achievements, relates the highlights of Boone s harrowing journey and also testifies to the struggles of many African Americans during the Jim Crow era. With the initial publication of the Boone biography in 1915, Fuell-Cuther broke ground as the first American black author to write about the life of a black musician. As a member of Boone s concert company, Fuell-Cuther provided firsthand knowledge of Boone's early years, his career performing tours cross the country, and perhaps most importantly, his professional and personal relationship with John Lange, whom many at the time considered the best entertainment manager, black or white, in the country. The story of Blind Boone is revitalized in this annotated edition of the biography, accompanied by essays describing the Missouri environment in which the artist lived, his place within the landscape of American music, and his achievements after publication of the second edition of the biography. This book recalls the almost insurmountable barriers of discrimination early black performers faced with perseverance, resilience, and courage to carve a path for future generations.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Missouri proudly claims two of America's premier ragtime musicians - Scott Joplin and John William "Blind" Boone. Joplin's import has been well documented, but the story of Boone's remarkable life and his legendary skills as a piano keyboardist and entertainer have faded from public memory. Thanks to the insightful offerings of a stellar cast of contributors, this much-needed volume documents Boone's extraordinary experiences as a celebrated African American musician, reveals the racial injustices of his time and place, and rescues him from undeserved obscurity. --William E. Foley, Professor Emeritus, University of Central Missouri
Merit, Not Sympathy, Wins: The Life and Times of Blind Boone, sheds light on the piano prodigy's influence beyond the ragtime genre and looks at the breadth of his performances of ragtime, classical and spiritual music that shaped the music of his time.... The authors were fascinated by the rarity of Melissa Fuell's 1915 biography of Boone and aware of the absence of literature about Boone and the misconception that his contributions were limited to the ragtime genre. Barile and Montgomery set out to revitalize the pianist's story and tell it in a more complete way than it had been told before --Missourian
... a significant boon to the fields of African American music and disability studies. Mary Collins Barile and Christine Montgomery s editing and choice of supplementary material straightforwardly bring the Boone story and legacy up to date while Fuell-Cuther s original test takes us back to a world that we cannot afford to forget. --Missouri Historical Review
About the Author
Mary Collins Barile, PhD, is a theatre historian and author of books about Missouri history, the Santa Fe Trail, and the history of acting in nineteenth-century America. Her most recent publication is The Haunted Boonslick: Ghosts, Ghouls & Monsters of Missouri s Heartland. She lives in Boonville, Missouri. Christine Montgomery is a grant writer for the University of Missouri. Prior to coming to the university, she worked as the photograph specialist at the State Historical Society of Missouri, where she wrote the Blind Boone essay for the society s Historic Missourians website. She served as a contributing writer and coeditor for Images of Our Lives, a history of Columbia, Missouri, in the twentieth century, published by the Columbia Tribune Press.
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