During the 1920s and 30s, tampa was a stop on the chitlin circuit. The chitlin circuit was a string of music venues in the south that sold chitlins and other soul food dishes. The chitlin circuit was a touring route black entertainers used in the early 20th century. A circuit of nightclubs and theaters that feature africanamerican performers and cater especially to africanamerican audiences. The chitlin circuit was more than just music it nurtured comedians and was championed in the plays of august wilson but preston lauterbachs focus is on how the chitlin circuit. It provided safe venues and reliable lodging for traveling performers during jim crow discrimination. Playing the chitlin circuit in mississippi by suzassippi on september, 2017 5. The chitlin circuit, by preston lauterbach, about pre. Chitlin circuit definition of chitlin circuit by the. And the road to rock n roll from the worlds largest community of readers. In addition to motown, memphis, philly and chicagostyle rhythm and blues, southern soul borrows freely from country, gospel, rock, pop. Various other spellings and dialect forms were used. Informal a circuit of nightclubs and theaters that feature africanamerican performers and cater especially to africanamerican. The chitlin circuit and the road to rock n roll by.
The chitlin circuit grew out of a time when black people were not allowed to perform at white establishments. A source book on early black musical shows, scarecrow press, second edition. They are stock characters familiar if you have seen chitlin circuit comics or oscar micheaux revivals with all black casts. The best of todays southern blues various artists on allmusic 2001 this is. Frequently citing the black press of the day, lauterbach tells his story with big splashes of color.
Were talking about the black music businessblack performers, black audiencesrun by predominantly black businesspeople with a few whites in the mix. Gatess piece begins with a discussion of a speech given by august wilson in 1996 in which the. In addition to the 45 theatres on the toba circuit which was located in the. Playing the chitlin circuit in mississippi preservation. Free circuits theory books download ebooks online textbooks. Queens of comedy who went from the chitlin circuit to. The chitlin circuit was the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern united states that were safe and acceptable for african american musicians, comedians, and other legendary entertainers to perform at during the age of racial segregation in the united states from at least the late. The chitlin circuit, like tin pan alley and motown and other legendary music locations, is both a real and symbolic term for the onandoffagain venuesshoeboxsized bars, clubs, cafes and increasingly in the 21st century, casinos that support traditional rhythm and blues in a tenuous but tenacious thread through americas mostly. Back in the september 5th roundup, thomas rosell mentioned the upcoming mississippi valley state university lecture series on the chitlin circuit, the name that emerged for the african american music venues under. After a oneweek hiatus for the sin city soul and blues revival, this is the latest installment in our weekly series, the language of the blues, in which author and rocker debra devi explores the meaning of a word or phrase from a blues song. The chitlin circuit was where black comics and singers toured through the south confined.
The chitlin circuit referred to the grand tour of ever changing southern bars, taverns, holes in the wall, barbeque joints, and makeshift venues for dancing or simply those to showcase new black artists, while turning a substantial buck on the booze sold. Jonathan yardley, washington post for generations, chitlin circuit has meant second tierbrash performers in raucous nightspots far from the bigcity limelight. Vaudeville, chitlin circuit, toba, black urban theatre. Now, music journalist preston lauterbach combines terrific firsthand reportage with deep historical research to offer a groundbreaking account of the birth of rock n. Toba charted the course for artists of the chitlin circuit, and the chitlin circuits. The cast parades out singing an original song by black ensemble founder jackie taylor blended in with snippets from blues classics immediately recognizable by the audience. Amusing details like this fill the chitlin circuit and the road to rock and roll, music journalist preston lauterbachs first book. African american theaters in georgia format check uga. And the road to rock n roll kindle edition by lauterbach, preston.
Preston lauterbach is the author of the chitlin circuit and the road to rock n roll, a wall street journal, boston globe, and npr book of the year. The chitlin circuit was almost an entirely africanamerican phenomenon, says the author of the chitlin circuit and the road to rock n roll, preston lauterbach. This note introduces the fundamentals of the lumped circuit abstraction. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Southern soul music, chitlin circuit, black music guide. Chitlin synonyms, chitlin pronunciation, chitlin translation, english dictionary definition of chitlin.
Because there was no media coverage for these artists, the chitlin circuit was the. Of disputation about the chitlin circuit, a black theatre circuit, and the playwright august wilson. According to national public radio, the chitlin circuit was a group of performance venues located mostly in the south that were safe and acceptable places for africanamerican musicians and. Many prominent black entertainers worked the chitlin circuit from the 1800s through the 1960s, and a tradition of predominantly black venues has endured in the united states, even though segregation laws have been struck from the books. The chitlin circuit was more than just music it nurtured comedians and was championed in the plays of august wilson but preston lauterbachs focus is on how the chitlin circuit for live music developed from the late 1930s and nurtured rock n roll from the early 1940s to the mid1950s. Preston lauterbach focuses his first booklength work on the chitlin circuit. Karyn white and bowlegged lou perfomance by karyan white christopher williams surface. Take the exit to southern and go back north a block or two to find this restaurant tucked under an overpass.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the chitlin circuit. In the late 50s and early 60s these tours were crucial to black artists like b. The term chitlin circuit is derived from a popular item which appears on many southern soul food. Tampa bays musical history thrived during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, especially in the central avenue district. Preston lauterbach is the author of bluff city, beale street dynasty and the chitlin circuit, a wall street journal and boston globe book of the year. Saturday 14th 2019 at the crest hollow country club woodbury ny hosted by.
The chitlin circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper midwest areas of the united states that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for africanamerican musicians, comedians, and other entertainers during the era of racial segregation in the united states from at least the early 19th century citation needed through the 1960s. All this makes the chitlin circuit and the road to rock and roll crucial to our understanding of late20thcentury pop music and all the more impressive for its exhaustive research. The chitlin circuit is the name given to a string of performance venues, mostly throughout the southern us, which was safe and acceptable for africanamerican entertainers to perform in during. Discover, save and share your favorite streams and listen to internet radio for free in your browser. He is a former visiting scholar at rhodes college and a virginia humanities fellow.
Chitlin circuit definition is a group of theaters and nightclubs that cater to africanamerican audiences and feature africanamerican entertainers. Chitlin definition of chitlin by the free dictionary. Toba nurtured such performers as leonard reed and willie bryant, creators of the shim sham shimmy c. Today, rock historian ed ward looks at two books, preston lauterbachs the chitlin circuit and the road to rock n roll and fever, susan whitalls biography of little willie john, one of the.
Johnsons the cost of lovea romantic comedy stageplay, zetta miguel brand, pink city corp. King, solomon burke, james brown, and jackie wilson to name a few. Chitlin circuit preservation society, dade city, florida. The small intestines of pigs, especially when cooked and eaten as food. A bus called big red was purchased and the 1950s were spent on the road playing clubs, roadhouses, and barns on the chitlin circuit.
Preston lauterbach is the author of beale street dynasty and the chitlin circuit, a wall street journal and boston globe book of the year. Kings reputation eventually propelled him into a better circuit of clubs, including the apollo theater in harlem. Southern soul musicwith its own stars, its own audience and daytoday hits is the resurgence of that verseandchorus, storytelling tradition. Performance venues for the nations best black musicians 2 posted by susan march 1, 2020 latest posts, music in the early part of the 20th century, african american musicians and comedians couldnt just walk into any place and work their magic. Lauterbach presents an outrageous cast of rogues and their byzantine operations, contextualized against the social, legal, and political undercurrents contributing to their success. And african american book musicals and revues had been around since the. Chitlin circuit definition of chitlin circuit by the free dictionary. From the 1930s into the 1950s, new types of music developed along the circuit. Jonathan yardley, washington post, the chitlin circuit, and the road to rock n roll, preston lauterbach, 9780393342949. Home african american history playing the chitlin circuit in mississippi. Chitlin circuit definition of chitlin circuit by merriam. The first history of the network of black juke joints that spawned rock n roll through an unholy alliance between vice and entertainment. The chop suey circuit of chinese nightclubsprimarily.
The chitlin circuit npr coverage of the chitlin circuit. Chitlin circuit preservation society museum dade city. This is a really good book on the history of the chitlin circuit, a collection of nightclubs throughout the south eastern and south central united states which featured africanamerican musicians and which, as the title suggests, played a major role in the development of rock n roll. Up until the 60s the segregated network was defined by law, but after the civil rights struggle the term chitlin circuit evolved to simply to mean clubs and theaters that black people frequent. The story of the chitlin circuits great performers. We are removing our fees for every select subscription for 3 months to help support creators. Chitterling is first documented in middle english by the oxford english dictionary, in the form cheterling, c1400. The chitlin circuit, named for the hog intestines eaten by slaves for survival and considered a soulfood staple by some, was the network of mostly southern dance halls, nightclubs and movie theaters that made up a booming entertainment industry for the artists, audiences and promoters who had been shut out of the american mainstream by jim crow segregation. From the 1930s until the 1960s, the chitlin circuit had its heyday. When jim crow and segregation were even more prominent in the united states, the negro race, freed through emancipation, did not have equal access to public white only places. A definitive account of the birth of rock n roll in black america, this book establishes the chitlin circuit as a major force in american musical history. Find out the origins of the famous chitlin circuit.