Entertainer. Known as "Pigmeat", he was the gravel-voiced vaudeville star on the "Chitlin' Circuit", a group of black audience theaters booked by TOBA (Theater Owners and Bookers Association). He was one of the first artists to break the color line and play to white audiences in white theaters beside some of the big names of the day such as Milton Berle, Bessie Smith, Eddie Cantor and Red Buttons. His routine revolved around courtroom settings, and he was famous for his "Here come the Judge" routines which were later returned to prominence by actor Sammy Davis, Jr. on the popular "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" television show in the late 1960s. His career began in 1917 when the then 13 year old Dewey ran away from home in Durham, North Carolina to join the circus. He worked steadily for the next 60 years, playing the "Apollo" and "The Ed Sullivan Show". His nickname, "Pigmeat" was taken from a song in his act: "Sweet Papa Pigmeat" He sang, danced and acted in black audience targeted films, and even before the style had a name, he rapped, backed up by an R & B band. He made a series of recordings that made the top twenty both here and in England and was very popular right up until his death from a stroke at the age of 77 in 1981.
Entertainer. Known as "Pigmeat", he was the gravel-voiced vaudeville star on the "Chitlin' Circuit", a group of black audience theaters booked by TOBA (Theater Owners and Bookers Association). He was one of the first artists to break the color line and play to white audiences in white theaters beside some of the big names of the day such as Milton Berle, Bessie Smith, Eddie Cantor and Red Buttons. His routine revolved around courtroom settings, and he was famous for his "Here come the Judge" routines which were later returned to prominence by actor Sammy Davis, Jr. on the popular "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" television show in the late 1960s. His career began in 1917 when the then 13 year old Dewey ran away from home in Durham, North Carolina to join the circus. He worked steadily for the next 60 years, playing the "Apollo" and "The Ed Sullivan Show". His nickname, "Pigmeat" was taken from a song in his act: "Sweet Papa Pigmeat" He sang, danced and acted in black audience targeted films, and even before the style had a name, he rapped, backed up by an R & B band. He made a series of recordings that made the top twenty both here and in England and was very popular right up until his death from a stroke at the age of 77 in 1981.
Bio by: John T. Chiarella
Advertisement
See more Markham memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
