Christy's Minstrels
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Sheet music cover for a collection of songs by Christy's Minstrels, 1844. George Christy appears in the circle at top. |
Christy's Minstrels, sometimes referred to as the
Christy Minstrels, were a
blackface group formed by
Edwin Pearce Christy in
1843, in
Buffalo, New York, USA. They were instrumental in the solidification of the
minstrel show into a fixed three-act form. Their career included a seven-year stint at
New York City's
Mechanics' Hall (March 1847–July 1854).
Besides Christy himself, the troupe originally included Christy's stepson
George Christy, often considered the greatest blackface comic of the era. Their commercial success was phenomenal: Christy, at one point paid
Stephen Foster $15,000 for the exclusive rights to the song
Old Folks at Home. ([
1], Lott, 1993, 267)
The
New Christy Minstrels, a
folk group from the
1960s, were named with reference to this group.
*
Edwin Pearce Christy, at the University of Pennsylvania site. Accessed 6 Sept 2005.
