A Bad Rap

Michael O'Malley, Associate Professor of History and Art History, George Mason University

Cook was a volatile, proud man. Duke Ellington, who studied with Cook, recalled this story. In 1895 Cook had given a concert on the violin. The next day he went to see the reviewer. "Thank you very much for the favorable review," he said. "You wrote that I was the world's greatest Negro violinist." "Yes, Mr. Cook," the man said, "and I meant it. You are definitely the world's greatest Negro violinist." With that, Cook took out his violin and smashed it across the reviewer's desk. "I am not the world's greatest Negro violinist," he exclaimed. "I am the greatest violinist in the world!" Cook also published music which blurred the line between minstrel buffoonery and serious folk or spiritual music. For example, Swing Along (1912) was published with much greater dignity.

Swing along chillun, swing along de lane
Lif' yo' head an' yo' heels mighty high
Swing along chillun, 'taint a-goin' to rain
sun's as red as a rose in the sky

Come along Mandy, come along Sue
White folks watchin' an seein' what you do,
White folks jealous when you'se walkin' two by two
So swing along children, swing along.

Though these lyrics also contain dialect and stereotyping, they also convey a pride and optimism not found in the minstrel show.