.
By Kelli McQueen, Maia Perez, Vinny Bartholomew, Marc Beans, Tom Hardy, Ani Karagianis, Haley White
Collection Overview
Title: Bruce Vermazen Papers, Research Files and Music Instruments on Tom Brown, 1890-2020
ID: 12/9/168
Primary Creator: Vermazen, Bruce
Other Creators: Brown, Tom (1881-1950)
Extent: 17.5 cubic feet
Date Acquired: 06/22/2020
Subjects: Minstrel Show, Vaudeville
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Consists of Bruce Vermazen's research on Tom Brown, which includes Tom Brown's performance papers, scrapbooks, recorded music, and musical instruments and Bruce Vermazen's research notes, personal correspondence, and publishing information for the book That Moaning Saxophone. The collection is organized into two series. Series one concerns Tom Brown's music and papers, and series two centers around Bruce Vermazen's papers. Series one is organized into six subseries and arranged by content type. Subseries one consists of performance photographs, papers, and materials. Subseries two consists of scrabooks. Subseries three consists of sheet music. Subseries four consists of the Metronome Orchestra Monthly. Subseries five consists of audio recordings. Subseries six consists of seven music instruments. Subseries one is arranged chronologically, subseries two is arranged chronologically by earliest date, subseries three is arranged alphabetically, subseries four is arranged chronologically by date and issue, subseries five is arranged alphabetically by recording company, and subseries six is arranged by type of instrument. Series two is organized into three subseries. Subseries one is labeled research files, subseries two is labeled book project files, and subseries three is labeled personal papers. Subseries one is arranged alphabetically by content or creator, and subseries two and three are arranged chronologically by date of creation.
Collection Historical Note
Tom Brown (1881-1950) was born on March 27, 1881 in Ottawa, Ontario. As the second oldest child of seven children, Tom grew up in a musical household. Tom first learned cornet at the age of four from his father Allan, who was a cornettist and band leader in both Ottawa and Toronto. In 1890, Tom began performing the clarinet in the 45th Battery Band of Bowmanville Ontario, a Canadian military band that was led by his father. Tom spent a large portion of his childhood attending musical events at the Opera House in Lindsay, Ontario, it was here that he witnessed his first minstrel show. In 1897, Tom received his first professional appointment as a musician performing as a parade clarinetest for the Guy Brother's Minstrels during their brief stay in Lindsay. Unlike other professional minstrel shows and circus bands that traveled up to 150 miles by train to each new performance location, the Guy Brother's minstrels was a"mud show" that traveled from town to town with a horse and carriage. After spending two years with the Guy Brother's show, Tom joined the Ringling Brother's Circus Band during its 1899 concert tour. By 1903, Tom and his brother Percy began to perform as featured soloists with the Walter L. Main Enormous Show Circus Band. It was during this year that Tom briefly met his future wife, an actress by the name of Theresa Valerio. Midway through the tour, Tom and Percy left the circus because Tom was offered the opportunity to become the leader of the Guy Brothers Minstrels.
Tom led the Guy Brother's Minstrels on a 1904 vaudeville tour of the American Midwest. Sometime during this tour, he renamed the ensemble the Brown Brother's Band. In 1906, the Brown Brothers were added to the Ringling Brother's circus tour. By 1906, the Brown Brothers began appearing as comedy trio with George "Doc" Healy, who was formerly a blackface circus clown with Ringling Brothers. In 1909, Tom renamed the ensemble the Five Brown Brothers. This ensemble included Tom as featured soloist and four of his five brothers, Percy, Alec, Vern, and Fred performing as a saxophone quintet. Their first major appearance occurred with the Broadway Gaiety Girls company of New York.
By 1911, Tom's eldest brother William had joined the group and the ensemble was renamed the Six Brown Brothers. During this time, the brothers performed in clown costumes with Tom in blackface. The group's stage costumes reflected Tom's time with both the Guy Brothers Minstrels and the Ringling Brothers Circus. At various points when the group performed as a sextet, the ensemble also featured some non-family members, including Billy Markwith, Harry Fink, and Matthew Amaturo. During this year, the Six Brown Brothers also recorded their first phonograph recordings for the United States and Columbia Phonography companies. From 1912-1914, the group traveled with Primrose and Dockstader's Minstrels. From 1914-1923, the ensemble was hired to play as the pit orchestra for several Broadway shows. These shows included Chin Chin (1914-1917), Jack o Lantern (1917-1920), Midnight Frolic (1918-1919), Tip Top (1920-1923), and The Bunch and Judy (1923). Many of these shows starred Theresa Valerio, who married Tom Brown after they appeared together in Chin Chin.
After performing for nearly a decade on Broadway, Tom led the ensemble on road-tour called Black and White Revue of 1924. Following this failed tour, the Six Brown Brothers took their vaudeville show to Canada and Australia. The Six Brown Brothers disbanded in 1933, but Tom Brown continued performing as a soloist until 1944. After WWII, Tom moved to Chicago, Illinois where he opperated the Tom Brown Music Company, a publishing company and music store that sold musical instruments. Tom Brown died on August 29, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois.
Biographical Note
Bruce Vermazen was born in 1940. Vermazen earned his bachelors and masters degrees in Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1961 and 1962, respectively. In 1967, he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Stanford University. Soon after, Vermazen became a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California Berkeley. In 1978, he became interested in ragtime and began performing cornet with the Chrysanthemum Ragtime Band. He later served as the band's music director and announcer. In the 1980s, Vermazen began publishing articles on historic ragtime musicians in the San Francisco area including: Jay Roberts, Art Hickman, and the Brown Brothers. In the 1990s, Vermazen began playing cornet with the San Francisco Starlight Orchestra. After retiring in 2000, he published That Moaning Saxophone: The Six Brown Brothers and the Dawning of a Musical Craze. During the early 2000s, Vermazen also became a member of the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble. In 2005, he and Bob Pinsker founded the Heliotrope Ragtime Orchestra, an esemble he still co-leads and performs with to this day. Vermazen currently lives in San Diego with his spouse Juan Miguel Godoy.
Subject/Index Terms
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Tom Brown Music and Papers, ca. 1900-1954],
[Series 2: Bruce Vermazen Personal Papers and Research Files on Tom Brown],
[
All]
- Series 2: Bruce Vermazen Personal Papers and Research Files on Tom Brown
- Consists of Bruce Vermazen's research files, book project files, and personal papers. It is organized into three subseries. The first subseries is labeled research files and consists of notes, clippings, articles, and images used for researching That Moaning Saxophone. It is arranged alphabetically by content or creator. The second subseries is labeled book project files and consists of notes, correspondence, and publishing information for That Moaning Saxophone. It is arranged chronologically by date of creation. The third subseries is labeled personal papers and consists of articles and correspondence not related to the book. It is arranged chronologically by date of creation.
- Sub-Series 1: Research Files
- Consists of notes, articles, clippings, correspondence, and images used for research to write That Moaning Saxophone. It is arranged alphabetically by content or creator.
- Box 12
- Folder 1: Alaska Trip, 1923
- Folder 2: All-American Vaudeville, 1914-1998
- Folder 3: The American Circus, 1984
- Folder 4: Articles, Correspondences, and Clippings about Instruments and Jazz, 1920-1998
- Folder 5: Australia, 1925
- Folder 6: Australia and 30 Piece Band, 1924-1929
- Folder 7: Band Masters with Circus and Seasons, 1841-1958
- Folder 8: Bean, Annemarie, James V. Hatch, and Brooks McNamara "Inside the Minstrel Mask," 1996
- Folder 9: Billboard Notes, Summers of 1920-1921, 1920-1921
- Folder 10: Billy Rose Theater Collection Visit, 1998
- Folder 11: Black and White Revue of 1924, 1923-1924
- Folder 12: Brown, Alec, 1882-1978
- Folder 13: Brown, Allan, 1858-1947
- Folder 14: Brown Family Documents, 1998-2007
- Folder 15: Brown, Theresa, 1888-1964
- Folder 16: Brown, Theresa Letters, 1918-1921
- Folder 17: Brown, Tom Articles in "Stage Tales on and Off," 1923
- Folder 18: Bunch and Judy, 1922
- Folder 19: Burlesque, Four Cates, Spillers Article and Notes, 1906-1919
- Folder 20: Caldwell Correspondence, 2004
- Folder 21: CD Info "The Almost Complete Six Brown Brothers," Undated
- Folder 22: Chapter 10 Notes, Undated
- Folder 23: Chicago- Brown Addresses, 1998
- Folder 24: Chin-Chin and Fred Stone Notes, 1915
- Folder 25: Chin-Chin Performance Clippings and Notes, 1914-1918
- Folder 26: Circus Notes and Articles, 1926-1999
- Folder 27: Circus World Museum Research, 1891-1999
- Folder 28: Collection of Correspondences and Clippings about Performances, 1993-2000
- Folder 29: Correspondences about Brown Brothers Music, 2000-2004
- Folder 30: Correspondences about Brown Brothers Music and Recordings, 1994-1997
- Folder 31: Correspondences about Chin-Chin and Clippings, 1993
- Folder 32: Correspondence with Stuart Lloyd, 1992
- Box 13
- Folder 1: Darkest America Program, 1896
- Folder 2: Death Certificates, 1915-1950
- Folder 3: Dillingham Papers, 2003
- Folder 4: Discography (Brown Brothers) 1914-1925
- Folder 5: Don Bestor's Orchestra, 1925-1926
- Folder 6: Dormon "Coon Song," 1988
- Folder 7: Dumont, Frank (Witmark Minstrel Guide,) 1899
- Folder 8: Early Vaudeville Career, 1904-1911
- Folder 9: Eltinge, 2003
- Folder 10: Finsbury Park Photos, 1914
- Folder 11: Fink, Harry Correspondence, 2006
- Folder 12: Four Bards, 1902-1911
- Folder 13: Gelatt, Roland (Fabulous Phonograph,) 1977
- Folder 14: Gilbert, Douglas (American Vaudeville,) 1940
- Folder 15: Gravestone Information, 1949
- Folder 16: Guy Brothers' Minstrels, 1895-1899
- Folder 17: Haverly, Jace (Negro Minstrels,) 1902
- Folder 18: Information about True-Tone and U.S. Census, 1914-1930
- Folder 19: Information on Brown Brothers, Music, and Performances, 1921-2003
- Folder 20: Interviews Used for Research, 1970-1999
- Folder 21: Itineraries, 1927-1929
- Folder 22: Jack o'Lantern, 1917-1920
- Folder 23: LaBelle, Bob Correspondence, 2001
- Folder 24: Lefebre, E.A., 2000
- Folder 25: Lindsay, Ontario Information, 1923-1999
- Folder 26: Lopez, Vincent Article, 1924
- Folder 27: Markwith, Billy, 1884-1967
- Folder 28: Merry Minstrel Orchestra and Aug. Orchestra, 1924-1926
- Folder 29: Miller, Mark Correspondence, 1994-1998
- Folder 30: Minstrel Notes, 1896-1998
- Folder 31: Montgomery and Stone, 1898
- Box 14
- Folder 1: NBC Minstrels, 1937-1938
- Folder 2: Newspaper Clippings and Notes about Tom and the Brown Brothers, 1924-1930
- Folder 3: New York Clipper, 1890-1895
- Folder 4: New York Clipper, 1890-1897
- Folder 5: Notes, Correspondence, and Other Research on the Six Brown Brothers, 1904-2002
- Folder 6: Notes on Tom Brown Scrapbooks, 1917-1949
- Folder 7: Notes about Tom Jr., 1998
- Folder 8: Paskman and Spaeth (Gentlemen, Be Seated), 1928
- Folder 9: Photographs for That Moaning Saxophone, 2002
- Folder 10: Primrose and Dockstader, 1910-1924
- Folder 11: Quilt Key, 2002
- Folder 12: Quilt (Photos and Book), 2001
- Folder 13: Radio Call Letters, 1927
- Folder 14: Research Correspondences, Photographs, and Other Materials, 1894-1999
- Folder 15: Research Directions (Follow Up), Undated
- Folder 16: Rice, Edw. Leroy (Monarchs of Minstrelsy), 1911
- Folder 17: Ringling Bros Circus Information, 1901-1988
- Folder 18: Rolling Stone (Notes on Fred Stone), 1945
- Folder 19: Rossiter "Chicken Walk" Notes, 1915
- Box 15
- Folder 1: Sampson, Henry T (Blacks in Blackface), 1980
- Folder 2: Sax Soprano (Notes and Transcripts), 1949-1970
- Folder 3: Shrine to Music (Notes and Correspondence with Margaret Banks, Ernest Kalwa), 2000
- Folder 4: Six Brown Brothers Volume 2 (Discography), 2008
- Folder 5: State Lake Building and Theatre, 1919
- Folder 6: Stein, Charles W. (American Vaudeville), 1984
- Folder 7: Straytner, Barbara (Ned Wayburn and the Dance Routine), 1996
- Folder 8: Tip Top, 1920-1921
- Folder 9: Toll, Robert (Blacking Up), 1974
- Folder 10: Tom Brown Music Company, 1927-2001
- Folder 11: "Variety" Search, 1913-1931
- Folder 12: Vermazen, Bruce (Articles about the Brown Brothers), 1992-1998
- Folder 13: Victor Records Documents, 1914-1919
- Folder 14: Vitaphone Project, 1929-1998
- Folder 15: Walter L. Main Show Papers, 1903
- Folder 16: Wehman's Minstrel Sketches, 1890
- Sub-Series 2: Book Project Files
- Consists of notes, correspondence, and publishing information concerning the writing of That Moaning Saxophone. It is arranged chronologically by date of creation.
- Box 16
- Folder 1: Chuck Sendock Correspondence, 2001
- Folder 2: Library of Congress Correspondence and Photoduplication Request, 2001
- Folder 3: Earlier Versions of Chapters from That Moaning Saxophone, 2001
- Folder 4: Correspondence about That Moaning Saxophone, 2001-2002
- Folder 5: Copyright Info, 2002
- Folder 6: Book Permissions, 2002-2003
- Folder 7: Book CD, 2002-2003
- Folder 8: Correspondence with Brian Rust, 2002-2004
- Folder 9: That Moaning Saxophone (Master Copy), 2004
- Folder 10: Paperback Edition Changes, 2007
- Folder 11: That Moaning Saxophone Handwritten Notes, Undated
- Sub-Series 3: Personal Papers
- Consists of articles written by Bruce Vermazen and personal correspondennce not related to the research or publishing of That Moaning Saxophone. It is arranged chronologically by date of creation.
- Box 17
- Folder 1: Vermazen Articles, 1968-2020
- Folder 2: Vermazen Articles, 1980-2013
- Folder 3: Vermazen Correspondence and Notebooks, 1989-1993
- Folder 4: Vermazen Correspondence, 1999-2008
- Folder 5: That Moaning Saxophone Release Letter, 2001
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Tom Brown Music and Papers, ca. 1900-1954],
[Series 2: Bruce Vermazen Personal Papers and Research Files on Tom Brown],
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