The papers of Graham W. Jackson first caught my eye because the short biography provided in the Atlanta History Center finding aid mentioned that he had worked as a theater organist. Further investigation revealed that he actually broadcast a radio program from the Fox Theater, where I did dissertation research three years ago. Jackson’s career as a theater organist ended early and was fairly insignificant compared to his other activities, but a quick examination provides interesting information all the same.
According to a 1937 Constitution article, Jackson first came to Atlanta to take the post of organist at the “81” Theater, where the management convinced him to take up permanent residence in the city. Unfortunately, I am faced with a shortage of resources here. The Jackson papers at the Atlanta History Center do not include any materials concerning the “81,” other than a couple of 1926 letters addressed to Jackson at the theater. The “81,” of course, was an African American theater. (I say “of course” with some humor here, because I’m still a bit naïve where the Jim Crow South is concerned and this fact actually hadn’t occurred to me, which led to some confusion when reading Constitution accounts.) While I am trying to track down some African American newspapers from this time, I currently only have access to the Constitution—and the Constitution only talked about “81” performances that were staged for white audiences. I therefore have a very narrow and skewed view, although it is valuable for that very reason. What we see in the pages of the Constitution reveals white attitudes toward black performers that extend back for well over a century.
The biography that accompanies the finding aid for the Graham W. Jackson, Sr., Papers at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Research Library on African American Culture and History—of which I only recently became aware—states that Jackson came to Atlanta in 1923 to perform at both the Royal Theater, located at 323 Auburn Avenue NE, and the “81” Theater, at 81 Decatur St SE. Both were African American theaters in the Bailey chain. Decatur St was an important center for black entertainment, and the “81” Theater featured a lively mixture of stage entertainment. The “81” has already been cited as an important launchpad for the careers of both Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, although I am having some difficulty determining a chronology for the theater. The website cinematreasures.org, usually a reliable resource, states that the “81” opened in 1929. Comments suggest that it was built around 1908 as a vaudeville house and renovated in 1928. I know that it was called the “81” no later than 1926, however, so I will have to investigate further.
Regarding Jackson at the “81,” what I have right now are three Constitution articles describing two midnight shows put on for whites only. The first appears to have belonged to a series of such “midnight frolics” programs, which were staged every Friday night. This one, presented in February of 1926, featured a popularity contest in which Graham Jackson and pianist Eddie Hayward were to compete for audience applause.
For the next eighteen months there appears to have been nothing worth reporting. But on September 19, 1928, the troop of entertainers at the “81” staged a special “midnight frolic” to raise $6,000 so that the Atlanta police band could attend the 30th annual reunion of Spanish-American war veterans in Havana. This trip was a point of great pride for white Atlantans. According to the Constitution, the police band was the only American music ensemble invited to the celebration, and the occasion was considered to be a marvelous opportunity for enhancing the city’s cultural reputation. Tom Bailey, the white owner and operator of the theater, was listed as offering “the last word in negro presentations:” specifically, a show entitled “Steamboat Bill From Louisville” with a cast of twenty-five seasoned performers. Jackson did not play the organ for this fundraiser, but instead directed the pit orchestra.
Perhaps I will become numb to the execrable observations that crop up in every Constitution review of a black performer, but I haven’t yet. The columnist in this case notes that “Negroes have a reputation of being musical.” This, however, pales next to his concluding informational tidbit: “The mayor permitted the show tonight under special dispensation, having previously announced that the negro actors could not appear before white audiences in the future. The show tonight will be strictly for white persons.”
Tom Bailey himself also had a kind word to dispense: “One thing is certain, the audience enjoyed the offering and demonstrated that they appreciate the artistic even when it is offered by ‘negro’ performers.”
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