Cal Stewart



Cal Stewart (b. 1856 Charlotte County, Virginia, d. December 7, 1919) was an American comedian and humorist who pioneered in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for his comic monologues in which he played "Uncle Josh Weathersby", a resident of a mythical New England farming town called "Pumpkin Center" or "Punkin Center".

Biography
Born in Charlotte County, Virginia in 1856, he spent his early days working on the railroad with show business as a side business. After losing a finger and two toes in an accident, he quit the railroad and focused on show business. By 1897, Stewart began recording for the phonograph companies starting with Berliner. He began to develop the character of Uncle Josh and the other citizens of Pumpkin Center further on his phonographic recordings. He wrote the song "Ticklish Reuben" in 1900. Stewart continued recording on Edison, Columbia, Victor, and independent labels up until his death on December 7, 1919. He also wrote two books based on his monologues and performed in theaters across America with his wife Rossini Vrionides and her brother and sister. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Tipton, Indiana. Stewart is represented on the 2007 compilation Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s and The Indestructible Uncle Josh. One his many renditions of the Uncle Josh and the Insurance Company routine was added to the National Recording Registry in 2006.