Talk:Fisk Jubilee Singers

Cut pending citation
This was anonymously placed in the "notes" section of the article. It's uncited; it may be mostly accurate (though I'm sure they do not deserve the blame for the changes in attitudes the white American public in the 1970s 1870s, which were mainly in a negative direction: this is the tail end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the Jim Crow era). Other than the vague last sentence, I'd be glad to see this restored, with citation.

"Group of 9 African-American singers to help fund the Fisk University. Toured for 7 years in America and Europe. Started in October of 1871. Focused on singing slave spirituals from the slaves on plantations. Changed the attitudes that the American public had of African-Americans."

-- Jmabel | Talk 06:02, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Hm, I can try to get around to improving it. It is accurate, from what I recall -- perhaps a bit overstated, but essentially accurate.  I'm pretty sure I've got a book around here that goes into some detail. (you had me really confused there with the 1970s...) Tuf-Kat 02:20, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Needs Expansion
There is almost nothing about what this group did in the twentieth century. There is one mention and an example of a single recording from 12/1/1909. The rest of the article goes on a great deal about the nineteenth century, and then jumps right to the twenty-first. I know they made many recordings between 1909 and 1924 (http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/7005/Fisk_University_Jubilee_Singers_Vocal_group), but there is nothing in the article to help me find out about them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by EoinRiedy (talk • contribs) 23:39, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

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James A. and Henrietta Myers leadership of Fisk Jubilee Singers
This article does not mention James A. Myers, and his role must have been significant. According to the Wikipedia article about Henrietta Myers "[S]he assisted her husband [, James A. Myers,] who was then director of the [Fisk] Jubilee Singers when they toured Europe nearly forty years after the original Singers had captivated international audiences. After his death in 1928, Mrs. Myers ‘…dedicated her life to continuing the work ….’” Since the original singers were touring from 1871 to 1878, this likely puts the Myers-led tour in the 1920s. This tour deserves to be mentioned alongside the three tours during the 1870s.

James A. Myers is often credited as being an original member of the Fisk Jubilee Quartet (1909-1916). If he and Henrietta later led the larger ensemble on its first twentieth-century tour of Europe, then he should surely be mentioned in the FJS article and so should Mrs. Myers subsequent direction of the ensemble.

The following is conjectural but if found to be correct would be of importance to this article. The well known song “Dem Bones” was originally recorded by the "Famous Myers Jubilee Singers" in 1928, the year of James Myers' death. Since James and Henrietta Myers seemed to have led an early twentieth-century revival of interest in the Singers, it would not be surprising to find that the "Famous Myers Jubilee Singers" refers to either the Fisk Jubilee Singers or a group that one of the Myers put together from alumni of the Singers or the Quartet. I have not been able to find a reference with regard to who was involved with "The Famous Myers Jubilee Singers," but I think it would be worthwhile for people interested in this article or the history of Black music to be on the lookout for any relevant documentation. A.T.S. in Texas (talk) 21:56, 23 January 2022 (UTC)

Concerts in Sweden in the 1890s
I found a reference to the group performing in Sweden in the 1890s. The Stockholm Municipal Archives mentions them here along with reference to contemporary ads here: https://stockholmskallan.stockholm.se/post/24276#:~:text=The%20Fiske%20Jubilee%20Singers%20verkar,%C3%A5r%201895%20och%20%C3%A5r%201898.

While doing some of my own research, I found that the visit led to an alleged abduction/eloping involving a "Mr Payne" and an unnamed married woman from Stockholm. The story was published in Stockholmstidningen on 7 November 1895: https://tidningar.kb.se/r93kp22355lt1zw/part/1/page/3

The story was picked up by the Swedish press in general and Payne sued for libel, demanding 5000 kronor, but lost. Payne was the butt end of a lot of racism in the press. The visit also spawned a short-lived new word; "'jubelfisk'" that lived in until at least until the early 00s. It was a play on the name of the group in Swedish. "'Jubel-'" can be used as an intensifier kinda like "arch" as in "arch enemy" and "'fisk'" means "fish". The word was used ironically in the press for a few years, both as a reference to the group and to the eloping incident. Peter Isotalo 20:39, 2 May 2024 (UTC)