Robert "Bob" Cole (July 11, 1861–August 2, 1911), American composer, actor, playwright, and stage producer and director. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

In collaboration with Billy Johnson, He wrote and produced A Trip to Coontown (1898), the first musical entirely created and owned by black showmen. The popular song La Hoola Boola (1898) was also a result of their collaboration. Cole later partnered with brothers J. Rosamond Johnson, pianist and singer, and James Weldon Johnson, pianist, guitarist and lawyer, which resulted in over 200 songs. Their vaudeville act featured classical piano pieces and their musicals featured sophisticated lyrics without the usual stereotypes such "hot-mama's" and watermellons. Success enabled Cole and Rosamond to tour America and Europe with their act. The trio's most popular songs were Louisiana Lize and Under the Bamboo Tree (1901?). Their more successful musicals were The Shoo-Fly Regiment (1906) and Redmoon (1908, written without Weldon). 1933 photograph of J. Rosamond Johnson by Carl Van Vechten John Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954), most often referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson, was a composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. ... James Weldon Johnson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1932 James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 - June 26, 1938) was a leading African American author, poet, early civil rights activist, and prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. ... Vaudeville was a style of multi-act theater which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ...

References

The Book of World Famous Music, Classical, Popular and Folk by James J. Fuld (1966)

External Links

Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, and James Weldon Johnson