Bob Farrell was an American, New York City-based

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

minstrel singer, best known for introducing the song "Zip Coon" at the

Bowery Theatre The Bowery Theatre was a playhouse on the Bowery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale Park Theatre (Manhattan), Park Theatre, the Bowery saw its most successful ...

in 1834, which later gave the tune to "

Turkey in the Straw "Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity in the 19th century. Early versions of the song were titled "Zip Coon", which were first published around 1834 and performed in minstrel shows, with different people cl ...

", one of the most famous and widespread songs of the era. "Zip Coon"'s authorship is disputed with

George Washington Dixon George Washington Dixon (1801?Many biographies list his birth year as 1808, but Cockrell, ''Demons of Disorder'', 189, argues that 1801 is the correct date. This is based on Dixon's records at a New Orleans hospital, which list him as 60 years ol ...

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing Blackface minstrel performers American male singers {{US-singer-stub