Fred Swift Wolcott (May 2, 1882 – July 27, 1967) was an American entertainment businessman and cotton planter who was the owner and manager of the Original Rabbit's Foot Company from 1912 to 1950. He bought the business after the death of its founder Pat Chappelle, and operated the company from

Port Gibson, Mississippi Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 census. Port Gibson is the county seat of Claiborne County, which is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. It is the site of the ...

, close to his 1000-acre plantation. The Rabbit Foot Minstrels or "Foots", as they were colloquially known, made up the leading traveling

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

show featuring

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

performers through the first half of the twentieth century. Many leading blues,

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

entertainers got their start while touring with the company. Under his ownership, it became known as "F. S. Wolcott's Original Rabbit's Foot Company".

Life

Wolcott was born in

Onondaga Township, Michigan Onondaga Township is a civil township of Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,158 at the 2010 census. Communities * Onondaga is an unincorporated community located within the township. The Onondaga 49264 ZIP Code s ...

, and grew up on a farm. He married and moved South, establishing a small touring company, F. S. Wolcott Carnivals, in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the ci ...

. It produced a touring show, "F. S. Wolcott's Fun Factory", in the Carolinas. In 1912, he bought the Rabbit's Foot Company from Rosa Chappelle, widow of founder Pat Chappelle. Chappelle was an African-American theatre owner in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

, who had founded the business in 1900. Chappelle's vaudeville company was noted as "authentic" (that is, it used all African-American, or black, rather than

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people, Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of ...

performers). It was highly popular, and toured widely in the southern states each year. Wolcott maintained the company, initially as both owner and manager; he also attracted new talent, including blues singer

Ida Cox Ida Cox (born Ida M. Prather, February 26, 1888 or 1896 – November 10, 1967) was an American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings. She was billed as "The Uncrowned Queen of the Blues".Harris ...

who joined the company in 1913. Wolcott moved the company's base in 1918 to his 1,000-acre Glen Sade Plantation outside

. Company offices were located in the center of the trading town. Wolcott began to refer to the show as a "minstrel show" – a term Chappelle had eschewed. As a major planter and businessman, he became a member of "Port Gibson's privileged white aristocracy".Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff, ''Ragged But Right: Black Traveling Shows, Coon Songs, and the Dark Pathway to Blues and Jazz''
Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2009, pp. 270-289 Company member trombonist

Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fr ...

, described Wolcott as "a good man" who looked after his performers. The company became known as "F. S. Wolcott's Original Rabbit's Foot Company", and continued to perform annual tours through the 1920s and 1930s. It played small towns during the week and bigger cities at weekends. In 1943 Wolcott placed an advertisement in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', describing the show as "the Greatest Colored Show on Earth", and seeking "Comedians, Singers, Dancers, Chorus Girls, Novelty Acts and Musicians". ''Billboard''
June 5, 1943, p. 27 He remained its general manager and owner until he sold the company as a going concern in 1950, to Earl Hendren of

Erwin, Tennessee Erwin is a town in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport ...

Legacy and honors

In the early 21st century, a historical marker was placed in Port Gibson near the site of the company's former offices. A 2006 exhibit at the city's cultural arts center celebrated the company, its founder Chappelle and long-term owner/manager Wolcott, and its many notable performers.

Death

Wolcott died in 1967 at The Baptist Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, aged 85. He is buried at Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson, Mississippi.

In popular culture

The song " The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show", written by

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel i ...

for The Band, is partially named and inspired by F.S. Wolcott and his traveling show.

References

External links

*
"Rabbit's Foot Minstrels"
vimeo {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolcott, F. S. 1882 births 1967 deaths People from Ingham County, Michigan People from Port Gibson, Mississippi American entertainment industry businesspeople African-American culture Vaudeville producers