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 Patrick Henry Chappelle (January 7, 1869 – October 21, 1911),Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff''Ragged But Right: Black Traveling Shows, Coon Songs, and the Dark Pathway to Blues and Jazz'' University Press of Mississippi, 2009, pp. 248-268.

, and operated the company from

Port Gibson, Mississippi Port Gibson is a city and the county seat of Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The first European settlers i ...

, close to his 1,000-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 which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

show featuring

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

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

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic 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. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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 2,997 at the 2020 census. Communities * Onondaga is an unincorporated community located within the township. The Onondaga 49264 ZIP Code ...

, 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. 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

. Chappelle was an African-American theatre owner in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa'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 t ...

, 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 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 ...

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

singer

Ida Cox Ida M. Cox ( 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".Harrison, Daphne Du ...

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, 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 6,083 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnson City metropolitan area, which is a component of the " Tri-Cities" region. History The tow ...

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 Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

for

The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

, 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 American cotton plantation owners