![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Cal_Stewart.jpg)
Cal Stewart
Cal Stewart (b. 1856 Charlotte County, Virginia, d. December 7, 1919) was an American comedian and humorist who pioneered in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for his comic monologues in which he played "Uncle Josh" Weathersby, a resident of a mythical New England farming town called "Pumpkin Center" or "Punkin Center", leading to a number of small towns across the U.S. adopting those names. Born in Charlotte County, Virginia in 1856, Stewart spent his early life working in circuses, medicine shows and vaudeville to great acclaim as "Uncle Josh Weathersby from Way Down East". It was on the road that he befriended Mark Twain and later Will Rogers, two men who shared similar wit in comedy. Around 1897, Thomas Edison's studios hired him to cut several cylinder recordings of his famous speeches and songs. They were well received by the public, and launched an entire series of recordings based on the Uncle Josh character. Stewart's trademark on these recordings is the easily recognizable laugh that precedes his speeches. Best-selling recordings included "Uncle Josh’s Arrival in New York" (1898), "I'm Old But I'm Awfully Tough (Laughing Song)" (1898), "Jim Lawson's Horse Trade With Deacon Witherspoon" (1901), "Uncle Josh's Huskin' Bee Dance" (1901), and "Uncle Josh Buys an Automobile" (1903). He wrote the song "Ticklish Reuben" in 1900. Stewart continued recording on Edison, Columbia, Victor, and independent labels up until his death on December 7, 1919. He also wrote two books based on his monologues and performed in theaters across America with his wife Rossini Vrionides and her brother and sister. Stewart is represented on the 2007 compilation Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1856 (Charlotte County), Died December 7, 1919
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1897 - 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker, author, vocalist, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 226-250 of 574 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | 72 | 10-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh on a bicycle | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 72 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh on a bicycle | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 74 | 10-in. | approximately 1901 | Uncle Josh and the lightning rod agent | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 74 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh and the lightning rod agent | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 76 | 10-in. | between 1901 and September 1902 | Uncle Josh's troubles in a hotel | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 76 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh's troubles in a hotel | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 105 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, lyricist, composer | |
Columbia | 105 | 10-in. | ca. 1901 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
Columbia | 456 | 10-in. | ca. 1901 | A coon wedding in southern Georgia | Climax Quartette ; Columbia Quartette | Male vocal quartet, with chimes | composer | |
Columbia | 456 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | A coon wedding in southern Georgia | Columbia Quartette | Male vocal quartet, with chimes | composer | |
Columbia | 759 | 7-in. | ca. 1902 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue, with piano | composer, lyricist, speaker | |
Columbia | 759 | 10-in. | approximately 1902 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue, with piano | composer, lyricist, speaker | |
Columbia | 784 | 10-in. | approximately 1902 | The last day of school at Pumpkin Center | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 784 | 7-in. | ca. 1902 | The last day of school at Pumpkin Center | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1140 | 10-in. | approximately 1903 | Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Smith on a visit to New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1140 | 7-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh on a visit to New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1407 | 10-in. | ca. 1903-1908 | The three little owls and the naughty little mice | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | author, vocalist | |
Columbia | 1407 | 7-in. | ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 | The three little owls and the naughty little mice | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | author, vocalist | |
Columbia | 1408 | 10-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1408 | 7-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1409 | 10-in. | approximately 1903 | Uncle Josh on a street car | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1409 | 7-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh on a street car | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1486 | 10-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh's trip to Coney Island | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1486 | 7-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh's trip to Coney Island | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 1487 | 10-in. | ca. 1903 | Uncle Josh on a Fifth Avenue bus | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stewart, Cal," accessed September 4, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
Stewart, Cal. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 4, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
"Stewart, Cal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Stewart, Cal, 1856-1919 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82031934
Wikidata: Cal Stewart - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5018230
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/3812479
MusicBrainz: Cal Stewart - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5470796f-4387-4f70-b520-d56dbce45465
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.