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 501-525 of 574 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5497] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5498] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh in a Chinese laundry | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5498] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh in a Chinese laundry | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5499] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh in a department store | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5499] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Uncle Josh in a department store | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5500] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh playing golf | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5500] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Uncle Josh playing golf | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5500] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh playing golf | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5501] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh's trip to Boston | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5501] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Uncle Josh's trip to Boston | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5501] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh's trip to Boston | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5744] | 7-in. | Before 1904 | Jim Lawson's hogs | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5744] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Jim Lawson's hogs | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5745] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Si Pettingill's brooms | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5745] | 9-in. | Before 1904 | Si Pettingill's brooms | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5745] | 7-in. | Before 1904 | Si Pettingill's brooms | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5746] | 7-in. | Before 1904 | Three little owls and the naughty little mice | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5746] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Three little owls and the naughty little mice | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5746] | 9-in. | Before 1904 | Three little owls and the naughty little mice | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5747] | 7-in. | Before 1904 | Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy on a visit to New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5748] | 7-in. | Before 1904 | Uncle Josh on an automobile | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5748] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Uncle Josh on an automobile | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5748] | 9-in. | Before 1904 | Uncle Josh on an automobile | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5787] | 7-in. | Before Feb. 1904 | Thrashing time at punkin centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5787] | 9-in. | Before Feb. 1904 | Thrashing time at punkin centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stewart, Cal," accessed October 13, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
Stewart, Cal. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
"Stewart, Cal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 13 October 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
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