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 551-574 of 574 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9189] | 7-in. | Before Nov. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh's trip to Coney Island | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9190] | 7-in. | Before Nov. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh at Delmonico's | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9191] | 7-in. | Before Nov. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh at a circus | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9192] | 7-in. | Before Nov. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh at the stock exchange | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9193] | 7-in. | Before Nov. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh's arrival in New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9194] | 7-in. | ca. 1900-1901 | [Uncle] Josh in a department store | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9195] | 7-in. | Before Oct. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh's invitation to his farm | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9196] | 7-in. | Before Oct. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh's troubles in a hotel | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9197] | 7-in. | Before Oct. 1900 | [Uncle] Josh in a street car | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9896] | 7-in. | Before May 1901 | Uncle Josh in a Chinese laundry | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9896] | 9-in. | Before May 1901 | Uncle Josh in a Chinese laundry | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9897] | 7-in. | Before May 1901 | Jim Lawson's horse trade | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat V9897] | 9-in. | Before May 1901 | Jim Lawson's horse trade | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 8636 | 10-in. | 1906 | Uncle Josh and the insurance company | Andrew Keefe | Comic monologue | author | |
Leeds & Catlin | 8649 | 10-in. | approximately summer 1907 | Uncle Josh at the bug house | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 8939 | 10-in. | 1906 | Uncle Josh and the insurance company | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker, author | |
Leeds & Catlin | 9014 | 10-in. | approximately summer 1907 | Uncle Josh and the labor unions | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 9015 | 10-in. | approximately summer 1907 | Ground Hog Day at Pumpkin Center | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 9016 | 10-in. | approximately summer 1907 | Uncle Josh's second visit to New York | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 9611 | 10-in. | between late 1908 and early 1909 | Uncle Josh and the Billiken | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 210-A] | 10-in. | between late 1908 and early 1909 | Uncle Josh and the sailor | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 214-A] | 10-in. | between late 1908 and early 1909 | The wedding of Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue, with vocal quartet | author, speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 215-A] | 10-in. | between late 1908 and early 1909 | Evening time at Pum'kin Center | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue, with vocal quartet | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 216-A] | 10-in. | between late 1908 and early 1909 | Possum supper at a darktown church | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue, with vocal quartet | author, speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stewart, Cal," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
Stewart, Cal. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.
"Stewart, Cal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 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
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