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 201-225 of 574 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | B-16068 | 10-in. | 6/4/1915 | Uncle Josh in a barber shop | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-16069 | 10-in. | 6/4/1915 | The village gossips | Byron G. Harlan ; Cal Stewart | Comic dialogue, with piano | speaker | |
Victor | B-16070 | 10-in. | 6/4/1915 | Show troupe at Pun'kin Centre | Byron G. Harlan ; Cal Stewart | Comic dialogue, with piano | speaker | |
Victor | B-16102 | 10-in. | 6/14/1915 | War talk at Pun'kin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue, with orchestra | speaker | |
Victor | B-16103 | 10-in. | 6/14/1915 | Pun'kin Centre town topics | Cal Stewart | Monologue, with orchestra | speaker | |
Victor | B-22947 | 10-in. | 6/27/1919 | Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy put up the kitchen stove | Ada Jones ; Cal Stewart | Comic dialogue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23005 | 10-in. | 6/13/1919 | Uncle Josh and the honey bees | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23006 | 10-in. | 6/13/1919 | Uncle Josh in the cafeteria | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23007 | 10-in. | 6/13/1919 | Opera at Pun'kin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23064 | 10-in. | 7/14/1919 | The Chautauqua at Pun'kin Center | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23065 | 10-in. | 7/14/1919 | Uncle Josh takes the census | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23069 | 10-in. | 7/14/1919 | Train time at Pun'kin Centre | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23099 | 10-in. | 7/30/1919 | Uncle Josh and the soldier | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23118 | 10-in. | 8/11/1919 | Uncle Josh buys a Victrola | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23135 | 10-in. | 9/5/1919 | Uncle Josh's birthday | American Quartet ; Ada Jones ; Cal Stewart | Descriptive scene, with female vocalist, male vocal quartet, and orchestra | author, speaker | |
Victor | B-23153 | 10-in. | 9/12/1919 | Ragtime at Pun'kin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue, unaccompanied | author, speaker | |
Victor | BVE-47229 | 10-in. | 10/27/1928 | My name is ticklish Reuben | Smyth County Ramblers | Vocal and instrumental quartet | composer | |
Columbia | 22 | 10-in. | approximately 1901 | I'm old, but I'm awfully tough | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist, composer, speaker | |
Columbia | 22 | 7-in. | approximately 1901 | I'm old but I'm awfully tough | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist, composer, speaker | |
Columbia | 68 | 10-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh in a department store | Cal Stewart | Comic monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 68 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh in a department store | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 70 | 10-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh's arrival in New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 70 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh's arrival in New York | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 71 | 10-in. | ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 | Uncle Josh at a baseball game | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, speaker | |
Columbia | 71 | 7-in. | ca. 1901 | Uncle Josh at a baseball game | Cal Stewart | Monologue | author, 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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