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Nobody: The Story of Bert Williams Hardcover – January 1, 1970
by Ann Charters (Author)
with documentary photographs and reproductions of his most famous songs

This book is one of a very few that tells the life and work story of Bert Williams, a black vaudevillian who had grown quite famous in his time and did so performing in blackface, cakewalk revues, etc. If you've seen the picture of the performer wearing a black rooster outfit complete with chicken feet, that's Bert Williams. A talented humorist, passable singer and pantomimist, W.C. Fields described Williams as "The funniest man I ever knew, and the saddest."

As there is very little footage of Williams performing, it was marvelous to be able to find this biography and learn about a performer that usually serves as little more than a footnote in American performance history, let alone the history of black culture in the States.

Publisher ? : ? Macmillan Company; First Edition (January 1, 1970)
Language ? : ? English
Hardcover ? : ? 157 pages

First Edition 1970 by Macmillan Company Hardcover with dust jacket. Size 7x10" 157 pages w numerous b/w photo plates and sheet music scores

CONDITION VERY GOOD
Book in close to new condition with wear to jacket . Interior clean, no markings, odor or animal hairs,  binding and spine sound, jacket has a piece missing on front, some wrinkles. ABOUT US: 15 years of experience in online selling with high customer satisfaction . BUY WITH CONFIDENCE - If you don't like the item, just return it in the way you received it and we will gladly return the purchase price. 


Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time.[1] He is credited as being the first Black man to have the leading role in a film: Darktown Jubilee in 1914.[2][dubious – discuss]

He was by far the best-selling Black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world."[3]

Williams was a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first Black person to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back racial barriers during his three-decade-long career. Fellow vaudevillian W. C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw—and the saddest man I ever knew."[4]

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