A form of
popular entertainment in the
United States and
England in the mid to late
1800s, the minstrel show was a
musical variety revue performed initially by
white men in
blackface. Several successful
black companies came into existence after the
Civil War;
Ma Rainey and
Bessie Smith got their start in minstrel troupes of this type, and at the time it was one of the few places black artists had to showcase their talents.
Generally the performers, dressed in swallow-tail coats and striped trousers, would sit in chairs in a semicircle facing the audience and each would perform his songs in turn. The master of ceremonies, in whiteface and formal wear, sat in the middle. Two end men, known as "Mr. Bones" (who played the knocking bones) and "Mr. Tambo" (who played the tambourine), sat on each end trading jokes with the interlocutor.