William C. ("Billy") McClain (12 October 1866 â€" 19 January 1950) was
an African-American acrobat, comedian and actor who starred in
minstrel shows before World War I. He wrote, produced and directed
several major stage and outdoor extravaganzas, and wrote a number of
popular songs. He was influential in extending the range of minstrel
shows far beyond the traditional conventions of the time, giving them
appeal to much wider audiences. He toured in the USA, Canada,
Australia and Europe. Later he promoted boxing and played several
minor roles in movies.William C. McClain was born on Elm Street in
Indianapolis, Indiana, on 12 October 1866. He played cornet in Bell's
Band when he was a boy, appearing in public for the first time in 1881
at Crone's Garden. In 1883 he joined Lew Johnson's Minstrels, then
moved to Heck and Sawyer's Minstrels and then Blythe's Georgia
Minstrels. McClain joined Sells Brothers' and Forepaugh's Circus in
1886 for a tour of the Hawaiian islands. He was the first black player
with the circus. In 1887 he was with the Gigantic Comedy
company.McClain recalled playing with Cleveland's Minstrels at the
Gaiety Theater in Kansas City in 1887. In that show he and Tom Brown
were the first to do a sketch of a Chinaman and a "coon". He played
with Cleveland's Minstrels in 1890, and toured with this company in
the USA and Canada in 1891. On 10 January 1891 McClain was performing
with Cleveland's Colored Minstrels in San Francisco when he fell from
his trapeze and had three teeth knocked out. In 1892 McClain trained
as a boxer.Early in the 1890s McClain and his wife Cordelia joined the
Hyers Sisters Company. In 1892 the couple joined the extravaganza
South Before the War, in which McClain was stage manager and the
leading black comedian. The show was exceptional for the time in being
mixed-race. McClain claimed to be the first to put a cake walk on the
stage, in South before the War. Around then McClain was star of
Suwanee River, an otherwise all-white show. In the summer of 1893
McClain directed the black performers in a spectacular reenactment of
the American Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, which was staged outdoors
on Manhattan Beach in Coney Island. In 1894 the McClains joined On the
Mississippi, a Southern comic melodrama produced by Davis and Keough.
an African-American acrobat, comedian and actor who starred in
minstrel shows before World War I. He wrote, produced and directed
several major stage and outdoor extravaganzas, and wrote a number of
popular songs. He was influential in extending the range of minstrel
shows far beyond the traditional conventions of the time, giving them
appeal to much wider audiences. He toured in the USA, Canada,
Australia and Europe. Later he promoted boxing and played several
minor roles in movies.William C. McClain was born on Elm Street in
Indianapolis, Indiana, on 12 October 1866. He played cornet in Bell's
Band when he was a boy, appearing in public for the first time in 1881
at Crone's Garden. In 1883 he joined Lew Johnson's Minstrels, then
moved to Heck and Sawyer's Minstrels and then Blythe's Georgia
Minstrels. McClain joined Sells Brothers' and Forepaugh's Circus in
1886 for a tour of the Hawaiian islands. He was the first black player
with the circus. In 1887 he was with the Gigantic Comedy
company.McClain recalled playing with Cleveland's Minstrels at the
Gaiety Theater in Kansas City in 1887. In that show he and Tom Brown
were the first to do a sketch of a Chinaman and a "coon". He played
with Cleveland's Minstrels in 1890, and toured with this company in
the USA and Canada in 1891. On 10 January 1891 McClain was performing
with Cleveland's Colored Minstrels in San Francisco when he fell from
his trapeze and had three teeth knocked out. In 1892 McClain trained
as a boxer.Early in the 1890s McClain and his wife Cordelia joined the
Hyers Sisters Company. In 1892 the couple joined the extravaganza
South Before the War, in which McClain was stage manager and the
leading black comedian. The show was exceptional for the time in being
mixed-race. McClain claimed to be the first to put a cake walk on the
stage, in South before the War. Around then McClain was star of
Suwanee River, an otherwise all-white show. In the summer of 1893
McClain directed the black performers in a spectacular reenactment of
the American Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, which was staged outdoors
on Manhattan Beach in Coney Island. In 1894 the McClains joined On the
Mississippi, a Southern comic melodrama produced by Davis and Keough.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.