May Irwin: Singing, Shouting, and the Shadow of Minstrelsy, Sharon Ammen

May Irwin reigned as Americas queen of comedy and song from the 1880s through the 1920s. A genuine pop culture phenomenon, Irwin conquered the legitimate stage, composed song lyrics, and parlayed her celebrity into success as a cookbook author, suffragette, and real estate mogul. Sharon Ammens in-depth study traces Irwins hurly-burly life. Irwin gained fame when, layering aspects of minstrelsy over ragtime, she popularized a racist Negro song genre. Ammen examines this forgotten music, the society it both reflected and entertained, and the ways white and black audiences received Irwins performances. She also delves into Irwins hands-on management of her image and career, revealing how Irwin carefully built a public persona as a nurturing housewife whose maternal skills and performing acumen reinforced one another. Irwins act, soaked in racist song and humor, built a fortune she never relinquished. Yet her careers legacy led to a posthumous obscurity as the nation that once adored her evolved and changed.