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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 251-275 of 574 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 1487 10-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh on a Fifth Avenue bus Cal Stewart Monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1488 7-in. ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 Uncle Josh at a circus Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1488 10-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh at a circus Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1489 7-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh in society Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1489 10-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh in society Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1490 7-in. ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 Uncle Josh in a Chinese laundry Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1490 10-in. approximately 1903 Uncle Josh in a chinese laundry Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1502 7-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh's trip to Boston Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1502 10-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh's trip to Boston Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1503 7-in. approximately 1903 Uncle Josh at Delmonico's Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1503 10-in. between 1903 and 1908 Uncle Josh at Delmonico's Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1504 7-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh at a meeting of the school house directors Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1504 10-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh at a meeting of the school house directors Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1505 7-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh and the fire department Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1505 10-in. approximately 1903 Uncle Josh and the fire department Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1506 7-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh at a baptizing at Hickory Corners Church Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1506 10-in. ca. Jan-July 1903 Uncle Josh at a baptizing at Hickory Corners Church Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1509 7-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh at the opera Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1509 10-in. between January and July 1903 Uncle Josh at the opera Cal Stewart Comic monologue author, speaker  
Columbia 1510 7-in. ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 Uncle Josh's invitation to visit him on his farm Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1510 10-in. ca. 1903 Uncle Josh invites city folks to visit him on his farm Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1511 7-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh in a museum Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1511 10-in. ca. Jan.-July 1903 Uncle Josh in a museum Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1512 7-in. ca. 1903-Oct. 1905 Jim Lawson's hogs Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 1512 10-in. ca. 1903 Jim Lawson's hogs Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
(Results 251-275 of 574 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stewart, Cal," accessed May 20, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.

Stewart, Cal. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 20, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.

"Stewart, Cal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525

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