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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 351-375 of 574 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 78502 10-in. 6/18/1919 Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Smith on a visit to New York Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78503 10-in. 6/18/1919 Uncle Josh at the opera Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78504 10-in. 6/18/1919 Uncle Josh buys an automobile Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78506 10-in. 6/18/1919 A camp meeting at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue author, speaker  
Columbia 78507 10-in. 6/18/1919 Uncle Josh keeps house Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78508 10-in. 6/18/1919 Uncle Josh in a barber shop Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78513 10-in. 6/19/1919 Country fair at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78514 10-in. 6/19/1919 Ground Hog Day at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78515 10-in. 6/19/1919 Uncle Josh on a street car Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78516 10-in. 6/19/1919 Fourth of July at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78517 10-in. 6/19/1919 Uncle Josh at the circus Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78534 10-in. 7/9/1919 Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy put up the kitchen stove Ada Jones ; Cal Stewart Comic scene author, speaker  
Columbia 78537 10-in. 6/25/1919 Uncle Josh's husking bee dance Ada Jones ; Peerless Quartet ; Cal Stewart Descriptive scene, with male vocal quartet and orchestra author, speaker  
Columbia 78538 10-in. 6/25/1919 Wedding of Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Smith Ada Jones ; Peerless Quartet ; Cal Stewart Descriptive scene, with male vocal quartet and orchestra speaker, author  
Columbia 78555 10-in. 7/8/1919 Ticklish Ruben Cal Stewart Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Columbia 78556 10-in. 7/8/1919 I laughed at the wrong time Cal Stewart Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Columbia 78562 10-in. 7/9/1919 Uncle Josh on an automobile Harry C. Browne ; Cal Stewart Comic scene author, speaker  
Columbia 78581 10-in. 7/19/1919 Train-time at Pumpkin Center American Quartet ; Cal Stewart Descriptive scene author, speaker  
Columbia 78582 10-in. 7/19/1919 A meeting at the Hen Roost Club American Quartet ; Cal Stewart Descriptive scene author, speaker  
Columbia 78597 10-in. 7/24/1919 Uncle Josh takes the census Cal Stewart Comic monologue speaker, author  
Columbia 78598 10-in. 7/24/1919 The Chautauqua at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue author, speaker  
Columbia 78605 10-in. 7/28/1919 A possum supper at the Darktown Church American Quartet ; Cal Stewart Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with organ composer, vocalist  
Columbia 78606 10-in. 7/28/1919 The sunday school picnic at Pumpkin Center American Quartet ; Cal Stewart Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with organ vocalist, author  
Columbia 78619 10-in. 8/15/1919 Ragtime at Pumpkin Center Cal Stewart Comic monologue author, speaker  
Columbia 78620 10-in. 8/15/1919 Uncle Josh and the soldier Cal Stewart Comic monologue author, speaker  
(Results 351-375 of 574 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stewart, Cal," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.

Stewart, Cal. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103525.

"Stewart, Cal." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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