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 476-500 of 574 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zonophone | [Zo cat 1109] | 9-in. | Before May 1902 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 1110] | 9-in. | Before May 1902 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | 1601 | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2028] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | I'm old, but I'm awfully tough | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2029] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | Uncle Josh learning to ride a bicycle | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2084] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | Last day of school at Punkin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2085] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | Uncle Josh's trip to Boston | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2086] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2087] | 7-in. | 1901-early 1902 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat 2088] | 7-in. | Before May 1902 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5277] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5277] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5277] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | And then I laughed | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5321] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | I'm old, but I'm awfully tough | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5321] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | I'm old, but I'm awfully tough | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5406] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5406] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Ticklish Reuben | Cal Stewart | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5493] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | A husking bee | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5494] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Arkansas traveler | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5495] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Jim Lawson's horse trade | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5495] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Jim Lawson's horse trade | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5496] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Last day of school at Punkin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat C 5496] | 9-in. | Before June 1903 | Last day of school at Punkin Centre | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Zo cat P 5497] | 7-in. | Before June 1903 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker | |
Zonophone | [Ox cat 5497] | 7-in. | ca. 1904-1905 | Uncle Josh at a camp meeting | Cal Stewart | Monologue | speaker |
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
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Stewart, Cal, 1856-1919 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82031934
Wikidata: Cal Stewart - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5018230
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/3812479
MusicBrainz: Cal Stewart - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5470796f-4387-4f70-b520-d56dbce45465
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