- Creator
- Bledsoe, Jules, 1898-1943
- Call number
- Sc MG 255
- Physical description
- .7 linear feet
- Preferred Citation
- Jules Bledsoe papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
- Access to materials
- Some collections held by the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. To request access to materials in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, please visit: http://archives.nypl.org/divisions/scm/request_access Request access to this collection.
Singer, actor. Bledsoe created the role of Jo and the interpretation of the song "Old Man River" in the original production of "Show Boat" (1927) and is also known for his title role in "The Emperor Jones.". Correspondence, contracts, musical compositions, legal documents, financial records, programs, broadsides, and news clippings documenting Bledsoe's professional career, particularly in Europe. Items of significance include legal correspondence and court documents generated by his lawsuit against Lew Leslie of "Blackbirds" fame, a manuscript score of Shirley Graham's opera "Tom Tom," and a large number of manuscript compositions by Bledsoe, as well as several letters from composer Clarence Cameron White. Also, personal correspondence with friends and family members, and papers relating to a business that he owned. Of special interest is a substantial number of musical manuscripts of art songs, spirituals and instrumental pieces composed and arranged by Bledsoe.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Caswell, Philip and Bessie, 04/14/86Key terms
Names
- Bledsoe, Jules, 1898-1943
- Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1906-1977
- Leslie, Lew
- White, Clarence Cameron, 1880-1960
- Bledsoe family
Subjects
- African American actors
- African American businesspeople
- African American composers
- African American entertainers -- Europe
- African American singers
- African Americans -- Music
- African Americans in the performing arts
- Opera
Material types
Using the collection
Location
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor