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Annual Ragtime Piano Competition History of Friends of Scott Joplin: Our previous accomplishments Scott Joplin Ragtime History Links |
To "H" or not to "H". That is the question.(From Euphony Review, August, 98, by Barry Morgan) Whether yon ragtimer of days gone by from the distant land of Tennessee was known to one and all as Charles Hunter, or Charles H. Hunter is a dilemma that has perplexed many a learned individual. (My most humble apologies. I'm just trying to add a touch of refinement to my otherwise mundane writing existence. Wow I did it again. Sorry.) In various books, liner notes, articles etc., one is not sure exactly what to call him. Some individuals use the "H" and some do not, and I always have wondered why. As I've stated in a previous newsletter, sometimes these little things just drive me nuts. Anyhow, thanks to Ed Berlin, we can clear this up. Several issues ago, when I was putting together an article on Charles Hunter's life in St. Louis for this newsletter explaining why I had arrived at several conclusions, I received a phone call from Ed Berlin (who was looking for an earlier issue himself.) In the course of our conversation, when asked about any articles I was working on and my mentioning the difficulties I had encountered in obtaining the little information that I had, he remarked that he had a lot of information on Hunter all the way into about 1914! When I remarked, rather strongly (I'm afraid), about the quality of his material and received his (just as strong) reply, we soon realized we were talking about two different individuals. After we cleared this up and apologized to each other he promised to send me proof of his findings if I would send him mine. He was as good as his word. Here we go. In July of 1913, Charles Turpin owned the Booker Washington Theater, a vaudeville house and motion picture theater, at the corner of Twenty-Third and Market St. in St. Louis. Tom Turpin, his brother, was always listed as the manager, with a Charles H. Hunter listed as the advertising manager. Sometimes, there was a listing of a Charles A. Hunter, musical director, in partnership with Artie Matthews. (This is of course a summary of a few advertisements from the 'Freeman", a black variety trade publication of the time, from April 1913 until October 1913.) Sam Patterson was a friend of Turpin and Scott Joplin, a member of Turpin's Hurrah Sporting Club, and also worked at the Booker Washington Theater as a musician. Charley Thompson also knew the Turpins and had actually beaten Tom Turpin in a mammoth piano cutting contest. Patterson and Thompson were the main sources of information to Rudy Blesh in the l940's about the early St. Ragtime scene. While not wishing to throw stones upon their recollections, there must be a slight clouding of remembrances. "A" and 'H" sound very similar and in the course of thirty years, while they probably did know both the white Charles Hunter from Tennessee, and the black Charles Hunter from St. Louis, the memories must have simply mixed them both together. 'Nuff said. So let's remember him as he was listed on his census reports, his music, his directory listings, his marriage license, his obituary, his death certificate, and his grave marker as simply: Charles Hunter. |