 |
Stage Name |
Birth Name | Dean and Johnson |
Dora Babbage (Dean) | | "The Sweet Corporal Girl" |
Charles E. Johnson | | "the King and Queen of Colored Aristocracy" |
The voluptuous but beautiful Dora Dean and her well dressed, monocle wearing Charles Johnson were Vaudeville entertainers, with a few Broadway plays and nightclubs to their credit, later moving to a few Motion Pictures. They were one of the main components to the popularity of the Cakewalk
and were one of the first "colored acts" to bring class to their field ( Great clothes-no Blackface.)
|
| Although not a small girl, Dora
was so captivating and had such a fabulous
personality that she had crown heads of Europe at her feet. Dora
even had a few songs written about her one such song was titled
"(Have You Met Miss Dora Dean, Prettiest Girl You've ever
Seen.") Dora helped start the "Class Act" with
her fancy Dandy husband by wearing custom made, thousand dollar
costumes on stage which was a first.
Dora and Charles met in 1889 during the "Creole Show"
where Dora was doing a cakewalk number and were later married
in 1893. They are said to be the "Originators of the Cakewalk,"
however this was just a billing title. Johnson was not really
a dancer outside of the Cakewalk but an eccentric,
err rather a " Legomania"
type dancer while Dora posed. Johnson is quoted as stating it was he who "introduced the Soft Shoe," but
that is not correct.
Dean and Johnson were one of the few African-American performers
in the Keith Circuit. Although they sang in some of their acts,
they were hardly considered singers, with them mainly talking
the words rather than singing them. Together with Greenlee
and Drayton they toured Europe for fourteen Months. They continued
performing for many years until they separated around 1919, and
went their separate ways, however they did a few "comeback
performances" at Connie's Inn in 1936. |
