Brown Buddies Robinson, Bill "Bojangles" performer Red and Struggy performer Brown, Aida performer Theatrical Performance 1930-10-07 Liberty Theater A musical comedy in two acts, 8 scenes. Book by Carl Rickman. Music by Joe Jordan. Lyrics by Millard Thomas. Additional music and lyrics by Shelton Brooks, Ned Reed, Porter Grainger, James C. Johnson, J. Rosamond Johnson, George A. Little, Arthur Sizemore, Edward G. Nelson. Staged by Ralph Rose. Dances staged by Addison Carey, Charles Davis. Opened 7 October 1930 at the Liberty Theatre and closed 10 January 1931 after 111 performances. Starring Bill Robinson as Sam Wilson; and Adelaide Hall, Ada Brown, Red and Struggy; soldiers, sailors, Dixie Dancing Girls and male chorus. Robinson featured in Act I "Happy" with A. Hall; "Brown Buddies" with the Boys; "Specialty"; in Act II "Taps" with the Girls; Ada Brown and Ensemble opens Act II with "Dance Away Your Sins" Dixie Dancing Girls in Act II "Sweetie Mine" Bordman writes: "Brown Buddies" was Negro musical comedy that featured the stepping of Bill Robinson and the singing of Adelaide Hall. The story followed Sam Wilson and his girl friends from East St. Louis to the front in World War I and home again. Joe Jordan's score was not on a par with Bojangles' tapping or Miss Hall's singing. Nonetheless the evening achieved 111 showings. (Norton 1930.29) Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Norton Anthology of Drama: Norton Anthology of Drama: Nineteenth Century to the Present (Vol. 2). W.W. Norton & Company (2009). Bordman, Gerald: American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. New York: Oxford University Press (1992). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (biography) loc.music.tdabio.154 tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.347