Bob Height

Bob Height was an American 19th century African-American blackface minstrel performer. He was a standout talent in the companies with which he performed, although frustrations eventually drove him to pursue a career in Europe. Later writers have compared him to his contemporary, Bert Williams.^[1]

Height joined with Charles Hicks in the late 1860s to form . This company proved quite popular among African Americans, particularly in the Washington, D.C. area. Eventually, both Hicks and Height joined . Height became a featured talent and accompanied the troupe on a European tour in the early 1870s.

Upon the troupe's return to the US in 1872, Charles Callender purchased it and changed the name to . The new owner helped lead the company to great success, and Height enjoyed high billing alongside Billy Kersands and . Before long, however, Height and several other performers quit Callender's in a dispute over pay and recognition. They formed a new company, but it saw little success; most of the players soon rejoined Callender's troupe. Height instead emigrated to Europe, where he performed for many years.

Notes[]

References[]

• Toll, Robert C. (1974). Blacking Up: The Minstrel Show in Nineteenth-century America. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Watkins, Mel (1994). On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying—The Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. New York: Simon & Schuster.