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  • 1865-1910

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The Development of an African-American Musical Theatre 1865-1910

• 1865-1880
• 1880-1890
• 1890-1895
• 1896-1899
• 1900-1905
• 1906-1910

1880-1890

James A. Bland

• Close Dem Windows
• Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
• In the Evening by the Moonlight
• Oh, Dem Golden Slippers

Beginning in the late 1870s, composer and performer James A. Bland appeared with several different minstrel troupes, and composed songs still widely known today. His "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is today the state song of Virginia. Other songs composed by Bland that are still frequently heard include "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers" and "In the Evening by the Moonlight."

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   [Detail] "Close dem windows: the great end song." Words and music by James Bland. 1879.