minstrel

There were different metrics—say, the number of sheet-music copies pulled from a publisher’s warehouse or the frequency of reprintings or how often it appeared in minstrel shows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026

His father, who died when Marshall was 10, occasionally sang in a minstrel act and Marshall’s sister, actor Joanne Dru, worked as a showgirl at the Copa Club.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024

White minstrel performers like Joel Walker Sweeney were credited with popularizing the instrument that inspired a vital part of popular music in the country seen as "hillbilly" music.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2024

Redd’s father took him to see traveling minstrel shows when he was a boy, and he was particularly struck by the one-legged tap dancer Peg Leg Bates moving to the rhythm of a trap drummer.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

NM: It’s such a complicated dance, to try to dismiss them as minstrels while also understanding the quality of their work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

During the Middle Ages, minstrels were retained by royal courts to provide pleasant atmosphere.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2022

The composer and songwriter Stephen Foster, a white Pittsburgher, wrote the 1853 melody, which blackface minstrels made into a hit.

From Salon ● May 5, 2022

About half the book covers engravings on teeth; sailors illustrated creamy spikes with ships, flags, Polynesian dancers, Austro-Hungarian minstrels and dentists.

From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2013

As Elrond entered and went towards the seat prepared for him, elvish minstrels began to make sweet music.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien