5 Significant Pieces of Early African-American Sheet Music

New York, Cincinnati, Hollywood: Willios Music Co., G. Schirmer, Edward B. Marks Music Corporation, etc., 1939. Sheet Music. Very Good +. 5 pieces of uncommon sheet music from the early 20th century, all capturing the African-American experience in song, all crisp, bright and VG or better in their wonderful pictorial wrappers. The 5 examples, each a thin, tall quarto, are as follows: 1) "Belair Plantation Melodies: Eight Negro Folk-Songs Collected from Belair Plantation in Louisiana", circa 1925, published by the Willis Music Co. of Cincinnati, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY HELEN DYMOND BENEDICT, THE ARRANGER, on the front free endpaper. 2) David W. Guion, "Five Imaginary Early Louisiana Songs of Slavery", 1929, published by G. Schirmer of New York. 3) Cab Calloway, Frank Froeba and Jack Palmer, "The Jumpin' Jive (Jim Jam Jump) --As Featured by His Hi-De-Highness of Hi-De-Ho Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra", 1939, published by Edward B. Marks Music Corporation of New York. 4) N. Louise Wright, "The Banjo Picker", 1936, published by the Willis Music Co. of Cincinnati. 5) Words by W.G. Wilson, Music by Carrie Jacobs-Bond, "A Little Bit O' Honey", 1917, published by Carrie Jacobs-Bond & Son of Hollywood. "A Little Bit O' Honey" and "The Banjo Picker" are crisp and Near Fine, "Five Imaginary Louisisana Songs" and "Belair Plantation Melodies" are clean and very presentable but do have thin splits of several inches each along their lower spines. Very fragile to be sure but still strong and sturdy and holding well. And finally, the Cab Calloway piece does show wear and soiling along its fore-edges and a small, interesting drawing (in pencil) on the front cover but more than makes up for it in its charming presentation (and also by virtue of the fact that it's the great Cab Calloway!). All together, a nice crop of unusual African-Americana.