Ole' Nicker Demus de Ruler ob de Jews by Sam Lucas (1881)

Please support my effort in keeping this nearly completely forgotten era of history alive! Music like this is one of the most important ways we can connect with the past and I'm one of the only people today doing this work. Download the audio/video/sheets:

am i reading it wrong or is this literally we was kangz (1881)

@LudesErgoEs Literally.

Is this the earliest instance of black-israelite-ism?

ok WOW this is an incredible discovery! This work from 1881 by Sam Lucas is the FIRST known example of the use of the term the "blues" in a song written by a black composer! Previously, the earliest known example was "I've Got de Blues" from 1901 by Chris Smith & Elmer Bowman. This predates that song by 2 decades! Granted, this is not in the musical style that would become known as the "blues" nearly 40 years later, but the fact that this phrase was part of black dialect at the time and used in a song like this is actually historically significant. To think I just happened to stumble upon this in the course of my historical music revival project! This changes the timeline completely. Another novel song I've recorded by Sam Lucas is "White Kid Slippers" which is a parody of an older song called "Dem Golden Slippers" and uses what I can only describe as "proto-jazz" chords, but in 1883! It also uses the term "white trash" which might be the earliest instances I've found. Lucas had a lot of firsts it seems! Here's the song: I recently recorded one of Lucas' earliest work (perhaps his first?) called "Daffney Do You Love Me" from 1875: I featured one Lucas' ballads in this song stream, his "Grandfather's Old Arm Chair" from 1877: I recorded one of his more "spicy" coon songs called "De Coon Dat Had De Razor" from 1885: Sam Lucas is easily one of my favorite American songwriters of the 19th century. It's crazy that he isn't better known and even more remarkable that I've likely recorded more works by him than any other living musician: Sam Lucas was born in Ohio ~1840. Like Hart, he was born to free black parents in the pre-Civil War era. He wasn't just an accomplished songwriter, he was one of the best black actors, comedians and singers of the 19th century. He got his start in the 1850s working with minstrel troupes, and soon established himself as one of the most successful and prominent minstrel performers of the day, which eventually lead him to be a star of vaudeville as well. In the 1880s, he started to rebrand himself as a "jubilee singer" and formed a jubilee group that focused on popular songs by black composers, combining spirituals and "art" and comedic songs as well, many of which he composed. In addition to sacred works, he also wrote comedic songs and his sentimental ballads were quite popular. Sam Lucas made history in 1878 by starring as Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin. This was the first time a black American played a lead role in a serious theatrical production. Until this point, the role of Uncle Tom was played by a white actor in blackface. Sam Lucas essentially single-handedly ended that tradition. He reprised his role decades later in the era of silent movies. In 1914, he once again played Uncle Tom, but this time in an actual film adaptation. He was the first black American to accomplish this. Strangely, if you ask the vast majority of people who the first black actor to star in a film was, they will have no idea! Lucas was called "Grand Old Man of the Negro Stage" and died shortly after his film debut, in 1916. He published over 60 songs, many of which can be found in various online libraries, like John Hopkins' Levy Collection: The great irony is that although Lucas embraced the minstrel tradition, and became wildly successful because of it, he also used it as a stepping stone to break free from harmful racial stereotypes, and led the movement to leave this era behind. This is the danger we face when we cancel and throw out ENTIRE eras of history due to modern sensibilities. When we do that, all nuance is lost and great talents of those eras get cast away with it. It's not fair to musicians like Lucas who made incredible strides during a time of adversity. Their journeys and success show that the history we've been told about this time is incomplete...perhaps why their stories have been neglected. This important song is available to download for free from numerous digital libraries: Library of Congress: Baylor U: Berkeley: Johns Hopkins: Thanks for listening, this song was promised to you! -Kylan PS: There is an older song that references the "blues" as feeling sad, it's actually from 1850 and it's called I've Got the Blues today! It's written by a white American woman (lyrics) and a German immigrant (music). So technically the first "blues" song was actually written by a white woman! Go figure! I've been studying it and hope to record soon (it's actually an incredible song). PPS: For those who weren't aware, "Nicodemus" was a Biblical figure who was described as a "ruler of the jews" during the time of Christ. He was a Pharisee and part of the "Sanhedrin" which was a ruling council of jews. He was said to have defended Jesus to the council. This song is a minstrel-inspired play on his name. The protagonist of this song likely heard the phrase "Nicodemus the ruler of the jews" at church, and mistook it as "nicker demus" and assumed a black man was indeed once a ruler of the jews. He uses this historical misconception to boast about his race, which would have been performed by Lucas with comical bravado. There may be a more subtle allusion to "Old Nick" which was a term for the Devil, but that's just speculation.

The darkey never feels the blues die to that wild biblical twist! 🤣🤣🤣

Another fucking banger! I am legitimately surprised how many catchy choruses and hooks they created in the 1800s! Was this always the way with music? Seems a lot of old folk songs have a nice melody, but kinda drone on. When did consistent use of hooks catch on?

I want to inject this like a drug

Man, I didn't think you could get any more politically incorrect, but here we are 😂

10/10

And, this was performed where? I can't fathom in what setting... Minstrel or some off the wall church? If the song is set on sheet music, it had to written, published, & printed... Which means it was set up for an audience... Which goes back to the first question...

Sam Lucas was a black minstrel performer so it would've been at a minstrel show, performed for black and/or white audiences.

@Sknnyrabit Ok so this was performed black people, not white people in black face So It was kinda like modern rap? Blacks acting like a serotype for the entertainment of themselves and others?

@Sknnyrabit Correct.

I am a simple lass. I see a foundring song, I play it on speaker as I walk thru my neighborhood.

This Nicker Demus fellow ought to be the prime minister of Israel.

I noted that look you gave when you sang "blues"! 🤣😜

This one is awesome.. He even used blues in context. I love that they were also shining shoes back before 1881 too! Some things never change! 👞 👞

The enthusiasm and passion make it so great lol

you oughta sing some layton and johnstone, hay hay farmer gray is my vote

I bookmark all your videos. You're doing yoeman's work.

You are so talented and I love that this is what you are doing with your talents. Please never stop.

oy what a banger

Fantastic throwback! Great tune and historically accurate of course!

Oh man… 😂

Did you write this song? Be honest.