Today in Music (1898): “At a Georgia Camp Meeting” hit #1

At a Georgia Camp Meeting Dan Quinn

Writer(s): Kerry Mills (lyrics), F.A. Mills (music) (see lyrics here) Published: 1897 First Charted: November 5, 1898 Peak: 14 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 million (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.004 video, -- streaming

Awards (Dan Quinn): Click on award for more details. Awards (Vess Ossman): Awards (John Philip Sousa):

About the Song: Marches were played in strict time while cakewalks were played half a beat off. They began as “a backward-leaning, strutting ‘walk’ that rural Southern blacks used…to parody the high manners of white folks.” SS A “cake walk” was often performed as the last song at a dance and the best couple was awarded a cake. AH “Cake walks” became a staple in minstrel shows, emerging as early as 1876. SS It wasn’t until 1895 that the dance translated to song when Kerry Mills’ “Rastus on Parade” became a hit. He was a New Yorker who wored as a violinist, music teacher, orchestra leader, and publisher in New York, EW most famously writing “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” in 1904. Mills reportedly did a cakewalk song as a way to protest against the racial stereotypes of “coon” songs. SS The follow-up, “At a Georgia Camp Meeting,” published in 1897, was “perhaps the biggest hit song built around ‘cakewalk’ synopcation.” SS The song has been referred to as “the biggest instrumental composition of the era” SS and even referred to as possibly “the first major hit of the ragtime era.” EW The cover of the sheet music describes the song as “a characteristic march which can be used effectively as a two-step, polka, or cake walk.” AH It shows images of Blacks at a dignified party. AH Dan Quinn first charted with the song on November 5, 1898, reaching #1 for four weeks. On December 10, banjoist Vess Ossman charted with an instrumental version of the song that peaked at #3. John Philip Sousa recorded the song at least six times between 1899 and 1908. SS Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dan Quinn DMDB encyclopedia entry for Vess Ossman DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Philip Sousa AH AmericanHistory.si.edu SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 432-3. EW ElijahWald.com (12/13/2017) PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 473. First posted 6/26/2024.