Jazz Articles about Kris Johnson

Kris Johnson: Jim Crow's Tears

by James Nadal
November 10, 2016

The term Jim Crow, reputedly, has its origins in West Africa, based on a Yoruba folk tale of a crow called Jim, who appeared lazy, yet was clever and lucky. This story was brought to America by the enslaved Africans, who embellished it, and turned it into a song and dance routine to take their minds off of their harsh environment. With the appropriation and popularization of the song “Jump Jim Crow" in 1828 by a white man named Thomas ...