Tim McMahon (Barrett) was a barber in Philadelphia about fifteen years ago or so. While there he “scraped” an acquaintance with John King. The result—McMahon and King, McMahon and Chapelle, McMahon’s “Watermelon Girls” and McMahon’s “Pullman Parlor Maids.”
How’d you like to be McMahon?
Nat Wills, famous for his tramp impersonations in vaudeville, Detroit and other municipalities, gamboled (notice the spelling) at the “Lambs” Minstrel show at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, May 31, 1909. His make-up was a dark black.
James H. Manning, of the once popular Silver Bells Quartette, of Baker Jones, Manning and Davis, with that great black-face act consisting of two males and two “wenches,” played all the first-class variety houses and were with Lew Dockstader’s Minstrels in New York, the greater time of their existence from 1886 to 1889.
The feature of this act was the wearing of a set of bells around the waists of each, and during the song and dance they played these to the air of Barney Fagan’s “Wedding Bells”; and it may be truthfully stated that a prettier song and dance “four” act has never been seen.
James H. Manning was born in Albany, N. Y., July 27, 1869.
E. W. Chipman (front name Everett) made his first professional appearance with George H. Irving’s California Minstrels in November, 1884; Mr. Chipman was the bass singer, not the base singer of the company.
After this came the Whitmore and Clark’s Minstrels and Hennessy Bros. Minstrels; then a painfully brief season with Chipman, Goss and Hyam’s Minstrels; but why dwell further?
Mr. Chipman recovered, and joined Barlow Bros. Minstrels and remained with them as interlocutor for five years; he also sang.
Subsequently he played engagements with George Arlington’s; Deming, Sweet and DeCourcey’s “A Stranger” Company; two seasons with Cleveland’s; Gus. Sun’s, three seasons; Wm. H. West’s, and Ed. Bartlett’s California Minstrels.