Frank Brower, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Frank Brower

American entertainer

Date of Birth: 20-Nov-1823

Date of Death: 04-Jun-1874

Profession: entertainer, percussionist, circus performer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Francis Marion Brower (November 20, 1823 – June 4, 1874) was an American blackface performer active in the mid-19th century.
Brower began performing blackface song-and-dance acts in circuses and variety shows when he was 13.
He eventually introduced the bones to his act, helping to popularize it as a blackface instrument.
Brower teamed with various other performers, forming his longest association with banjoist Dan Emmett beginning in 1841.
Brower earned a reputation as a gifted dancer.
In 1842, Brower and Emmett moved to New York City.
They were out of work by January 1843, when they teamed up with Billy Whitlock and Richard Pelham to form the Virginia Minstrels.
The group was the first to perform a full minstrel show as a complete evening's entertainment.
Brower pioneered the role of the endman. After a successful tour in the British Isles, Brower returned to the United States and teamed with Emmett and other blackface performers for a time.
In the 1850s, he left minstrelsy to work in the Tom shows based on Uncle Tom's Cabin.
He returned to minstrelsy briefly as the decade closed and nostalgia for the old minstrel show came into fashion.
In 1867, Brower retired from show business and opened a saloon.