Abstract

This chapter lends insight into Black vaudeville as the progenitor of the professional Black entertainment industry in the United States by focusing in on the story of a key figure. Sherman H. Dudley had a long career as an entertainer, stage manager, producer, and entrepreneur; was a major player with the Smart Set; and became an owner in (and the face of) the Theatre Owners Booking Association (TOBA or Toby), the largest management organization of Black talent at the time. His story helps us understand the development of Africanist aesthetics in conjunction with larger national conversations about race.