This association formed the circuit on which black performers were able to travel and perform in the 1920 United States.
There is a T.O.B.A. break step which is very commonly danced.
And many of the most visible swing band leaders and musicians worked on this tour, including: Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie.
More information can be found on Wikipedia at Theatre Owners Booking Association.
There’s also a history of T.O.B.A from Musical Geography as well as an overview of some of the black women who were on the circuit.
Reflections from Thomas C Fleming can be found on the Museum of the City of San Francisco’s site. Some of the places with TOBA theaters he recalled, “In Chicago, it would be on State Street or Michigan Avenue, the main streets for blacks. In New York City it was Lenox Avenue. In Philadelphia it was Pearl Street. There were also TOBA houses in Baltimore, Washington, DC, St. Louis, Kansas City, and I believe Memphis. The world-famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem was a member of the chain. “
If you’d like to read more about T.O.B.A there’s a book by Michelle R. Scott titled “T.O.B.A. TIme”
Clips
T.O.B.A. Break - YouTube Video
Alphabetical Jazz Steps - T.O.B.A Break - YouTube Video
Blacks and Vaudeville: PBS documentary - YouTube Video
PBS two-hour documentary on “Vaudeville”: the segment on Blacks and Vaudeville (19 min).
Beginning in the 1880s and through the 1920s, vaudeville was home to more than 25,000 performers, and was the most popular form of entertainment in America. From the local small-town stage to New York’s Palace Theater, vaudeville was an essential part of every community.
Clips and interviews with:
- Pat Rooney
- Mel Watkins
- June Taylor
- Carson Robinson’s Pioneers
- The Duncan Sisters
- Eunice Wilson and the Five Racketeers
- Bobby Short
- Robert Townsend
- Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham
- Leonard Reed
- Stump and Stumpy
- Moms Mabley
- Ethel Waters
- Reed and Bryant
- June Havoc
- Nicholas Brothers (Harold and Fayard)
- Eubie Blake
- Bert Williams
- Jack LaMaire
- Al Hirschfeld
Black Vaudeville - YouTube Video
An overview of many of the Vaudville performers with lots of historical posters with the people pictured labeled.
More info on the Black Vaudville Wikipedia page