"Jigaboo Man" (1911)

[Douglas G. Wilson]

 From N'archive:

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_Sandusky [OH] Star-Journal_, 28 April 1911: p. '2':

<<The modern musical comedy of the Hough-Adams-Howard variety is not
complete without an imitation of Bessie McCoy's famous "Yama Yama Man". In
the new Chicago revue, "Miss Nobody from Starland," seen at the Sandusky
theater Thursday, the song is called "The Jigaboo Man" and it was the most
tuneful of the production, while the effects were good.>>

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There are other mentions of "The Jigaboo Man", but I can't find lyrics.

"Yama Yama Man" (1908, I think) was very famous: lyrics and a recording are
available on-line: it is a simple song about a "boogeyman". Maybe "The
Jigaboo Man" was about a boogeyman too, I don't know.

I assume that "Jigaboo" here was basically a nonsense word.

I assume "Yama Yama" was a nonsense expression too. A book about "Yama Yama
Land" (something like Oz, I gather) was apparently inspired by the "Yama
Yama Man" song, but the song itself (in its simple form) doesn't seem to
include any geographic or ethnic reference.

-- Doug Wilson


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