Pigmeat Markham

Pigmeat Markham
Born
Dewey Markham

(1904-04-18)April 18, 1904
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 13, 1981(1981-12-13) (aged 77)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1917–1981
SpouseBernice Markham (m. ?–1981)

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981)[1] was an African American entertainer.[2] Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor.[3] His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat". He was sometimes credited in films as Pigmeat "Alamo" Markham.

He is also known for his 1968 single "Here Comes the Judge", which is often considered to be the earliest hip hop record.[4][5]

  1. ^ Deming, Mark. "Pigmeat Markham Biography". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  2. ^ "Pigmeat Markham, Comedian Extraordinaire". The African American Registry. 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Did Pigmeat Release First Hip-Hop Song?". XXL. April 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  5. ^ Darnell, Heather (August 17, 2023). "Early Hip-Hop at the Library of Congress | In The Muse". The Library of Congress. Retrieved September 24, 2023.