Pat Chappelle | |
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| Born | Patrick Henry Chappelle January 7, 1869 Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Died | October 21, 1911 (aged 42) Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre owner, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Owner and manager of The Rabbit's Foot Company, the first travelling vaudeville company owned and managed by African-Americans |
Patrick Henry Chappelle (January 7, 1869 – October 21, 1911),[1][2] was an American theatre owner and entrepreneur, who established and ran The Rabbit's Foot Company, a leading traveling vaudeville show in the first part of the twentieth century. He became known as one of the biggest employers of African Americans in the entertainment industry, with multiple tent traveling shows and partnerships in strings of theaters and saloons. Chappelle was described at that time as the "Pioneer of Negro Vaudeville" and "the black P. T. Barnum," and was the only African American to fully operate a traveling show solely composed of African-American entertainers.[3]
- ^ Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff, Ragged But Right: Black Traveling Shows, Coon Songs, and the Dark Pathway to Blues and Jazz, University Press of Mississippi, 2009, pp. 248-268.
- ^ The New York Age, November 16, 1911, p. 2. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Pioneer of Negro Vaudeville. The Meteoric Career of Mr. Pat Chappelle, the Magnate of Afro American Stage--From Strolling Player to Manager--Colored Performers Should Organize for Protection." News/Opinion, The Colored American, p. 1. August 3, 1901. Washington (DC), District of Columbia.