Effie F. Kamman

Effie F. Kamman (1868-1933) was an American composer, pianist, music teacher, and vaudeville performer. She was known for composing "The Dance of the Brownies" (1893), a popular tune inspired by the children's books by Palmer Cox.

Effie F. Kamman
A young white woman with an updo decorated with flowers.
Effie F. Kamman, from an 1898 newspaper
Born1868
Died1933
NationalityAmerican
Other namesE. F. Kamman
Occupation(s)composer, performer
Effie Kamman (Standing) with her parents and sister. Father Fred sitting, Mother at far left, sister Ida seated middle. Taken at Fred Kammans home, 110 Main Street, Wayne Michigan. Ca. 1898.

Early life

Effie F. Kamman was from Detroit, the daughter of Frederick Kamman and Minerva A. Howlett Kamman.[1] Her father was a butcher.[2]

Career
Sheet music for Kamman's "The Dance of the Brownies" (1893), published by Jerome H. Remick & Co.; cover has an orange background, with an image of dancing brownies.
Sheet music for Kamman's "The Dance of the Brownies" (1895 edition), published by Jerome H. Remick & Co.

Kamman was a music teacher in Detroit, who also gained notice as a performer in vaudeville. She toured in several shows, including The Fencing Master (1894),[3] Run on the Bank (1895),[4] The Governors (1897),[5] Hunting for Hawkins (1901),[6] and On the Stroke of 12 (1903).[7] She sang soprano parts, but also sometimes toured as a "lady baritone" novelty singing act.[8][9] She was also the music and art editor for the newspaper Detroit Journal.[10] Later in her career, she played piano on radio, and in theatres during silent films.[11]

Published works by Kamman included

  • "The Dance of the Brownies" (1893)[12]
  • "The American Two-Step" (1895)[4]
  • "Clover" (1898),
  • "Darktown Doings" (1898)[13]
  • "Dance of the White Rats" (1901)
  • "Hunting for Hawkins" (1901)[14]
  • "I Love You Yet" (1903)[15]
  • "Skirmish" (1903),
  • "What's Your Hurry?" (1922)
  • "The Old Fashioned Love of the Days Long Ago" (1928)[16]
  • "In Twilight Land" (1928)[17][18]

Personal life

Effie F. Kamman lived in Los Angeles, California, for several years, until shortly before her death.[19][20] She died in 1933, aged 64 years, in Detroit. Her gravesite is with her parents' and her sister's, in Michigan.

References
  1. "Second Victim in Family". Detroit Free Press. August 10, 1906. p. 11. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Detroit City Directories. 1879. p. 447.
  3. "The Stage". Detroit Free Press. August 8, 1895. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "The Stage". Detroit Free Press. December 29, 1895. p. 15. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Ward & Vokes". The Decatur Herald. October 12, 1897. p. 3. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "The Stage". Detroit Free Press. September 6, 1901. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Plays and Players". Defiance Express. September 26, 1903. p. 15. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  8. "Untitled news item". Detroit Free Press. March 24, 1899. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "A Vocal Phenomenon". Detroit Free Press. September 18, 1898. p. 30. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Personal". The Buffalo Commercial. November 13, 1893. p. 9. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Miss Effie Kamman, pianist". Fulton County Tribune. October 1, 1920. p. 5. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Milan, Jon (2009). Detroit: Ragtime and the Jazz Age. Arcadia Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 9780738561134.
  13. "Untitled news item". Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1898. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, at Washington. Treasury Department. 1901. p. 1409.
  15. "I love you yet". Historic Sheet Music Collection, Oregon Digital. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  16. "Effie Kamman Puts Out Two New Songs". Detroit Free Press. May 5, 1928. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Tjaden, Ted. Women Composers of Ragtime.
  18. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Effie F. Kamman (composer)" UC Santa Barbara Libraries, accessed July 22, 2019.
  19. "Dance of the Brownies". The Los Angeles Times. August 29, 1931. p. 20. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Untitled news item". Detroit Free Press. April 22, 1933. p. 8. Retrieved July 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

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