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Listen: The World ProgramWilliam "Washboard Bill" Cooke poses with his washboard and cymbals
Image Number
Photographer
Date
Rights
Collection
Series S1664, Florida Folk Festival Fieldwork and Program Planning and Documentation Files : 1993 Program book, Rejected Folk Heritage Award Photos ; Box 3, FF35
Geographic Term
Subject Term
Ethnicity, African American
Music
Musical instruments
Washboards
Percussion instruments
Cymbals
African American musicians--Portraits
Folk musicians
African Americans in the performing arts
Older African Americans--Portraits
Older African American men--Portraits
African American entertainers--Portraits
Personal Subjects
Physical Description
Biographical Note
Born in Dupont, just south of St. Augustine on July 4, 1905. His mother ran a jook joint, where he was first exposed to music and dance. He hoboed, played street music, worked for railways, and played at nightclubs in South Florida. In 1956, he made a recording with Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry called Washboard Country Band. In 1992, he won the Florida Folk Heritage Award.
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