Who is Blind Boone?

Rachel Boone had escaped from slavery and was working at the Federal Camp of the 7th Militia, Company I at Miami, Missouri when she gave birth to her son, naming him John William Boone. Soon after his birth, Rachel brought her baby to Warrensburg, Missouri where she found employment working in homes of the more prominent citizens of the day.

At only 6 months of age, John, or "Willie" as he came to be known, had to have surgery to save him from the ravages of what they termed "Brain fever". In order to save his life, the doctors were forced to remove his eyes and sew the lids shut. He was saved and went on to live a most amazing life.

Willie showed a great deal of talent even as a small child. He was able to recreate the sounds of birds and drum out beats as a toddler. When he reached around five years of age, he gathered some friends and started a little band. The boys played at picnics and around the neighborhood with their tin whistle, comb, and the like. As time went on, Willie was known as a bright, talented boy, and was well liked by everyone in the community. He didn't let his blindness keep him from making his way around town or pursuing his interests!

During his youth, the local citizenry decided to help Willie get an education by sending him to a school for the blind in St. Louis, Missouri. The community, which included persons like Senator Francis Cockrell, funded the trip to St. Louis on the train, while the women made him clothes. The black and white citizens worked together on this and much like his professional life, Boone in his youth seemed to be able to bridge all gaps between the races. Unable to see the differences in skin color, he was able to transcend these differences, and later, influence change in attitudes.

After studying music at the school for the blind for some time, a new supervisor changed the way the school dealt with the black children and Willie was forced to start making brooms. Terribly bored with this activity, Willie started running away at night and found his way to the "tenderloin district" of St. Louis where the brothels and bars were located. In this area he was able to spend time around musicians that were playing Ragtime music. This was not the Ragtime we know today, but was a form of music with a much more African cadence. He learned much from his excursions, but was eventually expelled from school and forced to live on the street. Willie played music on the streets and at the train depot. He nearly starved before a kindly train conductor took pity on him and returned him to Warrensburg and the arms of his mother.

Willie met with many adventures during his young life. He played music, formed bands and even taught music. When he was a teen, he performed at a church in Columbia, Missouri and met a successful black contractor named John Lange. After some time, Lange asked Rachel Boone if her son could come to St. Louis to perform professionally and the beginning of a long friendship and partnership was formed. Boone received some formal training at this time and learned to play classical music. He had a gift that enabled him to comprehend a musical piece when he heard it played and repeat the performance note for note. This skill was tested many times over the years, and he enjoyed this exercise and became well known for it.

John Lange with J. W. Boone formed the Blind Boone Concert Company whose motto was "Merit not sympathy, wins". They traveled alone in the early days, hauling the piano on the back of a horse drawn wagon. Piano's didn't last long this way, and they went through several before they became so well known that piano's were provided for them upon their arrival. By this time, they hired men to precede them to a town and advertise the upcoming concert. They also added vocalists, such as Miss Emma Smith and Mme. Marguerite Day, Stella May, Melissa Fuell and, according to a playbill dated 1908, Accompanist Miss Josephine Huggard. John Boone married Lange's sister Eugenia, who became the company's treasurer. The Company performed over 8000 concerts in the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico and Europe.

An article in the Chicago Inter-Ocean, dated May 28, 1888 states; "Blind Boone, the colored vocalist and pianoforte player, assisted by Miss Stella May, gave a concert last night at the Centenary M. E. Church. The greater part of the program was instrumental, and the touch and expression of the blind man is exquisite. Considering the disadvantages he labors under, he is perfectly marvelous. His principal pieces were a Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, and the Marshfield Tornado. Miss Stella May, a young lady scarcely 16 years of age, sings admirably, and has a perfect contralto voice."

Another article in Kunkel's Musical Review, St. Louis, Mo., dated May 1893 reads; "The Blind Boone Concert Company filled a splendid engagement for four weeks in this city. The principal member of the company, John W. Boone, is one of the most wonderful pianists of recent years. His playing is remarkable, not because of his blindness, but because of his artistic excellence. John W. Boone is justly considered the successor or the celebrated Gottschalk. He grasps with marvelous rapidity any composition played for him, and the most difficult pieces are played after single reading. His engagements here drew crowded houses nightly. He has met the leading professional men of the city, and the opinion is unanimous that he is the most wonderful artist before the public. We advise our patrons, wherever he appears; to take advantage of the opportunity of hearing him."

Blind Boone loved children and encouraged their attendance at his concerts. An excerpt from a page in a 1908 concert playbill reads; "Bring the children. They will be benefited. Blind Boone has been the means of a great many children falling in love with the piano, they having heard him play at concerts. His music charms them, and gives them brilliant ideas that they could not otherwise receive. We have the testimonials of a number of parents who give him the credit of their children being artists." It was said that Boone would stand outside the concert hall or church and talk to the children, often leading a group of them in to watch the performance for free.

Boone, aside from his ability to retain so many pieces of music to memory also had a fantastic ability to remember people. In a chapter from "Reminiscences of A Circuit Rider" by George T. Ashley, 1941, entitled "Blind Boone and Mary Fletcher", Ashley writes, " It was in 1893 that I first met the famous colored musical prodigy, Blind Boone. As I have known of no such phenomenon since and as he passed away years ago, it may not be out of order for the information of some of the younger generation, to give some extended notice to this notable character." He goes on to tell a short story of Boone's early life and then adds this anecdote: "To illustrate this phenomenal type of mind, I must relate a little incident. When at my house in Rolla, for some reason he wanted to walk down to the corner of the street in front of the church, and our little girl about four offered to lead him. She accidentally led him against a tree but without injury. In 1917, twenty four years later, he was in Griswold, Iowa, for a concert at my church there, and I went to the train to meet him. I had heard that he never forgot anyone and I wanted to test him. When I shook his hand and spoke to him, he hesitated but an instant and said: "This is the man I met at Rolla, Mo. over twenty years ago." And I replied I was. Then he said: "How is little Mary Fletcher?"-that was our little girl's name-"who led me into the tree?" I had forgotten it until this recalled it."

"I am giving this rather lengthy recital of these events because of the phenomenal character of this man; and because I have not heard of any other such prodigy in any class since. Some years ago, after he had retired on account of infirmity-he had become very corpulent and heavy-I visited him at his home in Kansas City, Mo., and had a long talk with him about his career and he still told me the same story as some years before; that he really knew nothing about how he did what he did except that when he heard anything once, even as a little child, it seemed to be always ready to be recalled if anything should come up to in any way stimulate it"

The next section is entitled "The Marshfield Cyclone" and tells this story: "A rather remarkable incident illustrating this man's genius in imitating anything he had heard, and even his constructive imagination is illustrated in the following incident: The small town of Marshfield in Southern Missouri once had a quite severe cyclone that destroyed many of the houses and killed a number of people. Blind Boone heard much talk about this cyclone and composed a piece of music on the piano imitating a cyclone as he constructed it in his own mind, having heard many strong winds, but never a real cyclone."

"He played for the first time at Marshfield two nights before he played in my church at Rolla. The cyclone had occurred several years before about seven o'clock in the evening, just after dark. Without announcing the name of the piece, Boone started playing this Marshfield Cyclone, and at the proper place struck the keys in the way to imitate a violent clap of thunder; and many of the audience who were in the cyclone jumped and ran for the doors; thinking another real cyclone had come."

We are all very fortunate as many articles and books have been written about Mr. Boone. Our organization offers two books on him: Madge Harrah has written an award winning library edition hard-back book that is a delight to read and suitable for age 8 to adult. (An excellent choice for middle school libraries!). The title is "Blind Boone, Piano Prodigy" ($25 including shipping). Jack A. Batterson's book "Blind Boone Missouri's Ragtime Pioneer" ($10 including shipping) is available in soft cover. Both authors have attended the book fair at the Blind Boone Music & Arts Festival and we are pleased to be able to offer their wonderful pieces to you as a fundraiser for the endowment fund for the park. They are available at the Teehaus, 121 N. Holden, Warrensburg, MO 64093, or call (660) 441-0879, or e-mail http://www.blindboonepark.org/info@blindboonepark.org. Thank you and happy reading!!