In 1939, actor Herb Jeffries made history by starring in "The Bronze Buckaroo," the first-ever Western to feature a Black singing cowboy as its protagonist. With Jeffries in the lead as Bob Blake -- a charming, quick-draw cowboy who rides into Arizona to rescue a friend's family from a land-grabbing villain -- the film brought style, music and grit to the big screen in a whole new way.
Not just your typical cowboy flick, "The Bronze Buckaroo" broke ground with its all-Black cast and offered a rare portrayal of Black cowboys on the big screen. Jeffries' role brought style (and considerable swagger) to a genre that had long overlooked Black heroes, making "The Bronze Buckaroo" both a cinematic adventure and a cultural milestone.
If you're sitting here thinking, "I have no idea what this girl is talking about," don't worry. Despite its pioneering role, "The Bronze Buckaroo" remains relatively obscure in 2024 with little to no mainstream recognition.
This won't be the case for long if Dom Flemons has anything to do with it.
Flemons, the Grammy Award-nominated folk musician and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is breathing new life into the film at an upcoming event at the Chautauqua Community House, 301 Morning Glory Drive, Boulder.
Nicknamed "The American Songster," Flemons is a multi-instrumentalist whose work spans over a century of American musical traditions including folk, blues, country and early jazz. Though not a professor by title, Flemons would be right at home behind a lectern; his passion for history, intensive research, and skill with instruments like the banjo, guitar, harmonica, fife and rhythm bones make him a natural educator and compelling storyteller of America's musical roots.
At 8 p.m. Saturday, he will present "The Bronze Buckaroo Film & Songster Show" -- a unique cinematic musical event that will pair the pioneering imagery of Jeffries' groundbreaking film with Flemons' own musical storytelling. The experience will blend history, culture and music into one rootin', tootin' modern tribute.
"The Songster Show" will be broken into two acts: Act I will feature Flemons performing songs from his Grammy-nominated album "Black Cowboys" alongside scenes from "The Bronze Buckaroo," giving audiences a fresh take on this historic film. Act II will shift to a wider exploration of American roots music, with Flemons delving into folk, blues and country traditions while sharing the stories and insights that make each song resonate today.
Ahead of his visit to Chautauqua, we caught up with Flemons to learn all about the historical impact of "The Bronze Buckaroo," the inspiration behind "Black Cowboys" and why it's important to tell the tales of our unsung heroes.
Q: The Bronze Buckaroo Film & Songster Show feels like a fun, but informative, modern-day variety show. What inspired you to explore the film and your music together in this way?
A: One of the inspirations for doing this particular show stemmed from my background in solo performances, especially the songster half of the show. That part is very much in line with the solo sets I've been playing for years -- featuring a rich variety of music. I'll be performing with unique folk instruments, exploring different song styles and presenting original songs that blend traditional themes with a fresh twist for today's audience.
Then there's "The Bronze Buckaroo" segment, which came about a few years ago after a program I did at the FreshGrass Festival in Massachusetts. That's where I first got the idea to use "The Bronze Buckaroo" as a way to tell a piece of the Black cowboy story. The 1939 film "The Bronze Buckaroo" is one of the first major films with an all-Black cast, featuring Herb Jeffries, who's widely considered one of the earliest Black country singing stars. The cinematography in the film struck me -- it's beautiful and almost begs for a live soundtrack. I realized it would be powerful to use the film's visuals alongside traditional cowboy songs, allowing the imagery to tell its own story through music.
The film itself is about 50 minutes long, but my wife and I, who work closely on these projects, edited it down to fit our live performance. We've refined the storytelling, making space for moments where the music complements the film, almost like an alternative soundtrack. Jeffries was more of a jazz singer, so the original music leans toward jazz and swing. However, with traditional instruments, we create a unique blend, adding depth to the film's imagery and story.
Initially, when we launched this, we had to work with a lower-quality public domain version of the film. But thanks to my relationship with the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., I was able to access a high-quality version from their archives. Now, the film appears on screen in modern, high-definition quality, making for a truly immersive experience. We've enjoyed fine-tuning this project over the years, and I think audiences will find it both unique and captivating.
Q: When did you first come across The Bronze Buckaroo? What impact did it have on you?
A: I think I first saw "The Bronze Buckaroo" about 15 years ago when I was just beginning to work on what would become my album, "Black Cowboys." Though the album came out in 2018, I started the research around 2009 or 2010, and "The Bronze Buckaroo" surfaced early on in my journey into the history of Black cowboys. Watching it sent me down a fascinating path, almost a nostalgic one, as I asked myself, "Have I ever seen a Black cowboy film before?"
I grew up in the '80s, and I remembered Mario Van Peebles' "Posse" from the early '90s, which was one of the first Black cowboy films I'd seen. I was also a fan of Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, who starred together in "Buck and the Preacher," another great cowboy film. Then, in more recent years, films like "Django Unchained," "The Hateful Eight," and the new version of "The Magnificent Seven" have revisited the Western genre with diverse perspectives. But "The Bronze Buckaroo" was one of the earliest films I found featuring Black cowboys, and it left a lasting impression.
Herb Jeffries, the star of "The Bronze Buckaroo," has a fascinating story. He was inspired to create this Black cowboy character after watching a young Black boy on the streets of Harlem being teased because, as his friends said, "There are no Black cowboys." Jeffries decided to challenge that misconception by creating a character that could serve as a counterpoint to Gene Autry's popular "singing cowboy" persona, especially at a time when theaters were segregated. Jeffries carved out a space for Black heroes in the Western genre, creating a genre of Black cowboy films specifically for Black theaters. He went on to inspire artists like Solomon Burke, who considered Jeffries an influence, along with other early Black country performers who looked to Jeffries as a trailblazer.
Q: Your Grammy-nominated album, "Black Cowboys," was released in 2018. The album sheds light on the legacy of African American cowboys in shaping the American West, who are often left out of the Western canon. What inspired you to dive into this rich, untold history and bring these stories to the forefront?
A: Well, quite a few things came together to draw me to the topic of Black cowboys. On a personal level, growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, it allowed me to tap into the Southwestern heritage I'd known my whole life, but hadn't fully recognized as historically significant. My dad's family is African American and originally from Arkansas and Texas, and my mom's side is Mexican American, with generations rooted in Phoenix. When I started reading about the history of Black migration westward, I began to see my grandparents' journey from the farm to Arizona in a new light, and it felt like a story worth exploring further.
As I dove into research, I came across "The Negro Cowboys," which noted that one in four cowboys in the West was Black. This was the starting point for me. Soon, I was buried in books about Buffalo Soldiers, Pullman porters, Exodusters and places like Nicodemus, Kansas -- all part of the Black Western experience. So the next question became, "What is Black cowboy music, and how does it differ from the typical Western sound?"
Musically, I realized that a lot of songs I'd come across over the years had ties to the Black cowboy experience, even if they weren't originally labeled that way. For example, "Black Woman" (also known as "The Wild Ox Moan") is a field holler by Vera Ward Hall that I felt captured the spirit of a cowboy's life, even though it wasn't technically a cowboy song. It has the themes of travel, leaving loved ones behind and resilience. Songs like "Home on the Range" and "Goodbye Old Paint" also have Black cowboy associations, and as I dug deeper, I found stories of Black cowboys passing these songs down. It was like musical archeology, trying to get to the roots of these songs and bring them back to life.
I wanted "Black Cowboys" to focus on a folk-based Black cowboy sound rather than the jazzier Hollywood cowboy style you hear from figures like Herb Jeffries. The goal was to create something that felt historically accurate but still resonant for today's listeners -- to bridge the past with the present in a way that's both true to history and engaging for modern audiences.
Q: Your show beautifully transitions from cowboy ballads and imagery to a broader exploration of Black country and American roots music in the second act. How do these two segments weave together in your performance, and what connections do you hope audiences will discover between them?
A: Well, when you start thinking about the westward migration, many people who made their way out West came from the South, bringing with them a rich array of musical traditions. So, in the second half of the show, after "The Bronze Buckaroo" segment, I'll be showcasing these Southern styles through what I call the "songster" set. This part of the performance will highlight a mix of regional sounds -- banjo breakdowns, unique guitar styles and various finger-picking techniques. For example, I'll do a medley from North Carolina that features three distinct picking styles, giving people a taste of the musical diversity within just one region.
I'll also be incorporating harmonica techniques, both in solo form and paired with guitar. By presenting these different styles side-by-side, I want to show how Southern roots music influenced the sounds that migrated West. This "other side of the coin" will help audiences connect cowboy imagery to the broader landscape of Black country and American roots music.
And toward the end, I'll include some original songs from my latest album, "Traveling Wildfire," which brings us into the present and shows where the songster tradition can go. These newer songs bridge the historical with the contemporary, rounding out the journey from the past to the present.
Q: As you share these stories of Black cowboys and other often-overlooked figures in American history, why do you feel it's especially important to bring these voices to the forefront in 2024?
A: Well, I always think of history as a tapestry -- every time we add new threads to it, we make our understanding of the past more vibrant, rich and nuanced. Bringing forward the stories of Black cowboys and other overlooked figures gives that tapestry more depth, flavor and context. Adding these stories not only shapes our perception of history but also allows us to see our current surroundings in a new light, infused with layers of meaning that connect us to the past.
This approach to history is always relevant, no matter the time. By expanding our understanding of what was, we open up possibilities for what can be. It's about building a foundation of knowledge that continually broadens our perspective. So for me, it's not about any particular moment being more relevant than another -- it's always important to remain open to learning more, to expanding the boundaries of what we know. This helps us create a fuller, more inclusive picture of American culture and history.
For tickets to Dom Flemons Presents: The Bronze Buckaroo Film & Songster Show, visit chautauqua.com. For those who want to dive deeper into "Black Cowboys" themes and research, visit the Smithsonian's Folk Ways website at folkways.si.edu/dom-flemons/black-cowboys.