Eugene Stratton

Eugene Augustus Rühlmann (May 8, 1861 – September 15, 1918) was an American-born dancer and singer. He adopted the stage name Eugene Stratton and spent most of his career in British music halls.

Biography Stratton was born in Buffalo, New York, to immigrants from Alsace. He first performed at the age of 10 in an acrobatic act called the "Two Wesleys", in which he was paired with a much larger man and was billed as 'The Big and Little of It'. He appeared as a dancer in 1873 under the name of Master Jean. He spent some time in a circus before joining a blackface minstrel show.

He joined the Moore and Burgess Minstrel Show, and quickly worked his way up to be the main song and dance man in the group, devising their routines. In 1883 he married Moore's daughter, Annie Matilda Moore. He was "a natural dancer with a wonderful sense of movement", and was elected King Rat in 1896 and 1900.

He gave his final performance in 1914, and died in Christchurch, Hampshire on September 15, 1918. He is buried in Bandon Hill Cemetery in Wallington in Surrey. In 1935, his friend Joe Elvin was buried next to him.

In James Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922), the fifteenth episode, "Circe", has references to Stratton, as well as the adoption of a faux Negro dialect.

Songs Stratton depicted by lithographer H. G. Banks on the cover of the sheet music for the song "Little Dolly Daydream" (1897), composed by Stratton's friend Leslie Stuart

Aunt Mandy The Cake Walk A Carol of Stars The Dandy Coloured Coon Hoodoo Idler Is yer mammie always with ye? I don't know nobody I Lub a Lubly Gal I'm the father of a little black coon Lily of Laguna (There is a poster and a recording of him singing this, with a remarkable Irish accent) Little Dolly Daydream Love me little My little octoroon My second time on earth She's mine, I'm hers Waitress' love letter When de golden sun went down Whistling Coon Won't you love me