"Blind Tom" Is Not His Name

“Blind Tom” is not his name. Declared an “idiot” and promoted as “a gorgon with angels’ wings” in freak shows, “Blind Tom” was a character created to market the persona of black inferiority. Blind and cognitively disabled he was exhibited in public by his owner at age 8 to gawking spectators (Krentz 2005). The object of ridicule, Harold Schonberg described Tom as a “curious and pathetic negro slave” (Southall 1975). In 1869, Mark Twain described Tom as an “idiot of 19. . . some archangel inhabits his coarse casket” (Krentz 2005). “Tom’s disability canceled out his worth as a slave. Yet when he proved to be musically talented, he suddenly became a highly prized commodity” (Krentz 2005). Exploited at every turn as a “lucrative curiosity” by guardians and promoters, Thomas Greene Wiggins, separated from his family, was the “last legal slave”. Freed at the sign of the Emancipation Proclamation, Tom endured endlessly high-profile custody battles. These unjust legal proceedings were forever a reminder that a “slaves” status was to remain the property of his owner. Slaves with musical talent meant income for their owners. Legal manipulation kept Tom “hired out” as a “slave musician” - his freedom denied - Never honoring the financial obligation to Tom or his family. Playing the piano by ear, Wiggins also played the flute, coronet, and french horn.

An accomplished concert pianist and composer, Tom was often described as an “imitator” of others’ while some critics ignored his musical abilities as a performer and composer. This further perpetuated the myth that blacks did not have the intellect to create such complex compositions. It was unthinkable that Tom could be expressing himself. Could his compositions be taken as his original voice? (Krentz 2005)No one can say how much Tom actually understood concerning matters outside of music. I like to believe that his beautiful mind was like “The Rain Storm” composition be composed at the age of 5 - steady, powerful, and unrelenting. Singing also came naturally to him with an innate capacity for the perfect pitch. Speaking less than 100 words, Tom recited famous speeches in Greek, Latin, German, and French. Blessed with what some would call a “photographic memory”, Tom forgot nothing. On tour, Tom “maintained” a rigorous four shows-per-day schedule captivating audiences with his mastery of improvisation and insane memory retention. A Philadelphia reporter of that day wrote, “although the people of that city are opposed to the colored population “riding in a railroad”, yet they crowd Concert Hall to its utmost capacity to hear an uncouth and idiotic looking black boy bring music out of a piano (Southall 1975). His repertoire of musical pieces played purely from memory was estimated to include nearly 7,000 songs (Treffert 88). His rigid practice schedule extended at times to eight hours a day (Southall 1975). Tom was not allowed to burn out.

Tom spearheaded a genre that had not been explored before by historians - Afro-American concert composition. Tom exuded the physical hunger for artistic expression. Some believed there was a limit to his development as an artist. But make no mistake about it, Tom was an artist. Toms talents were more than just a mere feat of nature. Tom knew things at a very young age he never officially learned - His genius coming “factory installed” (Treffert 2015). Tom’s potential was only limited by him being classified as “black”. His promoters advertised a transformation of Tom from animal to an artist on stage. His features were often described derogatorily as ape-like. Labels were thrown over Tom like a straight jacket distorting his musical reputation. White America had placed blacks on the lower end of the spectrum of mental development. America is still trapped in the reductive stereotypes of African Americans today. Tom had an alternative narrative to tell rather than the “slave narrative” he could have told. The piano was an extension of Tom. A natural language was spoken between Tom and the keys of any piano that no one else could speak. Tom was David fighting the Goliaths of his day with the piano - Never expressing through his playing the sound of defeatism. I do not believe Tom lacked any self-awareness when it came to the world he was trying to create through his music. Politely declining to talk about race because we are uncomfortable with it perpetuates racism (Krentz 2005). A conspiracy of silence tends to seep out.

Stereotypes will persist long after reality fades away for us as it did for Tom. Tom’s status as an African American and a disabled person frequently overlapped (Krentz 2005). Tom had been treated as a “pet” all his life. Tom was put on stage before the public to skillfully execute tricks when he performed. The longer Tom participated in these trials I am sure he grew weary with a slow-simmering agitation bordering on exhaustion. After all, he was human. This was a cruel practice that showed the actual cultural awareness of Tom’s nineteenth-century audience. proved how limited their racial vocabulary was at the time. Tom was human and needs to be acknowledged as such. We are charged with invoking the positive change needed to deconstruct the cultural stereotypes applied to Tom. Tom has been misrepresented throughout history due to racially biased opinions from historians refusing to give Tom his due proving how limited their racial vocabulary was at the time. Tom was expected to play the role prescribed to him as a human “cash crop”, the show had to go on. Through all of that, Tom was able to apply his own emotional flair to each song he performed. Tom was at the mercy of his owner. He became the tragic victim of exploitation as his guardians' dependency upon his talent proving that just as music saved his life it damned him at the same time. Tom was not the entity created by his oppressors. Imbue him with a rare dignity often denied his person - Blind Tom is not his name. No original recordings exist.