Tag Archives: jesse cryor

Jesse Cryor, Singing Voice of Brer Rabbit, Passes Away

I was recently contacted by Jesse Cryor’s granddaughter with the following sad news:

“I’m sending this email out to let you know that my grandfather, Jesse Cryor passed away this Wednesday past (January 11, 2006). He was 99 years old and still walking, talking, remembering, reading the paper, and writing and revising songs in his head up to the last week of his life. he was still singing up until he could no longer form his mouth to talk – about 2 days before death. i’m sure he was on stage performing long after that.

“His sense of humor was alive and intact, even on his death bed. Along with him he took a wellspring of information because there was no way for him to remember it all. But, his legacy will never die. He was a good man – a good human being – who with liberal, forward-thinking ideas about the world. He continued to advise many a young soul about the ways of life, the world and, of course, music and the business.”

Jesse Cryor performed the singing voice of Brer Rabbit. My sincere condolances go out to Jesse’s family. I would also encourage everyone to read Kimberley’s moving letter she sent to me in 2003 regarding her grandfather.

Correspondence with Jesse Cryor’s Granddaughter

Jesse Cryor’s talented voice can be heard in Song of the South‘s well-known tune “Everybody Has A Laughing Place.” Recently, Jesse’s granddaughter Kimberley contacted me with information on her grandfather, and shared with me the frustration she feels about Song of the South‘s unavailability and the impact it has on Jesse:

“…I’m so very sorry that my grandfather may never be able to go to the theatre or television and watch this movie with my children, neices and nephew and say to his great-grandchildren, “That’s your Great-Granddaddy singing, baby”. It may seem like nothing to many, I know. But, this movie was a highlight in his career as a vocalist. …My grandfather, Jesse Cryor, never became famous, has had his music stolen, was not even fairly compensated, financially—as was true for most of the Black artists of his day—for all of his dedication, creativity, hard work and time away from his wife and children. He knows that in some ways those are the breaks of the business while in other ways he was outright cheated. He is still very alert and very aware of this fact. And he remembers. This, even now, hurts him deeply.”

Her email was so moving to me, I requested if I could reprint it in its entirety on this web site for others to read as well. It is such a powerful message! Disney, if you’re reading this, you should be flat-out ashamed of yourselves for shunning the hard work of people like Jesse Cryor by not releasing this movie.

Click here to read Kimberley’s email. I highly recommend it.