The Theater Owners' Booking Association, or T.O.B.A., a theater network that employed Black entertainers to perform for African American audiences across the country, was a key player when vaudeville was the mainstream form of entertainment in early 20th century America.
The Theater Owners' Booking Association, or T.O.B.A., a theater network that employed Black entertainers to perform for African American audiences across the country, was a key player when vaudeville was the mainstream form of entertainment in early 20th century America. Problematic at times with artists revising the acronym to “Tough on Black Asses” due to the grueling work schedules and low pay, T.O.B.A. was also instrumental in providing a platform for such jazz-era greats as Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Sammy Davis Jr., the Nicholas Brothers, Count Basie, and more. From its beginning in 1920 to its decline in 1931, how did T.O.B.A shape Black vaudeville, which would become the genesis of the vast African American entertainment industry we know today? Dr. Michelle R. Scott, professor in the Department of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, joins host Dr. Mark Anthony Neal to discuss T.O.B.A's history through her new book, "T.O.B.A. Time: Black Vaudeville and the Theater Owners' Booking Association in Jazz-Age America," published by University of Illinois Press.