Sometimes the name-calling and character assassination the public must endure in modern political campaigns can get a little rough. But it could be worse. E.H. “Boss” Crump, of Memphis, could still be writng political attack ads. This one ran in 1938 about gubernatorial candidate Gordon Browning: “In a certain art gallery in France there are [...]
Archive for September, 2010
Vote for ‘Judas?’
Friday, September 3rd, 2010Knoxville insult
Friday, September 3rd, 2010Springtime in Knoxville is Dogwood Trail season with tourists and townspeople alike enjoying the pink and white dogwood blossoms that turn the city into a riot of color. But if it hadn’t been for a famous insult, the trail, as well as several other municipal beautification projects, might never have happened. The idea for the [...]
Tennessee’s ‘Barnum’
Friday, September 3rd, 2010When it comes to master showmen, most people might think first of P.T. Barnum who once observed, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” But Tennessee has its own candidate for great American showman: Garnet Carter. It was Carter and his wife Frieda, who were responsible for those “See Rock City” barns and birdhouses that dotted [...]
Music for Crump
Friday, September 3rd, 2010Perhaps the most unlikely campaign song in Tennessee history was written by the father of the blues himself, W.C. Handy, in 1907. In support of E.H. Crump’s campaign for mayor of Memphis, Handy wrote “E.H. Crump Blues,” to draw crowds for Crump rallies. But one has to wonder if Crump ever actuallly paid attention to [...]
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