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The Ballad Of Blind Tom: America's Lost Musical Genius: Deirdre O'Connell
The Ballad Of Blind Tom: America's Lost Musical Genius: Deirdre O'Connell
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Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and presumed autistic - and therefore unable to work with other slaves - Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerised by the music of the family’s young daughters, and by the time he was four, Tom was playing tunes on the piano. Eventually freed from slavery, 'Blind Tom' toured the country and the world, dazzling audiences that included Mark Twain and the Queen of England. Considered both a genius and a novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions - a star and a freak, freed from slavery yet still the property of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century.
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