Articles on the “Shoo fly, don’t bodder me” craze

Part of larger “City Summary” article. “…‘Shoo Fly, Don’t Bodder Me.’ Isn’t it singular what a sensation the fly business has got to be? Everybody is running after the ‘Shoo Fly,’ and Bryants’ Minstrels hall [sic] swarms with the admirers of the innocent little reptile. At the Waverley, where Delehanty and Hengler have just commenced the ‘Shoo’ trade, the people fly to see this novelty; but what boots it so long as it pays?...”

“‘Shoo Fly’ is tickling the Chicagoans.

‘Shoo Fly’ is buzzling lively in Cincinnati.

‘Shoo Fly’ is also the sensation of the hour in this city.

‘Shoo Fly’ is a plantation song, in which the singers jump up and down in a very spasmodic manner.

‘Shoo Fly,’ just now, is all the rage at the Museum, at Tammany, at the Théâtre Comique, at Bryant’s, at the San Francisco, at the Waverley and at Tony Pastor’s Opera House.

‘Shoo Fly’-ing,’ [sic] in this vicinity, is at present very popular. At all of the above named places of amusement it is nightly encored and redemanded [sic] again and again, and one hundred place of ‘Shoo Fly’ music are sold at our music stores to one of any other popular air ever before published.

‘Shoo Fly’ is an original negro melody and was picked up from some ‘contrabands’ shortly after the war by a troupe of itinerant minstrels. It is now sung in our theatres, minstrel halls and parlors, and is whistled by boys in the street, hummed by business men in their office and is played by nearly ever brass band and orchestra in the city. So much for native music. Utterly senseless and stupid as are the words of the song the music is, nevertheless, exceedingly novel and of a rather catching nature, and when well sung and acted, either in burlesque or on the minstrel stage, is extremely mirth-provoking and enjoyable.”