Moon River, Savannah

Johnny grew up in coastal Georgia in the early 20th century, a time when racial segregation affected many areas of life. But segregation didn’t necessarily extend to children; black and white children were allowed to play together until they were about 14 years old, so Johnny had playmates who were often the children of servants employed by his family.

In the summers, the Mercer family would escape the heat of Savannah for Burnside Island; their home there was called Vernon View. A community of African-Americans lived on the island, and their ancestors had been slaves before the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

The lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia has a local African-American dialect called Gullah (in South Carolina) or Geechee (in Georgia). Johnny, who was always interested in language, became fluent in the Geechee dialect during his summers at Vernon View, as did his mother. For the rest of their lives Johnny and his mother would sometimes speak to each other in Geechee dialect.

Pin Point Oyster and Crab Packing Factory (later A.S. Varn and Son), Savannah

Not far from Vernon View, back on the mainland of the state, was a small community called Pinpoint (or Pin Point). This is where Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is originally from, though he was born and lived there after Johnny’s time. The African Americans in Pinpoint caught and sold crabs, shrimp and oysters and sold them through the Pinpoint Oyster Factory. Johnny would go over to buy something for the family dinner and would end up staying and listening to the women talking and singing hymns as they shelled crabs or shucked oysters.

Johnny also would go to black churches in Savannah and Pinpoint to listen to the black hymns and gospel music, often different than the music he sang in the choir at Christ Church. African Americans in Savannah also held an Easter Day parade each year; the women would wear evening dresses and big hats with flowers and the men would be dressed in tuxedos, tails or morning formal wear and orange shoes and play a clarinet, trumpet or banjo. Johnny would attend every year to hear the music.

While other songwriters of Johnny’s time had exposure to Broadway musicals in New York City,  Johnny was exposed to the music and language of southern African Americans. When Johnny was growing up and began writing songs popular music was absorbing influences of black culture, such as jazz and blues music. Irving Berlin, a famous composer who wrote songs such as “White Christmas” and “Blue Skies,” incorporated African-American music sounds into his songs. Segregation was so prevalent that it could dictate that whites should only listen to white music and blacks should only listen to black music.

Vocabulary

Broadway – a street in New York City where there are a large number of theatres where live performances, such as musicals, are held

Emancipation Proclamation - an executive order from President Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves, with a few exceptions, in the Confederate States of America during the Civil War

Geechee – a people and local dialect of lowcountry Georgia, descendants of West Africans who were brought to Georgia as slaves.

Gospel Music – genre of popular American hymns that emerged about 1870.  Features strong vocals expressing personal or communal belief in Jesus Christ, often praising, worshiping or thanking God, Christ or the Holy Spirit.

Gullah - a people and local dialect of lowcountry South Carolina, descendants of West Africans who were brought to the region as slaves.

Jazz Age - a time period following World War I when jazz music became popular, but also reflected in mainstream use of cars and telephones

Segregation – the social separation of whites and African Americans in the years following the Civil War until the Civil Rights Movement

Supreme Court – the highest court in the United States, with a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

Teaching Tips

Have students do research on how segregation affected African mericans after the Civil War but before the Civil Rights Movement. Have each student quickly present one aspect of life in a segregated society and start a class discussion about how this could affect other aspects of one’s life, i.e., African Americans were required to ride in the back of the bus. What if it was full? Would someone have to wait for another bus? What if that person were late for work? Ask questions about why segregating is wrong, and include phrases such as “separate but equal” and what people meant by using that phrase.

Students can research other famous Georgians, and write an essay about their accomplishments, such as Justice Clarence Thomas and President Jimmy Carter. Other musical celebrities might include Andre Benjamin and Antwon Patton of OutKast or Trisha Yearwood. Have students discover how these people found success and how growing up Georgia affected their lives.

Resources

The New Georgia Encyclopedia, Johnny Mercer , Geechee Culture