Harry C. Browne

American banjo player, singer, and actor (born August 18, 1878 in North Adams, MA – died November 15, 1954). After performing on vaudeville for seven years, Browne recorded dozens of titles for Columbia between 1916 and 1928. One of his first and most-notorious recordings was a racist re-interpretation of the American folk song "Turkey In The Straw" as a so-called coon song with the title "Nigger Love a Watermelon, Ha! Ha! Ha!" (released on Columbia A1999). Apart from a series of similar minstrel songs, his repertoire also encompassed many popular hymns. As an actor, Browne appeared in at least 14 Broadway shows between 1906 and 1925 and in more than a dozen silent movies between 1914 and 1921.