I asked this on Facebook but wanted to ask here as well.
I am looking for primary documentation of spoons being played as percussion instruments between the years of 1850 and 1900 in North America.
"Primary documentation" includes (but not limited to) magazine articles, newspaper articles, images (photos or illustrations), letters, postcards, dated personal writings or journal entries originating between the years of 1850 and 1900.
I know about all the websites that make unsubstantiated claims about it being common so I don't need links to those.
Also, minstrel bones and castanets are not spoons.
"Spoons" means metal or wood, such as the type used for eating or preparing and serving food.
I would also be interested in any evidence of purpose made spoons specifically as musical instruments.
We have a policy at our jams that we allow any number of banjo players, fiddlers, flautist and so on we’ll allow one bassist one tambourine. We’ll tolerate one saxophone (sometimes) but we only allow one spoon!!!!
Nothing so far?
There has got to be something, I mean why would so many experts such as David Holt describe spoons and washboards being used as early as 1850 as instruments without any primary support?
Are "they" (folkies) just making stuff up?
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