Jody Edwards
*Jodie 'Butterbeans' Edwards was born on this date in 1895. He was a Black Vaudeville performer.
Jodie Edwards was from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia; he began his career 1910 as a singer and dancer. He took the name "Butterbeans" in honor of fellow performer Butler "Stringbeans" May, who died in 1917. He met Susie Hawthorne in 1916 when she was in the chorus of the "Smart Set" show.
They married on stage during a vaudeville show in 1917 when a publicity agent offered them $50 to get married. The wedding took place at the Standard Theatre in Philadelphia. It started as an anecdote for Jodie Edwards and Susie Hawthorne, but they stayed together for life as 'Butterbeans and Susie.' From the 1920s through the 1960s, they were masters of "hokum blues," sparring with each other on routines like "My Daddy's Got the Mojo, But I Got the Say So" and "I Wanna Hot Dog for My Roll."
On October 28, 1967, Jody Butterbeans died of a heart attack during a performance at the Dorchester Inn in the Chicago suburb of Dolton.
