Pigmeat Markham
Born	Dewey Markham (1904-04-18)April 18, 1904 Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 13, 1981(1981-12-13) (aged 77) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupations	Comedian actor singer dancer
Years active	1917–1981
Spouse	Bernice Markham (m. ?–1981)

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981)^[1] was an American entertainer.^[2] Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor.^[3] His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat". He was sometimes credited in films as Pigmeat "Alamo" Markham.

He is also known for his 1968 single "Here Comes the Judge", which is often considered to be the earliesthip hop record.^[4][5]

Markham was born inDurham, North Carolina.^[2] His family was the most prominent on their street, which came to be called (and later officially named) Markham Street in the Hayti District. Markham began his career in traveling music andburlesque shows. For a time he was a member ofBessie Smith's Traveling Revue in the 1920s.^[6] Later, he claimed he originated theTruckin'dance which became nationally popular at the start of the 1930s. In the 1940s he started making film appearances. In 1946 he recorded "Open the Door, Richard".^[7]

Markham was a familiar act at New York's famedApollo Theater where he woreblackface makeup and huge painted white lips, despite complaints the vaudeville tradition was degrading. The bookShowtime at the Apollo suggests, "He probably played the Apollo more often than any other performer."^[8]Starting in the 1950s Pigmeat Markham began appearing on television, making multiple appearances onThe Ed Sullivan Show.^[9]

His boisterous, indecorous "heyeah (here) come da judge"schtick, which made a mockery of formal courtroom etiquette, became his signature routine. Markham would sit at an elevated judge's bench (often in a black graduation cap-and-gown, to look more impressive), and deal with a series of comic miscreants. He would often deliver his "judgments", as well as express frustration with the accused, by leaning over the bench and smacking the accused with an inflated bladder-balloon. He had hit comedy recordings in the 1960s onChess Records, and saw his routine's entry line become acatchphrase on theRowan & Martin's Laugh-InNBC television show, as did his phrase "Look that up in yourFunk & Wagnalls."^[10]

Markham's most famous routine was "discovered" by the general public only afterSammy Davis Jr. had performed it as a guest on the March 25, 1968 episode ofLaugh-In.^[11] Due to the years ofracial segregation in the American entertainment industry, he was not widely known by white audiences, and had almost exclusively performed on the "Chitlin' Circuit" of vaudeville, theatres, and night clubs^[1] and appeared in severalrace films, includingWilliam D. Alexander's 1949 revue filmBurlesque in Harlem, which documented the Chitlin' Circuit.^[10]

The phenomenal ripple effect of Davis's version of "the judge" led to Markham's opportunity to perform his signature Judge character himself as aLaugh-In regular during the 1968–69 television season.^[12]Archie Campbell later adapted Markham's routine, performing as "Justus O'Peace," on thecountry version ofLaugh-In,Hee Haw, which borrowed heavily from theminstrel show tradition.^[13]

"Here Comes the Judge"

"Here Comes the Judge" (1968) contains boastful rhyming dialogue over a funky drum beat, symbolizing a precursor tohip-hop.

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Thanks to hisHeyeah come da judge routine, which originally was accompanied by music with afunky beat, Pigmeat Markham is regarded as a forerunner ofrap.^[14] His song "Here Comes the Judge" peaked at number 19 on theBillboard^[15] and other charts in 1968. He published an autobiography,Here Come the Judge!, in the wake of hisLaugh-In success.^[16]

The song "Here Comes the Judge" was prominently sampled byBig Audio Dynamite II in the song "Rush".^[17]

Markham died of a stroke atMontefiore Medical Center inthe Bronx on December 13, 1981 at the age of 77.^[3][18] He is buried inWoodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.^[19]

References:^[10][11]

• At the Party (1961)
• The Trial (1961)
• Anything Goes with Pigmeat (1962)
• Open the Door Richard (1963)
• The World's Greatest Clown (1963)
• The Best of Moms and Pigmeat Volume One (1964) (withMoms Mabley)
• Mr. Funny Man (1965)
• This'll Kill Ya! (1965)
• One More Time... (1966) (with Moms Mabley)
• If You Can't Be Good, Be Careful! (1966)
• Mr. Vaudeville (1967)
• Save Your Soul, Baby! (1967)
• Here Come the Judge (1968)
• Tune Me In (1968)
• The Hustlers (1968)
• Backstage (1968)
• Pigmeat's Bag (1968)
• Would the Real Pigmeat Markham Please Sit Down (1973)
• The Crap-Shootin' Rev

• Pigmeat Markham atIMDb
• Pigmeat Markham atDiscogs

• 1904 births
• 1981 deaths
• Male actors from Durham, North Carolina
• African-American male comedians
• African-American comedians
• African-American male dancers
• African-American dancers
• American male dancers
• American male comedians
• American comedy musicians
• Blackface minstrel performers
• Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)
• Chess Records artists
• American vaudeville performers
• Musicians from Durham, North Carolina
• 20th-century American memoirists
• African-American non-fiction writers
• American non-fiction writers
• American male stage actors
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American comedians
• 20th-century American dancers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• Comedians from North Carolina

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