Name Micah Hawkins | ||
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Micah Hawkins (January 1, 1777 – July 29, 1825) was an American poet, playwright, and composer, largely of music for theater, who also operated a New York City tavern and grocery store.
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He was born in Head of the Harbor, New York and moved to New York City in 1798, where he worked in several jobs, including carriage-maker, before opening a grocery and inn. He played flute, piano, and violin.
His blackface song "Backside Albany", ridiculing the British during the War of 1812 was to be sung "in the character of a Negro sailor", ridiculing the British efforts. It was first performed in Albany, New York, February 15, 1815, as part of a play, The Battle of Plattsburgh.
His operetta The Saw-Mill, or A Yankee Trick, the first opera by an American composer on an American theme, had six performances at New York's Chatham Garden Theatre in 1824–25.