Written by Peggy Brooks-Bertram
Used with Permission

 The old adage that great things come in small packages is certainly true with Anita Arnold’s recent book, Images of America: Oklahoma City Music, Deep Deuce and Beyond. It is with great pleasure that I write a review of this outstanding photo documentation of the music history of Deep Deuce Oklahoma by one of Oklahoma’s Uncrowned Queens, Anita Golden Arnold.  My own interest in Oklahoma began two decades ago with the search of one of Oklahoma’s earliest and most prominent African American families, the Dunjee’s, specifically concert pianist, educator, newspaper woman and community activist Drusilla Dunjee Houston.  My interest in Drusilla grew to include her father, Rev. John William Dunjee and her brother Roscoe Dunjee, editor of the Black Dispatch.  I was thrilled to see Anita Arnold include Roscoe Dunjee in this work and recognize him as the “voice of the Deep Deuce” and premier archivist of Deep Deuce musical history. 

Before going further, I apologize for the length of this review in advance because I couldn’t resist adding to Anita’s recognition of Roscoe Dunjee by sharing some of Roscoe’s earliest recollections of African American music and dance in the Deep Deuce.  In a review of his writings, Roscoe recounted music and dance life in 1890’s Oklahoma shortly after his family arrived.  In describing “early day society” Roscoe cited the Valentino Club as a place of black music where bands practiced on Seventh Street.  He described early dancers like “Frank Rogan, who was the most famous cake walker of the period.  The cake walk was a sort of prancing movement executed in fox trot time.”  Roscoe wrote that “when young folk wanted just a small affair, they called on Frank Fields, a fiddler and W.T. Tucker a banjo artist, who was also the Undertaker.  For big occasions, young folks sent for the Dunjee Orchestra.  There was Fiddler Dunjee and Preacher Dunjee.” Preacher Dunjee was John William Dunjee, Roscoe’s father.

 In a few words but many photographs, Arnold tells the story of the music history of Oklahoma’s Deep Deuce.  Arnold paints a brilliant description of persons such as “Preacher Smith, who had perfect pitch and could only play in one key; of a life carried on despite bitter segregation and denial of fundamental rights of Black people.” The photographs in this book are most revealing and I was moved seeing photos of personages I had interviewed for my own work including Freddie Williams one of many “who danced the planks off the floor at Slaughter’s Hall, ”and Leona Mitchell, Metropolitan Opera Star and Uncrowned Queen. 

The book is a researcher’s heaven because it provides a number of avenues for research in the Deep Deuce tradition because the subject matter begs for further exploration by Masters and Doctoral students. Such areas include the history of newspaper men who told the stories of the Deep Deuce musical giants;  musical families including the Dunjee’s;  exciting “nick names” like Little Dog, Monk, Spooks, 5X5, and tracing Deep Deuce musicians in magazine history. And with the great Charlie Christian, researchers should be attracted by Christian’s popularization of the Gibson ES-250, 250, L7 guitars and defining the electric guitar.”

Arnold’s depth and breadth of understanding of the music subject matter and its cultural roots in Oklahoma City is truly refreshing whether talking about “blues shouting,” jump blues, popular music, gospel, swing, jazz, blues, Be Bop or single string solos.  As well, the historical photographic tour of the musical “hotspots” of the Deep Deuce has to bring back memories to those who both witnessed and participated in this musical tradition.

Arnold’s easy style of presentation and easy transition from one musical period to the other buttressed by face-to-face interview, primary source data, original photos, research of numerous historical data bases and plumbing the records of community historians,  reflects a complete love of the Deep Deuce, its history and culture and contributes enormously to the value to this important work.

Unlike “Doughbelly”waiting for the Deep Deuce to rise again, readers can be assured that the rich legacy of the Deep Deuce has risen and continues to rise thanks to Arnold’s love, passion and fortitude to produce this legacy of music of all of Oklahoma’s Deep Deuce musicians, especially the incomparable Charlie Christian. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to review this wonderful work.

Peggy Brooks-Bertram is the Co-Founder of Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc., author/editor of four volumes of Uncrowned Queens: African American Women Community Builders, Vols. 1-4 including Uncrowned Queens: African American Women Community Builders of Oklahoma, 1907-2007; Editor of Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empires, Vol. 2, Origin of Civilization from the Cushites by Drusilla Dunjee Houston; and co-editor of Go, Tell Michelle, African American Women Write to the New First Lady which was the recipient of the Association of Black Women Historians, 2009 Letitia M. Brown Award for Best Book of 2009. She is currently writing the biography of Drusilla Dunjee Houston. June 2010