WJU is an organization that seeks to perform, preserve, and educate circus music. Yeah, that's right -- circus music. I've been a member since 2019 and have performed in several circuses over those years. It's a blast.
Anyway, here's just a short snippet from our just-published newsletter. It's one of those, "Oh, so THAT'S where that expression comes from..."
Dan Rice (1823-1900) was a circus innovator with many talents, especially as a clown and animal trainer. He was one of the first to mix animals, acrobats, and clowns in the circus. He was also one of the models for the portrayal of “Uncle Sam.” At the peak of his career, the Dan Rice Circus was a household name, with Rice himself a celebrity. Decades before Barnum & Bailey took up the term, an Arkansas newspaper declared the Dan Rice Circus as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
During the 1848 presidential campaign, Rice invited Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor to campaign on the circus bandwagon in the street parade, resulting in the expression “to jump on the bandwagon.”
