His ancestors left a legacy in Black music a century ago. Now he’s following in their footsteps | CBC News

Robert Ball’s ancestors were freedom seekers who once travelled across the country sharing their music with thousands of people. Now, more than a century later, he’s doing the same. 

The Toronto-based actor and singer is continuing his family’s legacy on stage in London this Saturday in Freedom: The Spirit and Legacy of Black Music, a travelling musical cabaret performing with London Symphonia for the first time — spanning musical genres from traditional spirituals to gospel and jazz to rock n’ roll and R&B. 

“It’s fantastic to get an opportunity to do a show that tells the story, the history, and the legacy of Black music, its journey — and also the opportunity to do it across southern Ontario … we literally took the journey that my ancestors may have taken,” he said. 

“We don’t always get these opportunities to have these cup-filling experiences.”

Richard has been digging into his family history and learning new things about his relatives and their impact, he said. He always knew his family came to Canada on the Underground Railroad, but there’s much more to the story. 

In fact, in the past week, an article surfaced showing his family knew abolitionist Rev. Josiah Henson, from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an abolitionist known for his work in the underground railroad, he said.

He’s been delving into family research with historians in London, along with connections he’s made through Ancestry.com.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Robert’s ancestors performed in the Ball Family Jubilee Singers, a gospel music group made up of family members. They travelled across Canada and parts of the U.S. for about 40 years singing songs of freedom, he said. 

Its leader was Robert’s great great grandfather, Rev. Richard Amos Ball, the son of a fugitive slave who served as a minister for a time at London’s Beth-Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a congregation connected to the fugitive slave chapel, in the early 1900s.

“I’m still coming to terms of the breadth of what that means to me, because I found myself in this line of work before I really knew the breadth of their impact, so it’s still an ongoing journey,” Robert said. 

“I take great pride in that and I think even a greater sense of ownership,” he said. 

Legacy of music

Public historian Zahra McDoom has been researching the Ball family and digging into the family legacy as part of her studies at Western University. 

She found an article in the newspaper The Dawn of Tomorrow, which played a key role in Black communities across Ontario, noting the Rev.’s impact across the country. “No one in all of Canada has done so much as he did to raise the status of Black people of the county,” quoted McDoom.. 

“Robert comes from a strong family of of singers and musicians and people who are working to uplift and support the black community and to remember their stories and histories,” said McDoom.

Bringing the music to life again

Beau Dixon, the creator and music director behind Freedom: The Spirit and Legacy of Black Music, is also performing on stage Saturday. The show will be a merger of two shows he’s written celebrating Black music, which were originally commissioned for the Stratford Festival. 

It gives a broad stroke of the influence Black music, he said. 

“It’s been really inspiring to investigate these songs and give them a new arrangement and revitalize them,” he said. “A lot of these songs [have been] forgotten or undervalued over the years, so it’s nice to bring them to life again.”

Playing with London Symphonia Saturday will mark the first time the show has been played with an orchestra, he said. 

Dixon, who grew up in London, attended London South Collegiate Institute before moving to Ottawa to attend arts school.  

“It’s a show that encapsulates the importance of Black music and the underlying message in these songs,” Dixon said. “It’s also a reminder that more than ever, what we need is love to move forward.”

Freedom: The Spirit and Legacy of Black Music is set to take the stage on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Metropolitan United Church in London at 7:30 p.m. 

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