<P> `` Jump Jim Crow '' or `` Jim Crow '' ( sometimes `` John Crow '' ) is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white minstrel performer Thomas Dartmouth ( T.D. ) `` Daddy '' Rice . The song was supposedly inspired by the song and dance of the character Jim Crow , a physically disabled African slave ( sometimes called Jim Cuff ) , who is variously claimed to have resided in St. Louis , Cincinnati , or Pittsburgh . The song became a great 19th century hit and Rice performed all over the country as `` Daddy Jim Crow '' . </P>
who performed the character of limping jim crow and popularized the dance called jump jim crow
white minstrel performer Thomas Dartmouth ( T.D. ) `` Daddy '' Rice