Pigmeat Markham
Also known as Dewey Markham
Who Pigmeat Markham is
Pigmeat Markham was an American stage and television comedian from Durham, North Carolina. He began in 1917 dancing in traveling shows and vaudeville, toured the southern circuit with the blues singer Bessie Smith, and played the Regal in Chicago, the Howard in Washington and the Apollo in New York.
He recorded "How Long, How Long Blues" for Blue Note in 1945, made in-concert comedy albums for Chess in the 1960s, among them The Trial (1961), and had a novelty hit in 1968 with "Here Comes the Judge", in which, as the Library of Congress puts it, he played an irreverent courtroom judge who deals no-nonsense rulings. He made several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, and his "Here Come de Judge" skit ran on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. He was a Black comedian, and by the 1950s, in the African American Registry's words, one of Black America's most popular entertainers.
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At a glance
- Born
- 1904
- Died
- 1981
- From
- Durham, North Carolina
- Albums
- How Long, How Long Blues / Blues Before Sunrise, The Trial and Here Comes the Judge
- On screen
- The Ed Sullivan Show and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Specials, shows and podcasts
Albums
- How Long, How Long Blues / Blues Before Sunrise 78 rpm record, Blue Note 48, 1945
- The Trial album, Chess LP 1451, 1961
- Here Comes the Judge record, 1968
On screen
- The Ed Sullivan Show several appearances
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In the "Here Come de Judge" skit
Comedians like Pigmeat Markham
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Flip Wilson also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Phyllis Diller also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Dick Gregory also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Henny Youngman also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Sandy Hackett also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Career timeline
- 1904Born
- 1945How Long, How Long Blues / Blues Before Sunrise (78 rpm record, Blue Note 48, 1945) Album
- 1961The Trial (album, Chess LP 1451, 1961) Album
- 1968Here Comes the Judge (record, 1968) Album
- 1981Died
Questions and answers
What TV shows and films is Pigmeat Markham in?
The Ed Sullivan Show (several appearances) and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (the "Here Come de Judge" skit).
Where is Pigmeat Markham from?
From Durham, North Carolina.
How old was Pigmeat Markham?
Pigmeat Markham was born in 1904 and died in 1981.
Who are some comedians like them?
Flip Wilson (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), Phyllis Diller (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), Dick Gregory (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), Henny Youngman (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) and Sandy Hackett (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In).
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The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to vote them into My D.O.C. Legends.
Sources
- African American Registry — Pigmeat Markham, comedian extraordinaire ↗ From Durham, North Carolina; born 18 April 1904; a Black comedian; began in 1917 dancing in traveling shows and vaudeville; toured with Bessie Smith; the Regal, the Howard and the Apollo; one of Black America's most popular entertainers by the 1950s; in-concert albums on Chess; the 1968 novelty hit Here Comes the…
- Library of Congress — music blog post, Early Hip-Hop at the Library of Congress (17 August 2023) ↗ Here Comes the Judge, 1968, by Allen, Astor, Markham and Harvey; Markham's stage role as an irreverent courtroom judge who deals no-nonsense rulings (as of 10 November 2026)
- Internet Archive — How Long - How Long Blues, 78 rpm record (Blue Note 48-A, 1945), digitized by George Blood, L.P. ↗ "Pigmeat" Alamo Markham with Oliver "Rev." Mesheux's Blue Six; Blue Note 48-A; 1945; the other side is Blues Before Sunrise (as of 10 November 2026)
- Internet Archive — The Trial, LP (Chess LP 1451, 1961), Unlocked Recordings ↗ Pigmeat Markham; Chess LP 1451; 1961; comedy (as of 10 November 2026)
- Woodlawn Cemetery, Crematory and Conservancy — notable residents in Black history ↗ Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (1904–1981), vaudevillian and TV comedian; The Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas shows; the skit Here Come de Judge on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (as of 10 November 2026)
- Wikipedia ↗ died 13 December 1981
Updated · the record checked 10 November 2026