Remaking Michael

Though there are hundreds of recordings of "Sweet Georgia Brown," none is as recognizable as the one used by the Globetrotters, which was done by Freeman Davis under the name "Brother Bones" and first released in 1949 by Tempo Records. Born in 1902 in Montgomery, Alabama, Davis was a whistler, tap dancer and bones player who, the story goes, first demonstrated his talent for rhythm as a rag-popping, brush-wielding shoeshine boy. As an adult, he became a professional entertainer who played the bones — a sort of clapper that's found in musical cultures from Africa to Ireland — in a distinctive style that used four bones in each hand instead of two.

Davis got his big break after the president of Tempo heard him performing in a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, and his rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown" became an instant hit. Thanks to its continuing use by the Globetrotters, the recording subsequently has had a life in every format from 78 rpm to MP3. Though Davis appeared on a number of television shows and in two feature films, the record remained his signature accomplishment, and he later toured and performed with the Globetrotters before passing away in 1974.

— Dean C. Minderman

7 p.m. Friday, April 11. Chaifetz Arena, 1 Compton Avenue. $25 to $100. 314-534-1111.