John the Conqueror second cousin/That little Johnny Conqueroo", and in "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" it is called "John De Conquer Blue". John the Conqueror was an African prince who was sold as a slave in the Americas. Despite his enslavement, his spirit was never broken and he survived in folklore as a sort of a trickster figure, because of the tricks he played to evade his masters. Joel Chandler Harris's Br'er Rabbit of the "Uncle Remus" stories is said to be patterned after High John the Conqueror. Zora Neale Hurston wrote of his adventures ("High John de Conquer") in her collection of
George Remus At age 14, George supported the family by working at his uncle's pharmacy because Remus' father was unable to work. Remus became a certified pharmacist at 19 years old after graduating from the Chicago College of Pharmacy and bought the pharmacy at age 21. Within five years, Remus expanded, buying another drugstore. Remus soon tired of the pharmacy business and by 24, he had become a lawyer. Remus attended the Illinois College of Law (later merged with DePaul University College of Law) and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1904. Remus specialized in criminal defense, especially murder, and became