minstrel

Professional entertainer of any kind, but particularly a musician, in the 12th-17th centuries. Most common in the Middle Ages, minstrels were usually in the service of a court or of a member of the aristocracy. In the 19th century, a minstrel was one of a group of white entertainers popular in the USA who painted their faces black and impersonated a stereotype of the music and humour of workers from the Southern plantations.