» For the 19th century American form of music and performance known as minstrelsy, see minstrel show.:For the chocolate sweets sold in the UK, see Minstrels (chocolate) A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories about distant places or about (real or imaginary) historical events . Though minstrels created their own tales, often they'd memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts be… (More on Minstrel)