Description
Generally attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett, famous 19th century composer/entertainer, "Old Dan Tucker" ultimately became one of the most popular minstrel songs of the mid-1800's.
In the early years of the 19th century, following the War of 1812, many Americans sought to create a new culture, separate from European influences, one that would reflect the energy and spirit of the new nation. As Americans began to expand into the frontier wilderness, new heroes and larger-than-life characters began to emerge: Davy Crockett, Mink Fink, Johnny Appleseed. Old Dan Tucker could be considered such a one.
In many ways "Old Dan Tucker" personifies the rough-and-ready man of the frontier - a swaggering, boastful, brawling, hard-drinking, tall tale telling, devil-may-care character that could capture the imagination of a proud, emerging America.
Emmett's creation, first published in 1841, by 1843 had become an almost universal minstrel hit through frequent New York City performances given by Emmett's "Virginia Minstrels", a four-man ensemble comprised of fiddle, banjo, tambourine, and bones, that swiftly became fabulously popular far and wide.
The popularity of "Old Dan Tucker" remains undiminished to this day. During the American Civil War, it was ranked high among antebellum songs that were enjoyed by soldiers of both sides and often to be heard played by field musicians and camp bands. It has consistently been numbered in the Top 10 of all of our recordings for more than 35 years.
Taken from our video, "Far, Far, from Home," shot over Labor Day weekend in 1999, the scene is an imagined impromptu camp-band concert in the fall of 1863, as Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, 'beaten but unbowed', rested and regrouped in early fall of that year, following its humbling retreat from Gettysburg in early July.
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