Doo-dah!: Stephen Foster and the Rise of American Popular Culture - Hardcover

Emerson, Ken

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684810107 ISBN 13: 9780684810102

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1997

Synopsis

A definitive portrait of Stephen Foster offers a close-up study of the classic songwriter whose works included "Oh, Susanna" and "Beautiful Dreamer," a troubled man who died a penniless alcoholic at age thirty-seven but whose music helped to create American popular culture. 17,500 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Ken Emerson's thickly textured narrative features an affectionate examination of American music's diverse strands as well as a perceptive portrait of the nation's first great songwriter. Stephen Foster (1826-64) was born in Pittsburgh and visited the South only briefly, yet songs like "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Oh! Susanna" drew on black Southern culture to create a uniquely American form of popular music. The author is clear-sighted about the complex blend of racism and genuine compassion that infused Foster's "blackface" compositions.

About the Author:

Ken Emerson, a former editor of The New York Times Magazine and New York Newsday, has written about popular music for thirty years. He lives in New Jersey.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0684810107
• ISBN 13: 9780684810102
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400