Throwback Thursday: Who’s This Liberal Lyricist?

This liberal lyricist was born on the 4th of July, and wrote many of this country’s favorite pieces of popular music.

This young man was born on the 4th of July in Pittsburgh, the ninth of ten children. He was born into a middle class family, supported by his father’s work as a merchant. Although he was an avid reader, he didn’t care much for most academic subjects. He did, however, have a love of music. His musical talent included writing, playing, and singing. Outside of his studies and music, he spent time with his older brother and a best friend in a secret society called the Knights of the S.T. (thought to mean Square Table).

As a young adult he moved to Cincinnati so he could work as a bookkeeper for a steamship company. In his spare time he wrote and sold various pieces of music, many of which are still well-known today. At the age of 24, he moved back to Pittsburgh to marry 20 year-old Jane Denny MacDowell. They had one child, a daughter named Marion. He supported himself and his family by writing and directing his own music. When rehearsing the songs with his performers, he asked that they not mock the slaves who were depicted in the songs. Instead, he wanted to convey the idea that everyone, no matter their racial or ethnic background, had many of the same needs and goals in life.

By the time this man died he had written many of this country’s most beloved popular songs. If you’re still not sure who this is, you can take a peek HERE. For additional information, you can read a short biography and a FAQ on this revered liberal American lyricist.

Image from Cleveland.Com.

edited/published: eap