Perhaps better than Henry Mancini or Rodgers and Hammerstein. Stephen Foster was ASTOUNDING!!!

Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin all died tragically at the tender young age of 27. Pittsburgh native Stephen Collins Foster died impoverished and from alcohol over-use lasted 10 years longer than the aforementioned icons. Stephen Foster is more famous than any of the artists in the 27 club. Moreover you could make the case that his songs have been played more than all of the artists above combined and throw in Mancini too.

This man was one bad motherfucker when it comes to song writing and it started in his teens.

Who was Stephen Collins Foster (from Lawrenceville) ?

Stephen Foster was both America’s first professional songwriter, and, as such, the first songwriter to be unfairly exploited by music publishers. He wrote many of the most famous American songs from the era, such as “Oh! Susanna,” “Old Kentucky Home,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Old Folks at Home,” songs which have resonated through the generations. The essence of Americana, the songs of Stephen Foster are as fundamental and timeless a part of the American identity as The Gettysburg Address and Huckleberry Finn; songs so ingrained into our collective consciousness that many are considered folk songs, as if they were born with the earth, and not the creation of an actual songwriter.

Born on the 4th of July in 1826, more than three decades before the Civil War, he was a professional songwriter before there was any music business in America. Of course, there was no radio or record industry yet, both of which compelled the formation of the music business as we know it in America. Sound recording wasn’t even invented until more than a decade past Foster’s death, and radio didn’t arrive for 66 years after that. There was no modern music publishing business, and no organizations to collect performance royalties. Because of this, the only way Foster could earn money by writing songs was via sales of editions of his own sheet music to a publisher, for which he would receive scant royalties. Either that or by simply selling a song outright for a small fee, thus forever relinquishing all of its rights. Had Foster worked within the modern system, he would have made many millions. Instead, he died at the age of 37 with only 38 cents in his pocket. The life of Stephen Foster belongs to the ages now, and, as such, its facts tend to shift depending on their source. It’s true he was born on the 4th of July and in 1826. Past that, much of what is known seems to be the province of myth and fanciful storytelling. The truth of these stories seems to waver considerably, due to the source. With time and more complete methods of verifying the historical facts, it’s become evident that many of the so-called facts about him were distortions. For example, it’s often assumed he was a Southerner, because he wrote so poignantly about the Swanee River and an old Kentucky home. In fact, he was born and raised in Lawrenceville, a gentrified part of N. Pittsburgh.

The common portrayal of Foster as uneducated is also untrue. Because he grew up before the advent of public education, it is often stated that he was not schooled. It is true he did not attend public school ever because the public school system in America had yet to be established. But he was indeed schooled: he not only attended private school, he was also privately tutored. It has also been long stated that he was musically gifted, but untrained as a musician and incapable of reading music, or reading anything at all. Again, this was false. He was not illiterate. He could read. Nor was he musically uneducated. From an early age he took music lessons, and could read music, as well as write and arrange music, since he was a child.

Foster’s father was a politician and businessman whose hapless real estate speculations led the family to the brink of financial ruin. But unlike the prevalent portrayal of him as an impoverished Dickensian waif, his childhood seemed to be a mostly happy one.

As a teenager he joined a club along with his brother Morrison and his good friend Charles Shiras called the Knights of the S.T., which would meet periodically at the Foster home. The only available music, of course, was that which people made themselves, and the boys used to sing popular tunes of the day together, with Stephen always in the lead. It’s then he started writing songs. His first were composed for the group, and it’s commonly believed that “Oh! Susanna” was among the first that he wrote.

At 18 his first song was published—which literally meant “published” in those days—as sheet music. It was called “Open Thy Lattice Love.”

He went to college, but dropped out after a week. He hoped to make a living from songwriting, but it was impossible. Royalties generated from the sales of sheet music then were nowhere sufficient to live on. So at the age of 20 he moved to Cincinnati to get a real job, and accepted his brother Dunning’s offer to work as a bookkeeper for his steamship firm. He never stopped writing songs, however, and maintained his vision of someday making his living from songwriting alone. He succeeded in selling some of the new songs and instrumental piano pieces to a local publisher in Cincinnati, one of which was “Oh! Susanna.”

He figured that the best way to expose his songs to the largest possible audience was to get them into the minstrel shows circulating through the country. Instead of handing out taped demos as would a modern songwriter, he’d pass out sheet music of his songs to various minstrel shows as they passed through town. The original Christy Minstrels, one of the most popular groups, adopted “Oh! Susanna” as their theme song in 1848. It soon became a hit song throughout the nation, even in those days long before radio.

1. Stephen Foster Memorial: Located in Schenley Plaza in Oakland, the Stephen Foster Memorial features a statue of the renowned composer Stephen Foster. The base of the statue includes an inscription in Latin: "Ex igne vita" (meaning "From fire, life").

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AI gpt writes: Stephen Foster was a highly influential American composer known for his contributions to popular music in the 19th century. Here are the details about his life and work:

1. Early Life: Stephen Collins Foster was born on July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, now part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the ninth of ten children in the Foster family. His father, William B. Foster, was a prominent politician and his mother, Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster, was a well-educated woman with a passion for music.
   

2. Musical Talent: Foster showed musical talent from an early age and received formal music education. He learned to play various instruments, including the guitar, piano, and flute. He started composing songs in his teenage years.
   

3. Songwriting Career: Foster's songwriting career took off in the 1840s. He wrote hundreds of songs, mainly in the popular minstrel show style, which featured African American melodies and lyrics. His songs became immensely popular, making him one of the first professional American songwriters.
   

4. Popular Songs: Some of Stephen Foster's most famous and enduring songs include "Oh! Susanna," "Camptown Races," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Beautiful Dreamer," "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair," and "Old Folks at Home" (also known as "Swanee River").
   

5. Influence and Legacy: Foster's songs played a significant role in shaping American popular music. His melodies and lyrical themes resonated with audiences and continue to be performed and recorded to this day. Foster's compositions are characterized by their catchy melodies, sentimental lyrics, and nostalgic portrayals of American life.
   

6. Personal Life and Challenges: Foster experienced personal and financial challenges throughout his life. He struggled with alcoholism and financial difficulties, which affected his overall well-being and success. Despite his contributions to American music, Foster died in poverty on January 13, 1864, at the age of 37.
   

7. Posthumous Recognition: After his death, Foster's songs continued to gain popularity. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. His work has been celebrated in numerous concerts, recordings, and tributes over the years.

Stephen Foster's compositions have become an integral part of American musical heritage, capturing the spirit and emotions of a bygone era. His songs have been performed by countless artists and remain beloved by audiences worldwide.