Old Black Joe Grade 3 Level Piano Sheet Music
This Grade 3 – Old Black Joe Piano Sheet Music is perfect for developing players and includes:
* The Story behind the Song * Historical and Musical Information * Difficulty and History of the Song ** Includes a story of how this song came to be written, with detailed information about Stephen Foster, his life and times, as well as an explanation of the song’s origins.
* Accurate Sheet Music * Complete Lyrics * Free Audio Support – Recordings of every note of the Grade 3 – Old Black Joe Piano Sheet Music.
(more) Grade 3 – Old Black Joe Piano Sheet Music
Old Black Joe is a folk song written by Stephen Foster in 1843 about a former slave. It is in an old Scottish ballad style and the opening line of “Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,” (Swanee River was a common name for the Suwanee River, located in Florida,) indicates its origin, although Foster wrote most of his songs in Pennsylvania.
The song became a popular camp song, similar to Old Uncle Ned. In 1852, Fosters’ music publisher George Frederick Root adapted the song for a minstrel show performed by members of the Christy Minstrels. The sheet music sold over a million copies in the next twenty years.
In 1933, Jimmie Rodgers recorded “Old Black Joe”, with the traditional lyrics.
In 1951, Gene Autry performed “Old Black Joe” on his television show, Melody Ranch. His version was released as a single by Columbia Records in 1953. It reached number two on Billboard’s country chart and number 19 on its pop chart, with sales of over a million records within three months.
