The Boatman's Song - 2nd South Carolina String Band
Historic Music
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5m 49s
“ The Boatman’s Dance” first appeared in print as a fiddle tune in George P. Knauff’s 1839 Virginia’s Reels, Volume IV, under the title “Ohio River.” The song is attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett, a founder of the first troupe of minstrels, the “Virginia Minstrels.” He was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in 1815, and wrote many popular songs including “Old Dan Tucker,” “Blue Tail Fly” aka “Jimmy Crack Corn,” “Turkey in the Straw,” and “Dixie's Land.” “The Boatman’s Dance” was published in 1843 by George P. Reed of Boston, and credited to Dan Emmett.
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