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Show - " STEPJlE STEPHEN STEPNE'Y STEPNEY ' ' FOSTERSome FOSTER FOSTERSome Some interesting interestmg sidelights sldchghts on the life hfe of Stephen StephenComs StephenCollms StephenCollms Coms Collms ] Foster , , ' sweet 'meet meet singei singel singer of Suthein Suthcln scngsho scngs songs \\ho ho who whonever \ whonever hone ne\ ne neer never \ er lh lived lhed ed in tne the South , are arc given gIVln in il1 a book by John JohnT3.sJ.er JohnTasker JohnTasker T3.sJ.er T3sJ.er T3sJer Tasker . . HOal Howard How HO\\ HO \ \ al aid d , . an authority authonty on American mUSICFester musicFcster music musicFester Fester Fcster \ was ns a nnth native e of Pittsburgh PJttsburgh , where 11 he < . sjent spent sjentmost spentmost spentmost , most of or his life and it is said ; s > aid Id that he formed fonned his histaste histaste histaste taste for music thiough thlOUgh through a 1 ' negro girl sc servant ant in hIs hIshome hishome hishome home , Vw who ho took him to colored coored ] revh revivals as ] and early earlyminstrel earlyminstrel earlyminsircl minstrel sliws shws slaws Her influence is seen in m his predilec prcd1lcc- prcd1lcc predilec- prcd1lcchon predilection predilection - - tion hon foi for songs of the cabin cabm and pantntlonWhen plantationWhen plantation pantntlon plantationWhen ] When he \ wrote rote 'Old Old 'Od Od ' Old ] Folks at Home ' ' he had haddifficuty haddifficulty haddifficulty difficuty difficulty ] in finding find1ng a pleasing pleasmg name of a Southern SouthernI Southernnver Southernnver Southernnver I nver to fit the meter of the first line He first tried tried'Pedee triedPelee tried'Pedee triedPedee 'Pedee Pedee Pelee ' , and then ' Yazoo , ' , ' finally searching an aths atlas atlasuntil athsuntil . W1ti1 until he found ' 'Suwanee Suwanee Suv.anee Suvanee Suv.aneeII 'Sunanee Sunanee . II " The song was sold seld to toEdil1 toEdwin toEdwin Ed\\il1 Ed il1 Edwin \ P Christy ChrlSty , , a minstrel singer smger , , foi fOl for $15 15 $ , , tmder under tmdercondItion undercondition undercondition condItion that Christy Chnsty be allo\ allo allowed alloed , \ ed to pose as its itsauthor itsauthor itsauthor author , , and first editions edltiens of the song bore Christy Chnsty sname sname s sname nameostei name nameFostcis nameFostel Fostel Fostcis ostei s , scngs cngs numbcicd nun1bcled numbered in m all about 125 , for f or which whichhe v.l vl . whichhe ch chhe he wrote both \ words \ ords and music . , sometimes ometlmes zometrmes en on wrap wrap- wrapping wrapping wrapping - ping paper , . when Vwhen nothing betteras better , was \as as \ at hand Theyearned They Theyearned Theyearned earned . , , for him about $15 15 $15000 15000 $ 000 , but he n ' " was as a ne neer-do-well neer do well er-do- er do erdoell erdonell - - - \ell ell nell , \ and drank pretty heavily His . wife v.tie vtie v/orked v orked worked / as a atelegraph atelegraph atelegraph telegraph opcratoi operatol operator to "help help " ep ] eke out a livelihood l1vehhood , ac- ac according according ac according - - cording to HowardAn HowardAn Howard HowardAn An old record in Bellevue Hospital , New York Yorkgives , gIves an account of his Jus death In 1864 , at the age of of37 37 , as the result of a fall faU in m n a Bowery Bo\ery Bo ery , \ rooming houseStephen houseStephen house houseStephen Stephen Foster's Fosters ' life might ght not hay ha have , e a been con- con consIdered considered con considered - sidered much of a su success css by his contemporaries contcmporanes , but buthis buthis buthis his matchless songs have ha\e ha e \ . won v.on von for him something aldn akin aldnto akinto akinto to Iml1ortal immortal ! fame |