Way down upon the Swanee River

Music in this episode:

Mormon Tabernacle Choir - “Old Folks At Home (Way Down Upon the Swanee River)” (1968)

Al Jolson - “Swanee River” (1950)

Bing Crosby - “Old Folks At Home (Swanee River)” (1945)

Pete Seeger - “Swanee River” (1959)

Paul Robeson - “Old Folks at Home” (1930)

Louis Armstrong & the Mills Brothers - “The Old Folks At Home (Swanee River)” (1937)

Ray Charles- “Swanee River Rock (Talkin Bout That River)” (1957)

The Honeys - “Surfin’ Down the Swanee River” (1963)

Fu-Schnickens - “Sneakin’ Up On Ya” (1994)

The Barbershop Singers - “Way Down Upon the Suwannee River” (2011)

Hugh Laurie - “Swanee River” (2011)

Al Jolson - “Swanee” (1945)

Judy Garland - “Swanee” (1954)

Aretha Franklin - “Swanee” (1966)

Matthew Morrison’s book Blacksound: Making Race and Popular Music in the United States is a must-read.

Read more about the history of these songs and the music education challenges they pose.

Here’s my 20th century American popular music history syllabus.