My Old Kentucky Home

"My Old Kentucky Home" written by Stephen Foster in 1853, is the state song of Kentucky. It was adopted by the Kentucky State Legislature as the official state song on March 19, 1928.

Related Topics:
Stephen Foster - 1853 - State song - Kentucky - March 19 - 1928

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The song was inspired by Foster's visit to Federal Hill Mansion, the home of his cousins the Rowans in Bardstown, Kentucky. Sen. Rowan's wife was given land by her father William Lytle, a member of the prominent Lytle family of Cincinnati, and there Sen. Rowan built the most 'famous home' in the West. This house, now part of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, appears on the Kentucky state quarter.

Related Topics:
Bardstown, Kentucky - Lytle family - Cincinnati - State quarter

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The original song describes a scene of life on a slave plantation. Some view the song as a racist view of an idyllic time of slavery, while others including abolitionist Frederick Douglass saw the song as sympathetic to slaves. In 1986, the Kentucky General Assembly adopted a version unlikely to cause offense in which the word "darkies" was changed to "people."

Related Topics:
Frederick Douglass - 1986

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"My Old Kentucky Home" is traditionally sung annually at the Kentucky Derby where it is played by the University of Louisville marching band. The University of Kentucky band also plays the song at their college's basketball and football games. In an amusing tradition at University of Kentucky games, fans consider it to be a major breach of etiquette to sing any lyrics preceding "Weep no more, my lady..."

Related Topics:
Kentucky Derby - University of Louisville - Marching band - University of Kentucky

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