Episode 8 ~ O Susanna

This very successful minstrel song was written by Stephen Foster in 1847 and published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York in 1848. It was performed and popularized by the renowned “Christy Minstrels” and has gone on to be considered one of the most popular American songs ever written. Because of the extraordinary success of this tune, Firth Pond & Co. offered Stephen Foster a royalty of two cents per copy of his sheet music sold. This lucrative arrangement encouraged and convinced Foster to become the first fully professional songwriter in the United States. He went on to write over 200 songs.