Synopses & Reviews
Review
"It's a typical American story, but with a twist. The man who has long been widely considered the author of 'Dixie'—Dan Emmett, a white, black-faced minstrel turns out to have lifted the song from a family of black musicians who lived near him in Ohio. This family, the Snowdens, traveled throughout their vicinity, playing a wide range of music to a wide range of audiences. The authors of this account, a husband and wife team, conducted an exhaustive, energetic, and engaging search for everything they could learn about the Snowdens. And they learned a remarkable amount. Displaying an impressive knowledge of local history, of African-American culture, and of American music, the Sackses present an interesting detective story. While such things can seldom be proven beyond doubt, most readers will close this book confident that 'Dixie' was written by a black family from Ohio, one of the ironies that makes American history what it is." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)