My Old Kentucky Home
The history of Kentucky's state song
Image ©Glenda McCoy
"The Sun Shines Bright on My Old Kentucky Home…”
The lyrics of Kentucky’s state song bring a tear to the eye of even the most cynical track-goer. In fact, one of the most sentimental moments of Kentucky Derby Day is when the crowd – led bythe University of Louisville Marching Band—sings Stephen Foster’s nostalgic ballad, My Old Kentucky Home. But did you know that My Old Kentucky Home was once regarded as a powerful anti-slavery message?
My Old Kentucky Home Music Box, Louisville Stoneware
The story goes that songwriter Stephen Foster, whom many consider to be the father of American music, wrote My Old Kentucky Home in 1852, after reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The original lyrics of the ballad told the story of enslaved servants who’d been sold from a peaceful and happy life in Kentucky into a harsh existence in the Deep South. The grief of the narrators as they recall better times with their families led famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass to note that the song engenders "the sympathies for the slave, in which antislavery principles take root, grow, and flourish."
U of L Marching Band plays My Old Kentucky Home, image via Kentucky Derby.
The lyrics of My Old Kentucky Home were later adapted to reflect a more generalized nostalgia for the Bluegrass State. The ballad was first played at the Kentucky Derby and was named Kentucky’s state song in 1928. Kentucky Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler famously sang the song at University of Kentucky basketball games, and actor Johnny Depp led what could easily be characterized as the weirdest version at a memorial service for his fellow Kentuckian, writer Hunter S. Thompson. The Bardstown, Kentucky mansion that is said to be the setting for My Old Kentucky Home has been a beloved state park since the 1930s, and the song is now associated with the greatest aspects of Kentucky, especially The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.
On Derby Day, before you place your bets and sip your julep, please take a moment to sing along to My Old Kentucky Home and remember that the song has a history of both social justice and deep love for the Commonwealth of Kentucky!
“…For The Old Kentucky Home, Far Away…”
This post was brought to you by The Kentucky Derby Book, an interactive media experience that brings The Run for the Roses ® to your coffee table.
10 Things You Probably Didn't Know about Happy Chandler
Observing the 117th anniversary of Kentucky Governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler's birth.
Albert Benjamin Chandler was born July 14, 1898 in Corydon, Kentucky. Three years later, Chandler's teenaged mother, Callie, fled the state, abandoning her husband Joseph and their young sons. Chandler worked his way through college and law school, going on to achieve memorable careers in both politics and sports. An ambitious and often polarizing figure in his chosen fields, Chandler never failed to show his deep love for the Bluegrass State. In honor of the inimitable Kentucky politician and perhaps the most famous singer of Kentucky's state song, here are 10 things you probably didn't know about Happy Chandler.
- Chandler earned his undergraduate degree at Transylvania College, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, captain of the football and basketball teams, and quarterback of the football team.
- At Transylvania, Chandler earned the nickname "Happy", because he was always jovial and pleasant.
- After earning a degree from Transylvania, Happy considered a career in professional baseball (he even threw a no-hitter in a development league game!), but chose instead to attend Harvard Law School.
- While matriculating at Harvard, he scouted the University's football team; many credit this intel as a factor in Centre College's famous 1921 victory over Harvard.
- After one year of Harvard education proved too financially draining, he completed his law degree at the University of Kentucky. Throughout law school, he worked as a high school baseball coach and a football scout and assistant coach for Centre College.
- Chandler's political career spanned over sixty years. He was named Chairman of the Woodford County Democratic Party in the 1920s, and master commissioner of the Woodford County Circuit Court in 1928.
- Happy served as the 44th (1935-1939) and 49th (1945-1951) Governor of Kentucky and the 2nd Commissioner of Baseball (1945-51). Innovations attributed to his terms included a free textbook program, participation in the federal rural electrification program, establishment of a teachers' retirement system and an old-age assistance program, and the start of a special rural roads program
- As Baseball Commissioner, Happy approved the Brooklyn Dodgers' contract with Jackie Robinson, paving the way for African-American players in baseball.
- Other jobs held by Chandler included newspaper publisher, Senator, and Commissioner of the Continental Football League.
- Chandler was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Man of the Year by both The Kentucky Press Association and the Kentucky Broadcasting Association, and was the longest-living Kentucky governor.
Here's to Happy on the 117th anniversary of his birth! He wasn't always right, but he always loved the Commonwealth!