Today in Music (1916): “Old Dan Tucker” recorded for the first time

Old Dan Tucker Daniel Decatur Emmett

Writer(s): Daniel Decatur Emmett (words), unknown (music) (see lyrics here) First Published: 1843 First Recorded: March 16, 1916 (Harry C. Browne) First Charted: April 4, 1925 (Fiddlin’ John Carson) Peak: 10 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.62 video, 7.74 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards (Emmett): Click on award for more details. Awards (Uncle Dave Macon):

About the Song: Music historian and author Steve Sullivan says, “This is where American music begins.” SS He asserts that Daniel Decatur Emmett, also known for writing “Dixie” and “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day),” launched the American minstrel movement in 1843 with this song in which he added lyrics to an existing folk song. SS The titular Tucker is an “ugly, unrefined, and unintelligent” WK “animalistic character driven by sex, violence, and strong drink.” WK It may be a reference to “the notorious Daniel Tucker (1575-1625) of Jamestown Colony, Virginia and Bermuda” WK or a Georgia farmer (1744-1818) who became well liked by slaves because of his ministry to them. WK The song has been credited to Emmett, J.R. Jenkins, and Henry Russell. Emmett, however, asserted that he wrote the song in 1830 or 1831 as a teenager. WK Regardless of its authorship, it was Emmett and his group the Virginia Minstrels who made “Old Dan Tucker” into a minstrel hit. It was a song intended for stage performance in which the verses were acted out and danced to but became a song that stood on its own as well. WK Musicologist Dale Cockrell asserts that “the song represents a transition between early minstrel music and the more European-style songs of minstrelsy’s later years.” WK Today it is a standard of bluegrass and country music. WK The song was first recorded commercially by Harry C. Browne on March 16, 1916. Fiddlin’ John Carson recorded it in 1924 and Uncle Dave Macon put his spin on the classic in 1925. “This is pure hillbilly entertainment with no holding back, furious banjo thrashing and enthusiastic vocal…One imagines it’s not too different from the way Dan Emmett and the Virginina Minstrels put the number over generations earlier.” SS Macon “personifies better than anyone the deeply rooted traditions of old-time country or hillbilly music in the 1920s.” SS He was born in Tennessee in 1870 but didn’t begin his recording career until 53 years old. He performed in minstrel and vaudeville shows and for the Grand Ole Opry. Ralph Rinzer said, “With the exception of the Carter Family, Uncle Dave preserved more valuable American folklore through his recodings than any other folk or country music performer.” SS Resources: SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 516. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/2/2025.