The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #165352   Message #3965263
Posted By: Jeri
07-Dec-18 - 10:13 AM
Thread Name: do songwriters' personal lives matter?
Subject: RE: do songwriters' personal lives matter?
I'm reminded that a Press Room session attendee used to sing "Old Black Joe". It's a lovely song, but people know it was written by Stephen Foster. Now, the can think he was a racist because he lived and wrote in racist times, and wrote minstrel songs. He never lived in the south, though. If you listen to "Old Black Joe", it's just a sweet, sad song. Foster had issues, but I don't believe racism was one of them.

And now, it gets down to whether you believe gossip, and generally unproven, but rumored Bad Things? You can probably find a way to drop most songs out of your repertoire. Is it about the music, or about a cult of personality? No judgement on what you decide, just don't believe other people should share your decision.