DIXIE’S LAND

Dixie’s Land ~ Words & Music - Daniel Decatur Emmett - 1859 Originally entitled, “I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land“, this is the most enduring and best loved of all Daniel Decatur Emmett’s compositions. “Dixie’s Land“ was composed in New York City and premiered as a “walk-around“ by Bryant’s Minstrels in New York’s Mechanics Hall on April 4th, 1859. Emmett himself wrote that following its debut , “...It made a tremendous hit and before the end of the week everybody in New York was whistling it!“ It was later introduced to the South, and was played at Jefferson Davis’ inauguration ceremony in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1861. Subsequently, it was adopted as the unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy. In September of 1991, we had not, as yet, combined “Dixie“ with “Southern Soldier,“ and on this night, performed them separately. The 2nd SC String Band was hardly two years old at this point. We are stil