DuvALUMNI: Anthems and a Christmas Classic
John Scott, host of Jacksonville's Big Show on 99.1, shares which American 'anthems' are connected to Jacksonville.
While my last article focused on the top 40 singles that came from Jacksonville, there is so much more musically to discover that has an association with these parts. Here are four such instances of songs you may not have known that had a Jacksonville connection.
"Orange Blossom Special” – That this fiddle classic is a standard in the bluegrass community is a given. Who wrote it? That’s still up in the air. Chubby Wise, who claims co-authorship of the song, lived here and claims to have written it in 1938 with Ervin Rouse, who receives official credit on copyrights. What is known is the Orange Blossom Special, a train which the song is named after, travelled between New York City and Miami, with a stop in Jacksonville. Wise stated that he and Rouse wrote the song after touring the train here at the Jacksonville terminal. There is a book devoted to unraveling the mystery of the authorship of the song called The Orange Blossom Boys: the untold story of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise and the world's most famous fiddle tune written by Randy Noles. Known as the “Fiddle Players’ National Anthem.”
“Silent Night” – This Christmas carol was originally written in German (“Stille Nacht”) by Austrians Father Joseph Mohr (lyrics) and Franz Gruber (music). Its connection to Jacksonville comes from the man who translated the words to English and thus popularized it to the United States and abroad. John Freeman Young’s first assignment after being ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church was in Jacksonville in 1845. His assignments took him elsewhere until he returned as the second Bishop of Florida in 1867. In between that time, Young was researching older hymns and came across the original, which he translated in 1859. Young married into the Stockton family, is buried at the Old City Cemetery, and the St. Andrews Episcopal Church – which is now home to the Jacksonville Historical Society – was built in his honor two years after his death in 1885.
”Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”: Originally written as a poem by Stanton Principal James Weldon Johnson for a commemoration of Lincoln’s Birthday, it was later set to music by his brother Rosamond Johnson. In 1919 the NAACP declared it the “Negro National Anthem.” It was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900, by 500 school children at Stanton. In 2009, Reverend Joseph Lowery used a near-verbatim recitation of the song's third stanza to begin his benediction at the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama.
“America the Beautiful” – Many have performed it, few have perfected it. Ray Charles, who spent many years in St. Augustine and a few years in Jacksonville, was one who did. While he invented soul music, he also mastered other genres such as country, jazz, standards, and, well, whatever genre he dang well pleased. He was also good with a patriotic tune, as witnessed by his quintessential version of the 1910 Katherine Bates / Samuel Ward song.
Article by John Scott, part of Jacksonville's Big Show
on 99.1 WQIK on from 5:30AM - 10AM.
"Orange Blossom Special” – That this fiddle classic is a standard in the bluegrass community is a given. Who wrote it? That’s still up in the air. Chubby Wise, who claims co-authorship of the song, lived here and claims to have written it in 1938 with Ervin Rouse, who receives official credit on copyrights. What is known is the Orange Blossom Special, a train which the song is named after, travelled between New York City and Miami, with a stop in Jacksonville. Wise stated that he and Rouse wrote the song after touring the train here at the Jacksonville terminal. There is a book devoted to unraveling the mystery of the authorship of the song called The Orange Blossom Boys: the untold story of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise and the world's most famous fiddle tune written by Randy Noles. Known as the “Fiddle Players’ National Anthem.”
“Silent Night” – This Christmas carol was originally written in German (“Stille Nacht”) by Austrians Father Joseph Mohr (lyrics) and Franz Gruber (music). Its connection to Jacksonville comes from the man who translated the words to English and thus popularized it to the United States and abroad. John Freeman Young’s first assignment after being ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church was in Jacksonville in 1845. His assignments took him elsewhere until he returned as the second Bishop of Florida in 1867. In between that time, Young was researching older hymns and came across the original, which he translated in 1859. Young married into the Stockton family, is buried at the Old City Cemetery, and the St. Andrews Episcopal Church – which is now home to the Jacksonville Historical Society – was built in his honor two years after his death in 1885.
”Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”: Originally written as a poem by Stanton Principal James Weldon Johnson for a commemoration of Lincoln’s Birthday, it was later set to music by his brother Rosamond Johnson. In 1919 the NAACP declared it the “Negro National Anthem.” It was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900, by 500 school children at Stanton. In 2009, Reverend Joseph Lowery used a near-verbatim recitation of the song's third stanza to begin his benediction at the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama.
“America the Beautiful” – Many have performed it, few have perfected it. Ray Charles, who spent many years in St. Augustine and a few years in Jacksonville, was one who did. While he invented soul music, he also mastered other genres such as country, jazz, standards, and, well, whatever genre he dang well pleased. He was also good with a patriotic tune, as witnessed by his quintessential version of the 1910 Katherine Bates / Samuel Ward song.
Article by John Scott, part of Jacksonville's Big Show
on 99.1 WQIK on from 5:30AM - 10AM.