A great site to hear Steven fosters music and to learn more about him is a pbs site I found : http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/foster/index.html

He died so young!

My favorite song of his is Ole folks at home and beautiful dreamer.

As a child I played a solo of beautiful dreamer on my flute. My grandmother thought I was wonderful and gifted!

What I didn't understand about Steven Foster was how he used his music to express his political views. And his out rage at the way the African Americans were being portrayed on stage and at slavery in general. He must have great bravery and faith for a man of his time. and in the end he must have been lonely .. to be so in control early in his career, plotting out how many he would make on a song and all the bookkeeping.. to selling everything for a drink. So sad.

But what I did learn was that one man with his talent can open a pathway for ordinary people to think and to understand a race people. Thank you Steven Foster!