Ol' Dan Tucker From the Second South Carolina String Band.
rosestar77, Uploaded on Feb 19, 2010
Shot in Gettysburg, PA.
This YouTube video includes lyrics captions. I believe that some of those lyrics are incorrect, for instance, the word "sucker" instead of the last name "Tucker."
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a pancocojams series on the American minstrel/play party song "Old Dan Tucker" (also given as "Ole Dan Tucker").
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-black-american-roots-of.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information and commentary about the history of the song "Old Dan Tucker".
Much of the content of this series was published in a different format in this 2013 post:
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/old-dan-tucker-minstrel-song-play-party.html
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown early composers of this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to the performers & musicians who are featured in these videos, and thanks to the producers of these videos on YouTube.
ADDITIONAL VIDEOS OF "OLD DAN TUCKER"
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Ol Dan Tucker
AMSOMmp, Uploaded on Jul 7, 2009
Andy and Opie sings Ol Dan Tucker [from the American television series "The Andie Griffin Show".]
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Mr. Edwards (Victor French) - Old Dan Tucker
, Dec 30, 2012
From Little House on the Praire
Episode 4, 1st Season: Mr. Edwards Homecoming
So funny
I don't own the video. Just for entertaining.
Bruce Springsteen, Mar 4, 2019
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5-Ol Dan Tucker
Mr.Hudspeth's Music Channel, Nov 9, 2017
Old Dan Tucker is a classic American folk song with roots
deep in the 19th‑century oral tradition. The tune circulated widely
before it was ever written down, and many historians connect the earliest
published lyrics to Dan Emmett, a well‑known American songwriter of the
1800s. The first sheet‑music edition appeared in 1843, but the song itself is
older—passed from singer to singer long before
it reached print. Because of its age and traditional transmission, Old Dan
Tucker is firmly in the Public Domain.
This arrangement is created specifically for kids,
classrooms, and elementary music teachers who want a simple, joyful, easy‑to‑sing
version of this beloved folk song. It works beautifully as a sing‑along,
echo song, warm‑up, or folk‑song lesson for grades K–5.
I, David Hudspeth, arranged, recorded, and produced this
entire video. This is my original educational arrangement, created to reflect
how the song might have been sung in its early days—simple, rhythmic, and full
of energy.
🎵 What makes this version kid‑friendly?
Easy melody for young singers
Clear echo‑style phrases for call‑and‑response
Steady beat for movement activities
Folk‑style guitar and voice arrangement
Perfect for elementary music, homeschool, parents, and
classroom teachers
🎶 Why teach “Old Dan
Tucker”?
It’s a traditional American folk song with strong cultural
and historical value
Great for teaching steady beat, echo singing, call‑and‑response,
and folk‑song form
Works well for music programs, sub plans, warm‑ups,
and sing‑along days
Helps students connect with early American music traditions
📚 Song Background (Kid‑Friendly
Summary)
“Old Dan Tucker” has been sung for nearly 200 years. No one
knows exactly who wrote the original version, but it became widely known in the
1840s and has appeared in countless songbooks, school music curriculums, and
folk collections ever since. Because the author is unknown and the song
predates modern copyright, it is Public Domain."...
-snip-
This "Kid-Friendly" summary doesn't include any information about the Black American origins of early versions of this song. Read Part I of this pancocojams series including this comment that I wrote on July 11, 2026:
Azizi PowellJuly 11, 2026 at 11:38 AM
For what ever reason, I woke up today with the song "Old Dan Tucker" in my mind. I didn't remember publishing this 2013 pancocojams post, but searched for it on this blog and found this post.
More than five years later, I wish I had expanded upon my response to unknown's comment . Here's my response now:
With regard to my comment that "every person has to make up her and his mind about the use of compositions that are categorized as "minstrel songs", I realize that now (in the 2020s United States if not elsewhere, the school system's administrators determine which subjects are taught in music classes, history classes, and "social studies" classes (if "social studies classes even still exist in the United States since the beginning of the 21st century).
I still believe that the full history of the song "Old Day Tucker" should be taught to older students (i.e students in the 6th grade on up) and to intellectually advanced students. The black faced minstrel history of that song (and of many other American "old time" songs), is part of those song's full histories. Not including that history is "white washing' those songs and therefore not paying homage to their original Black composers, or their early Black composers.
Furthermore, not providing age appropriate information about America's past-including Black faced minstrelsy that was performed by White singers/musicians and by Black singers/musicians robs children and youth of opportunities to learn from this nation's past-including lessons about how people were (and still are) mistreated, treated unequally under the law, and/or ridiculed because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion etc.
For these reasons, I support the introduction and teaching of old time music to children and youth. However, I believe that prior to university level, students should be informed-in age appropriate language-that they are learning modified versions of these songs. My sense is that those modified versions shouldn't include the n word", Ebonics dialect, and negative references to race and gender when they are sung for entertainment purpose."
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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
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