Gentle Annie (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Gentle Annie”
Song by Bok, Muir and Trickett
Album	Turning Toward the Morning
Released	1999
Genre	Folk
Length	4:02
Label	Folk Legacy
Writer	Lame Jack Cousens
Composer	Stephen Foster
Producer	Sandy Paton
Turning Toward the Morning track listing
Slow Dance from Machu Picchu (9) “Gentle Annie” (10) Sunday Morning (11) Australian version

"Gentle Annie" is a popular American song composed by Stephen Foster in 1856. The song has original lyrics but is said to be based on a traditional Irish melody. According to his niece, Evelyn Foster Morneweck, there is a tradition that it was written in honor of Annie Jenkins, the daughter of a grocer in Federal Street, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, named Morgan Jenkins. She disputes this, and states that it is probably written in honor of his cousin, Annie Evans, who died shortly before it was composed. ^[1] Some sources say it is Foster's farewell to his maternal grandmother, Annie Pratt McGinnis Hart. ^[2] His paternal grandmother was Ann Barclay.

A parody version from Australia is also known as Gentle Annie. This was published in Australian Tradition, Vol. 1, no. e, in 1964. It was recorded by Martyn Wyndham-Read^[3]. The tune is the same as the Stephen Foster version, but the lyrics are different. The Australian lyrics were written by Lame Jack Cousens of Springhurst, Victoria. Sources state that its subject is Annie Waits. The song "Gentle Annie" sung by Tommy Makem is a different song from the Foster or the Australian version.

[edit] References

1. ^ University of Pittsburgh Digital Library [1]
2. ^ Broadside ballad entitled 'Gentle Annie'
3. ^ Martyn Wyndham-Read

• Lyrics for the Stephen Foster song [2]
• Lyrics for the Australian version [3]
• Australian Notes on both versions [4]