Background
He was born at Mount Vernon, Ohio on October 29, 1815 to the family of a blacksmith.
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composer Entertainer songwriter
He was born at Mount Vernon, Ohio on October 29, 1815 to the family of a blacksmith.
He obtained little formal education, learning popular tunes from his musical mother, and teaching himself to play the fiddle.
He started the "negro minstrel" performances, which from 1842 onwards became so popular in America and England, and he composed a number of songs which had a great temporary vogue.
He is remembered particularly as the writer of the famous Southern war-song " Dixie, " which he composed in 1859.
Although being rather successful during his life, Emment gained the great posthumous recognition. Numerous schools, businesses, and other institutions are named after him. Some of the tunes, he composed, are in manuscript at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus.
