Songwriters Hall of FameInducted 1970

Septimus (Sep) Winner, the composer of such enduring songs as “Listen to the Mocking Bird”, “Whispering Hope” and “Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?” was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 11, 1827.

Largely a self-taught musician, Winner began studying music and violin under the tutelage of Leopold Meignen. At the age of 20 opened a music shop where he gave music lessons on a variety of instruments including the violin, guitar and banjo. He performed locally with the orchestras of the Musical Fund Society, the Cecillian Music Society and the Philadelphia Brass Band.

He began writing music and lyrics under the pseudonym Alice Hawthorne and was one of the first songwriters to also form his own publishing company, Winner & Shuster. In 1854, his first successful song, “What Is Home Without a Mother?” was published. The next year, what was described as a sentimental Ethiopian Ballad entitled “Listen to the Mocking Bird,” became one of the biggest hits from the era.

During the Civil War, Winner was greatly affected by the political atmosphere. His composition “Give Us Back Our Old Commander: Little Mac, the People’s Pride”, was written in plea to President Lincoln for the return of Union General McClellan who had been removed from command. The song was considered anti-Union and Winner spent a brief time in jail on a charge of treason. Winner was released from jail only after agreeing to destroy all remaining copies of the song. The song resurfaced in 1864 when McClellan was a candidate for president and then again in 1880, with new words, as a campaign song for Ulysses S.…

More »

Related Songwriters