Songwriters Hall of FameInducted 2011 | BMI Writer

Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ recording of GREEN GRASS reaches #8 on the pop charts

October 7 - William Billings is born in Boston, Massachusetts

Billings begins teaching a singing class in Stoughton Massachusetts which would later become the Stoughton Musical Society (America's oldest music society and first singing school).

Publishes the New England Psalm-Singer (a.k.a. American Chorister). The songbook was the first collection of music completely written by an American.

Publishes The Singing Master's Assistant

A strong advocate of the American Revolution, Billings adapts many of his hymns as war songs with new lyrics. The most successful of these is "Chester" which becomes America's first war song and an anthem for the Patriots.

Publishes Music in Miniature

June 9 - John Howard Payne is born in East Hampton, New York.

September 26 - Billings dies in Boston, MA.

Works as a clerk in a counting house where he edited the weekley journal Thespian Mirror

Enters Union College and publishes 25 periodicals called "The Pastime"

Leaves college to pursue a career on the state

February 24 - Makes his debut as an actor at the Park Theatre in New York

Travels to England and is the first American actor to appear on the British stage

October 29 - Daniel Decatur Emmett is born in Mount Vernon, Ohio

May 27 - Julia Ward Howe is born in New York City into a wealthy NY family

Composes HOME SWEET HOME while in London

HOME SWEET HOME is sung for the first time at the Covent Garnden in England

Born July 4 in Lawrenceville, PA, the youngest of eleven children of William Barclay Foster and Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster.

December 25 - Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore is born in Ballygar, County Galway, Ireland

Performs his first composition OLD DAN TUCKER during a July celebration on the village green in Mount Vernon

Attends private schools throughout New York

Joins the US Army

Payne returns to the United States

April 6 - Hart P. Danks is born in New Haven Connecticut

July 8 - Discharged from the Army

Joins the Spalding and Rogers circus as a drummer

Becomes enamored with band sound at a protest rally against the British rule in Athlone, Ireland.

Attends Allegheny Academy, Athens Academy and Towanda Academy. At Athens, writes "The Tioga Waltz".

Enrolls in Jefferson College in Cannonsburg, PA where he remains for one week. Returns, homesick, to Pittsburgh for private study.

Meets her future husband Samuel Howe on a visit to Boston

Appointed as American Consul to Tunis, Africa

Danks family moves to Saratoga Springs, NY. During that same year, Hart begins studying music with Dr. L.E. Whiting

Forms the Virginia Minstrels Troupe.

Open Thy Lattice Love is published by George Willig (copyright year 1844).

February 6 - Virginia Minstrels make their debut at the New York Bowery Amphitheatre

April 23 - Marries Samuel and they settle in Boston. They would have six children

Virginia Minstrels travels to England, only to return to the US a year later penniless.

Oh! Susana, Lou'siana Belle and Old Uncle Ned are introduced at a family concert at the Foster home.

Moves to Athlone, Ireland where he becomes a member of the local bands and is introduced to Patrick Keating, the great bandleader. Keating teaches him classical music and trumpets.

Moves to Cincinatti to work with his brother Dunning at Irwin & Foster Steamboat Agency.

After the Virginia Minstrels breaks up, Emmett joins the Dan Bryant Minstrels

Gives "Oh! Susana", "Old Uncle Ned" and several other songs to W.C. Peters. "Oh! Susana" becomes the leading ditty of the minstrel shows and the theme song for the gold rush "49ers" traveling out west to California. With the success of "Oh! Susana", Foster abandons business and becomes a professional songwriter.

Moves to Boston, Massachusetts

Negotiates contract with New York publisehrs Firth & Pond Co.

Performance arrangement is developed with E.P. Christy's to publicly introduce new Foster songs in his Christy Minstrels Shows in exchange for acknowledgement of the troupe performance on all sheet music. "Camptown Races" is published.

Marries Jane Denny McDowell on July 22.

Danks family moves to Chicago, IL. Hart's father starts a construction business

Poems and plays are published in national magazines

Becomes the leader of the Boston Brigade Band and then the Charlestown Band.

Old Folks At Home is sold to E.P. Christy for $15. Originally copyrighted as 'Written and Composed by E.P. Christy', Stephen Foster is later credited as the sole writer when the copyright is renewed in 1879.

Daughter Marion, only child, is born on April 18.