Song of the Day: Bruce Springsteen “Old Dan Tucker”

Bruce Springsteen

There’s a blizzard raging outside my window as I type this and my four year old daughter is dancing (spinning really) around our living room to “Old Dan Tucker” as interpreted by Bruce Springsteen. The song is an OLD minstrel tune and the first sheet music version of it was released in 1843! The song has a long and interesting history and its wikipedia entry is a great read. The song has become a standard over the years and is mentioned in the books “Little House on the Prairie” and “The Grapes of Wrath!” Uncle Dave Macon, Pete Seeger and of course Bruce Springsteen have all recorded it. Springsteen leads off his 2006 LP “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” with the song and does a great version.
This is a live video shot with the Seeger Sessions Band recorded on Oct. 5, 2006 Arena di Verona, Italy. The Italian crowd knows most of the words!

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