Quick Facts
- NAME: Stephen Foster
- OCCUPATION: Songwriter
- BIRTH DATE: July 04, 1826
- DEATH DATE: January 13, 1864
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Lawrenceville [now part of Pittsburgh], Pennsylvania
- PLACE OF DEATH: New York City, New York
- Full Name: Stephen Collins Foster
Best Known For
Composer Stephen Foster is lauded as the progenitor of American popular music, penning classics like “Oh! Susanna” and “Swanee River.”
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Play NowStephen Foster. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:30, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899.
Stephen Foster. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"Stephen Foster." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 07:30 http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899.
"Stephen Foster," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"Stephen Foster," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899 (accessed May 20, 2013).
Stephen Foster [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899.
Stephen Foster, http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899 (last visited May 20, 2013).
Stephen Foster. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-foster-39899. Accessed May 20, 2013.
Profile
Composer Stephen Foster was born on July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. He had his first song published at the age of 18, “Open Thy Lattice Love,” and would later become known for penning tunes like “Oh! Susanna,” “Nelly Was a Lady,” “Gwine to Run All Night” and “Swanee River.” He had money troubles, receiving limited royalties, yet left a great body of work upon his death.
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