Marshall S. Pike (May 20, 1818 – February 13, 1901) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

. He was known for his song "Home Again" published in 1850. He wrote lyrics in collaboration with James Pierpont for the song "The Little White Cottage" or "Gentle Nettie Moore" published by

Oliver Ditson and Company Oliver Ditson (October 20, 1811 – December 21, 1888) was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Early life and career Oliver Ditson was born in Bos ...

, and copyrighted on September 16, 1857. The songwriting credit appeared as: "Poetry by Marshall S. Pike, Esq."

Life and career

Marshall Spring Pike was born on May 20, 1818, in

Westborough, Massachusetts Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 Census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...

. He began to write music and verses at 14 years old. In 1843 he formed a quartet with John Powers, James Powers, and L.V.H Crosby called the "Albino Family". Mr. Pike served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as Drum Major of the

22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an Infantry in the American Civil War, infantry regiment in the Union (American Civil War), Union army during the American Civil War. The 22nd Massachusetts was organized by United States Sen ...

for three years and was discharged in 1862. He was taken prisoner at the

Battle of Gaines' Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. Following the inconc ...

and sent to

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

, where he formed a

Glee Club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

to entertain fellow prisoners. After the war he toured

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

as a member of the Pike and Glunn Combination.

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

based his 2006 song " Nettie Moore" from the ''Modern Times'' album on his 1857 composition "Gentle Nettie Moore". The 1857 song is about a man pining for a girl sold into slavery, shackled with chains, and taken away from the little white cottage as a slave laborer.

The Sons of the Pioneers The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...

with

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

released a recording of "Gentle Nettie Moore" in 1934.

Compositions

* "Harmoneons Carolina Melodies", 1840Johns Hopkins University. Sheet Music Collection. Marshall S. Pike. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
/ref> * "Oh Give Me a Home if in Foreign Land", 1845 * "Home Again", 1850 * "The Lone Starry Hours. Serenade", 1850 * "Happy Are We Tonight", 1850 * "Gentle Nettie Moore", with

James Lord Pierpont James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893)Lewis, DaveJames Pierpont Biography, AllMusic, retrieved December 16, 2011 was an American songwriter , arranger, organist, Confederate States of America, Confederate States soldier, and co ...

, 1857 * "Rocklawn Summer Wildwood. Song", 1862

References

External links

"Gentle Nettie Moore or The Little White Cottage" (1857). University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Libraries. Digital Collections. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, Marshall S. 1818 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American poets American male poets People from Westborough, Massachusetts Songwriters from Massachusetts Union Army soldiers 19th-century American male writers