Douglas Jimerson is an American concert tenor and musicologist, who specializes in historical and patriotic American music. He is best known for his many recordings of music of the Civil War, accompanied by such artists as the U.S. Navy Band; the Federal City Brass Band; the Wildcat Regiment Band; the Sunrise String Quartet; Civil War Comrades; Gilmore's Light Ensemble; Ruth Locker, pianist; Harvey Jacobson, pianist; Garrick Alden, guitarist; Clarke Buehling and Bob Clayton, banjoists; and Ellen Anderson on hammered dulcimer.

Career

Jimerson began his career singing with the

Washington Opera The Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performa ...

, and gave his debut recital at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in January 1996. He was well received in New York and obtained his first major accolade with a positive review of his Carnegie Hall recital by '' The New York Times''. He has performed various times at the Kennedy Center and is a regular performer for the National Park Service for historical events and national and state holidays. Jimerson is a Lincoln scholar. He has recorded several CDs of the music enjoyed by Abraham Lincoln, has been interviewed by National Public Radio about Lincoln and music, and is publishing a biography about Abraham Lincoln. He sings in the tenor range and rarely has been known to sing in

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

Performances

His performance entitled "Jimerson Live at the Kennedy Center" was attended by thousands. He sang 12 of his most popular songs composed by a variety of artists. This performance was later compiled into an album released in 2004 by AmeriMusic. He has recorded dozens of patriotic tunes, and his renditions have found a broader public through licensing on major venues. His production of " Hail to the Chief" on his ''God Bless America'' CD was licensed and used in the 2009 Broadway play ''You're Welcome America — A Final Night with George W. Bush'', starring Will Ferrell, and in the 2009

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

broadcast of the show.

Albums

* ''The Civil War'' (2000) * ''America'' (2001) * ''Stephen Foster: A Family Album'' (2004) * ''Abraham Lincoln'' (2004) * ''Beethoven'' (2004) * ''Franz Schubert'': Die Schöne Müllerin'' (2004) * ''God Bless America'' (2005) * ''White Christmas'' (2005) * ''Civil War'' (2007) * ''Lincoln Portrait'' (2008) * ''Amore'' (2008) * ''Robert E. Lee'' Remembered * ''George Washington Portrait in Song'' * ''Lincoln's Favorite Music'' * ''Jimerson Live at the Kennedy Center'' * ''Stephen Foster's America''

Notable songs

* " Home! Sweet Home!", by Thomas Payne (music by Henry Bishop) * " The Battle Hymn of the Republic", by Julia Ward Howe * "

The Battle Cry of Freedom The "Battle Cry of Freedom", also known as "Rally 'Round the Flag", is a song written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War. A patriotic song advocating the causes of Unionism and abol ...

", by George F. Root * " I Wish I Was in Dixie's Land", by Daniel Emmett * "

The Bonnie Blue Flag "The Bonnie Blue Flag", also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers", is an 1861 marching song associated with the Confederate States of America. The words were written by the entertainer Harry McCarthy, with the melody taken from the song "The Iris ...

", by Harry McCarthy * "

The Vacant Chair "The Vacant Chair" is a poem that was written following the death of John William Grout (July 25, 1843 – October 21, 1861). Grout was a soldier killed in the American Civil War during the Battle of Ball's Bluff. The poem, written by Henry S. Wa ...

", by George F. Root and Henry Washburn * "

Beautiful Dreamer "Beautiful Dreamer" is a parlor song by American songwriter Stephen Foster. It was published posthumously in March 1864, by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of New York. The first edition states on its title page that it is "the last song ever written by Steph ...

", by

Stephen C. Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inclu ...

Reviews

* Comfort and Denial In a Fast-Changing World: "Stephen Foster's America", concert review in ''The New York Times'', January 16, 1996 * The South, and the North, Rise Again, concert review in ''The Washington Post'', March 13, 2001 * Stephen Foster Returned, concert review in ''The Washington Post'', September 26, 1995

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male singers American operatic tenors {{US-singer-stub