"Gentle Annie" is a popular American song written by

Stephen 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, inc ...

in 1856. Tradition says that it was written in honor of Annie Jenkins, the daughter of a grocer in Federal Street,

Allegheny, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...

, named Morgan Jenkins. However, Foster's biographer and niece, Evelyn Foster Morneweck, disputes this and states that it is probably written in honor of his cousin, Annie Evans, who died shortly before it was composed. Some sources say it is Foster's farewell to his maternal grandmother, Annie Pratt McGinnis Hart. His paternal grandmother was Ann Barclay.

Australian version

An alternative version from Australia is also known as ''Gentle Annie''. This was published in ''Australian Tradition'', Vol. 1, no. e, in 1964. It was recorded by Martyn Wyndham-Read. The tune is the same as the Stephen Foster version, but the lyrics are different. The Australian lyrics were written by Lame Jack Cousens of Springhurst, Victoria. Sources state that its subject is Annie Waits.

Adaptations

The song "Gentle Annie" sung by

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banj ...

is a different song from both the Foster and the Australian version. Alaska songwriter Britt Arnesen adapted the melody of "Gentle Annie" as a eulogy for the former captain of the F/V ''Cornelia Marie'', Phil Harris, who died from complications of a stroke on February 9, 2010. Vocalist Heather Berry attributes an adaptation titled "Little Annie" to the

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

. The words and the melody are adapted from the original. Composer

Phyllis Zimmerman Phyllis E. Zimmerman (1934–2012) was an American composer, choral conductor, and music educator who is accessible on Spotify. Biography Zimmerman was born in Pennsylvania and graduated from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania in 1956. Sh ...

arranged "Gentle Annie" for choir.

References

Blackface minstrel songs Songs written by Stephen Foster 1856 songs Australian folk songs American folk songs {{folk-song-stub