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Song o' the Day-"Merci, Nonc Dewey"
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New Orleans JAZZ NHP's Song o' the:
Merci, Nonc Dewey
(Thank You, Uncle Dewey)
Guess who was born on this day in 1902. That’s right, it was none other than Thomas Edmond Dewey, 47th Governor of the State of New York and “winner” of the 1948 Presidential Election (NOT!). That famous photograph of that most infamous media blunder is of reelected President Harry S Truman holding up the Chicago Tribune headline extolling his defeat to Mr. Dewey. It did not happen. Although Truman’s defeat had been widely anticipated, the overconfident Mr. Dewey’s unimaginative campaign speeches certified that: “Agriculture is important. Our rivers are full of fish. You cannot have freedom without liberty. The future lies ahead.” A national vision worthy of Yogi Berra at his best!
In today’s song, Courtney Granger celebrates his “Uncle Dewey (Balfa) for all the beautiful music he brought to the Cajun people and… wonderful advice …to… young Cajun musicians of today.” (from album liner notes). And, in that spirit, we acknowledge whatever accomplishments of the Truman era that Tom Dewey enabled by… well… losing that election! “Merci, Nonc Dewey”.
From: From One Generation to the Next: A Legacy Preserved
Funded by: Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative of the National Park Service
Original by: Courtney Granger
Performed by: Courtney Granger
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NPS photo
NPS photo: design by JaLeesa Sims-Smith