Hutchinson Family Singers facts for kids
The Hutchinson Family Singers were a famous American singing group. They were very popular in the 1840s. This family group sang songs with four different parts, creating beautiful harmonies. Their music covered many topics, including politics, social issues, and funny stories. Many people think they were the first truly American popular music performers.
The group started in 1840. John Hutchinson helped his brothers Asa, Jesse, and Judson form the group. They were inspired by popular singing groups from Austria. The Hutchinson family had 11 sons and two daughters. Their first show was on November 6, 1840. They helped make group singing popular in America. Jesse Hutchinson later left the main group to write songs and manage their business. His sister, Abby Hutchinson, took his place.
The Hutchinsons were a big hit with audiences and critics. They toured all over the United States. They made four-part harmony singing very popular. Their songs often talked about important and sometimes controversial topics. These included ending slavery, workers' rights, the temperance movement (which was against alcohol), and women's rights. These ideas were popular during a time called the Second Great Awakening.
The family lived in Lynn, Massachusetts. They had a large property with several small houses. John Hutchinson later gave this land to the City of Lynn.
Contents
The Hutchinson Family Singers: Their Story
How the Group Started
In the 1830s, singing groups from Europe toured the United States. Groups like the Tyrolese Minstrels from Austria were very popular. They sang in four-part harmony, which means different voices sang different notes that blended together. John Hutchinson saw one of these concerts in 1840. He was so impressed that he decided to teach his family to sing in the same way.
John Hutchinson and three of his brothers, Asa, Jesse, and Judson, called themselves the Hutchinson Family Singers. Their first concert was on November 6, 1840. It took place in a church in Milford, New Hampshire. They performed again in Lynn the next year. At first, they mostly sang European songs. But Jesse Hutchinson soon left the group to write his own songs and manage their tours.
Twelve-year-old Abby Hutchinson then joined the group. She sang the alto part, which is a lower female voice. She helped complete the four-person singing group. When they created a new song, each singer decided their own part. John Hutchinson remembered that their voices blended perfectly. It was hard for the audience to tell who was singing which part.
Becoming Famous
The Hutchinsons performed all over New England in 1842. They sometimes earned as much as $130 for one show. In 1843, Jesse wrote a song called "The Old Granite State". This song was about the Hutchinson family, where they came from in New Hampshire, and their travels. It became their most famous song.
Newspapers at the time wanted to support American talent. Critics liked the Hutchinsons' early concerts. After their first show in New York City in May 1843, the New York Tribune newspaper praised their singing. They said the group knew how to make music. However, the newspaper also thought some of their song choices were not the best. They wanted the Hutchinsons to sing the words more clearly.
Later, the Tribune praised them more. They said the Hutchinsons' singing style was "simple, sweet, and full of mountain melody." Their voices were "rich and clear." The Hutchinsons were the first American close-harmony group to become so successful. Other groups started to copy their style. Even minstrel show groups, who performed popular songs, compared themselves to the Hutchinsons.
In 1845, the family toured Great Britain. While they were away, some other family members toured the U.S. using the name "Home Branch of the Hutchinson Family." When the original group returned, they stopped this other group. The Hutchinsons also started adding more of their own original songs to their shows.
Singing for Change
Jesse Hutchinson encouraged the group to sing about important causes. They became strong supporters of ending slavery, the temperance movement, and women's rights. In 1843, Asa Hutchinson wrote that they hated slavery. They decided to use their music to help enslaved people.
They even traveled with Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist, in England in 1845. Their original songs like "Get Off the Track!" and "The Slave's Appeal" talked about these issues. Abby Hutchinson's song "Song of Our Mountain Home" (1850) included the line, "The air of our mountains ne'er breathed on a slave." This showed their strong feelings against slavery.
When the Civil War began, the group was still very popular. They split into two smaller groups: the "Tribe of John" and the "Tribe of Asa." Both groups still called themselves the Hutchinson Family. The Tribe of John often performed for Union Army soldiers in the eastern U.S. Judson had passed away in 1859, so he was not part of these shows.
One performance caused a stir on January 17, 1862. It was for soldiers near Fairfax, Virginia. The Hutchinsons sang a song based on a poem called "We Wait beneath the Furnace Blast." This song was against slavery. Some people in the audience did not like the anti-slavery lyrics.
Modern Recordings of Their Music
The music of the Hutchinson Family Singers has been recorded by other artists. These recordings help new generations hear their important songs.
- Homespun America. This album from 1976 features many songs from the mid-1800s. It includes four songs made famous by the Hutchinsons: "The Old Granite State," "The Pauper's Funeral," "Get Off the Track," and "Calomel" (a humorous song about medicine).
- The Civil War Music Collector's Edition. This set from 1991 includes music by the Hutchinson Family Singers.
- There's a Good Time Coming: and other songs by the Hutchinson Family. This 1978 album has seventeen songs made popular by the Hutchinsons. It includes "The Old Granite State" and "Get On Track." It also has "Welcome to Jenny Lind," a song written to greet a famous Swedish singer when she toured the U.S.
This album was recorded at the Library of Congress. It tried to sound like the original Hutchinsons. The album cover and booklet show old tickets, posters, and photos from the group's time.
See also
- Cheney Family Singers
- High Rock Tower Reservation
