2 September: The Yellow Rose of Texas

On this date in 1858, a songwriter known only as J.K. copyrighted the popular song, The Yellow Rose of Texas. 10 things you might not know about the song.

1. Most people will be familiar with the 1955 version of the song by Mitch Miller. It has also been recorded by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Bing Crosby and Pat Boone, to name but a few.
2. The song was part of the soundtrack for at least two films. The Elvis Presely version was in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas. Mitch Miller's version was in the film Giant, starring James Dean.
3. Mitch Miller's record reached the number one spot in the US charts in 1955, the week James Dean died, knocking Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets off the top spot. It reached number one in Australia, too, and number two in the UK.
4. The earliest known version of the song was in Christy's Plantation Melodies, a book of songs published by Edwin Peace Christy in 1853.
5. While the lyrics we are familiar with seem innocent enough with talk of "the sweetest little rosebud" and so on, the early versions used terms which we would class as racist today, such as "darky" and "sweetest rose of colour". Perhaps not surprising given the fact that Christy was the founder of Christy's Minstrels, a blackface minstrel show.
6. Was the Yellow Rose of Texas a real person? According to legend, yes. And, according to legend, she played a part in helping Texas win independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto. The story goes that she was Emily West, a beautiful and intelligent young woman of African American origin, an indentured servant who was captured by General Santa Anna, after the woman he'd been travelling with was forced to turn back because her carriage couldn't cross a swollen river. Santa Anna apparently didn't want to be without a woman and was somewhat smitten with Emily. It's said that Emily already had a boyfriend, a young African American man, and it's said he was inspired to write the song about her after their enforced separation.
7. Texas won the battle of San Jacinto in just 18 minutes, having caught Santa Anna literally with his pants down. Houston, spying on the Mexican camp, noticed that Santa Anna was, shall we say, distracted by Emily and Houston reckoned this would be a good time to launch a suprise attack.
8. There is an organisation called the Sons of the Knights of the Yellow Rose of Texas, which aims to keep Emily's memory alive. They wear tiny lapel pins in the shape of yellow roses. They claim that her ghost walks the site of the battle at night.
9. Confederate soldiers used the song as a marching tune during the American Civil war. It was first introduced in this way by General John Bell Hood, who changed the lyrics to make it more about soldiers and the war.
10. Texan women who are deemed to have served their communities in exceptional ways, such as charity work or contributions to preserving the history of Texas, or achievements related to improving the present and building the future, may be admitted to the Commission of the Yellow Rose of Texas.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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