Stephen Foster was only 21 years old when he composed this song, and he later wrote, “the two fifty-dollar bills I received [for Oh Susanna!] had the effect of starting me on my present vocation as a songwriter.” In his 37 years of life, Foster wrote more than 200 songs. He visited the South only once, yet many of his songs portrayed blacks and slave life and were frequently performed by blackface minstrel singers. Oh Susanna! was beloved by ‘49ers during the California gold rush, helping it to become the most popular song in America.