Watch: In conversation with ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ author Emily Bingham

Every Kentucky Derby, those of us in the crowd at the track, and watching at home, sing along to Kentucky’s state song, “My Old Kentucky Home.” The tradition, like many others, can be a simple thing to follow along with without the need for any further examination or curiosity.

Louisville-native Emily Bingham’s book “My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song,” explores the history of that song and asks the question: How did a minstrel song about the slave trade become a beloved melody, a celebratory anthem and an integral part of American folklore and culture?

As part of the Herald-Leader’s 2023 Kentucky Book Club, our ongoing series this year to get more folks reading books about Kentucky or by Kentucky authors, join the Herald-Leader for a virtual discussion with Bingham about her book.

Grab yourself a copy by checking your local library or supporting a local bookseller (or wherever else you can find books) and join us on Wednesday, May 24 at noon here at kentucky.com, over on our Facebook page and YouTube as well.

This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM.

Andrew Henderson

Lexington Herald-Leader

Andrew is the deputy audience editor for McClatchy’s mid-sized and smaller newsrooms. His home newsroom is the Lexington Herald-Leader and he occasionally writes opinion columns for the paper. He was previously the editor of the Oldham Era and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Andrew is from Olive Hill in Carter County.