During his lifetime, Stephen Foster achieved his greatest fame as a writer of minstrel songs, most notably the Christie Minstrels. One of his earliest, written at age 22, was Oh! Susanna. It became one of the most popular songs of the 19th century and also served as the theme song for the Forty-Niners, who carried it to California during the Gold Rush. This SSA a cappella version includes vocal banjo "licks" and percussion effects.