•May 24, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln always carried a Hohner harmonica in his pocket? Lincoln couldn’t read music and could barely carry a tune, but he did play a tune or two on the harmonica - one of them being the nonsense song, “Blue Tail Fly”.

Lincoln was a music lover his entire life and especially enjoyed opera, nonsense songs, sentimental ballads, patriotic songs and military band music.

On the eighth circuit in Illinois musical entertainment was often provided by a Danville attorney and his lifelong friend Ward Hill Lamon who sang as the lawyers crossed the prairie or around the fire after dinner. Years later he invited Lamon to accompany him on his preinauguration trip to Washington, and Lamon provided musical diversion on the 14-day journey.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.