John Specker- Bonaparte's Retreat

Local sensation John Specker performs in the Okemo Valley TV studio. About the song: The title of the original "Bonaparte's Retreat" is an apparent reference to Napoleon Bonaparte's disastrous retreat from Russia in 1812, and some earlier British folk songs told of that event. In 1937, American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, while traveling through Kentucky, recorded violinist William Hamilton Stepp playing "Bonaparte's Retreat". This recording was inducted in 2016 into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. Stepp's version of the song was used as a major component of Aaron Copland's song "Hoe-Down" from the ballet Rodeo. "Hoe-Down" has in turn been covered by various artists, including Emerson, Lake and Palmer on their 1972 album Trilogy. It has also received use in television and film, including the American TV ad campaign "Beef. It's What's For Dinner".