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Tune of the Day: Dixie
Yes, that's the car horn tune of General Lee, from The Dukes of Hazzard. It is one of the most distinctively American musical products of the 19th century. Although not a folk song at its creation, “Dixie” has since entered the American folk vernacular. It likely cemented the word “Dixie” in the American vocabulary as a synonym for the Southern United States.
Most sources credit Ohio-born Daniel Decatur Emmett with the song's composition, though many other people have claimed to have composed “Dixie”. Over his lifetime, Emmett often recounted the story of its composition, but details vary with each account. For example, in various versions of the story, Emmett claimed to have written “Dixie” in a few minutes, in a single night, and over a few days.