Author hits high note with 'Star-Spangled Banner' book

• Francis Scott Key wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814 after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry
• For much of the 19th-century it was one of several songs vying for the title of national anthem
• In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson decreed the "The Star-Spangled Banner" be played at military events
• Congress officially declared it the national anthem only in 1931

Most Americans know the basic facts about "The Star-Spangled Banner": how Francis Scott Key scribbled his vocal chord stretching ode in September 1814 after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry as a prisoner aboard a British ship.

But it's the next 200 years that really fascinates historian Marc Ferris, author of "Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem."

"Francis Scott Key is interesting, but I wanted to tell the rest of the story," Ferris said during a recent interview at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut. "'The Star-Spangled Banner' is the most controversial song in American history. It's been kicked around like a political football ever since it was written."

A native of Scarsdale, Ferris, 51, spent nearly two decades writing and researching the 328-page book, which was published in August by Johns Hopkins University Press. He'll be signing copies Thursday at Anderson's Book Shop in Larchmont.

The idea came to him in 1996, Ferris said, when he was a graduate student at Stony Brook University. Three years later, armed with a fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution, he traveled to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., to dig through archives.

He was struck by the fact that the "Star-Spangled Banner," which became an instant hit after Key's lyrics were printed in Baltimore newspapers, didn't become our official national anthem for 117 years. Plus, most Americans don't exactly praise the tune.

It's forgotten today, Ferris said, but for much of the 19th-century the "The Star-Spangled Banner" was one of several songs vying for the title of unofficial national anthem. "Hail, Columbia" and "Yankee Doodle" were the two others.

Then as now, many Americans complained Key's tune is too militant and too hard to hit the high notes. They also took exception to the fact that Key cribbed the melody from from "To Anacreon in Heaven," an old English drinking song.

Key owned slaves and his entire family fought for the Confederacy. But during the Civil War, Northerners adopted "The Star-Spangled Banner" as an anthem of hope and national unity. Meanwhile, Southerners sang "Dixie," which was written by Daniel Decatur Emmett — an Ohio-born, anti-slavery songwriter.

"It's one of the greatest ironies in America history," Ferris said.

In the decades after the Civil War, the anthem become a powerful rallying point for groups like the Veterans of Foreign War and Daughters of the American Revolution during debates over the national character and democratic ideals.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson decreed the "The Star-Spangled Banner" be played at military events. Congress officially declared it the national anthem only in 1931 — a political gesture to win the support of veterans during the depths of the Depression, Ferris said.

In addition to his passion for history, Ferris is also an avid guitarist who plays in a bluegrass band. One of the things he loves about the "Star-Spangled Banner" is that the song is endlessly adaptable to vernacular American musical forms, from Jose Feliciano's singing of the national anthem in 1968 World Series to Jimi Hendrix's wild and wooly Woodstock version.

"There are many unorthodox versions," he said shortly before picking up his Yamaha guitar and strumming away. "You have swing bands who start jazzing up the anthem. Hendrix isn't the first to do a controversial version."

Over the years, there have been numerous suggestions for songs that could replace "The Star-Spangled Banner." But none have succeeded.

"'God Bless America' is not the greatest song," Ferris said. "'America The Beautiful' is kind of wimpy. It's neither here nor there. But the 'Star-Spangled Banner' has history, it's got gravitas."

Twitter: @alextailored

If you go

Marc Ferris will be visiting Anderson's Book Shop, 96 Chatsworth Ave., in Larchmont, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20. He will be signing books and, yes, singing historic and patriotic songs. For more information, call 914-834-6900.