Many of the earlier classic American songwriters who wrote about "the South" were actually from the South, but some, including Stephen Foster, often did not see places and events they described. Certainly by the 1920s most writers were living in the North, especially in New York City, and were utilizing conventions and stereotypes which had evolved through the minstrel show, burlesque, vaudeville and the Broadway revue. Many of the songs have literally become American folk songs--"Swanee River", "Bill Bailey," "Sweet Georgia Brown" come to mind as examples from different periods. Steve Stone and the Emerald City Jazz Kings explore this tradition.