Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel is a song composed by American songwriter Dan Emmett for an 1853 blackface minstrel show.
The song became extremely popular throughout the United States.
[1] It was recorded in 1927[1] by banjo player and singing entertainer Uncle Dave Macon,[2] an early Grand Ole Opry star.
The song was later included on the Smithsonian Institution's Folkways collection, Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection.
Peter, Paul and Mary sing this song on their Moving album in 1963 as "Old Coat".