Inoticed recently that the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is sponsoring a “Song of Arkansas” contest. The winning song will join a long list of songs, anthems, and folk tunes which draw attention to Arkansas’ history and achievement.
David Ware, the Arkansas State Capitol historian and author of the entry on “Official State Songs” in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, has noted that Arkansas “has no less than four compositions” that were designated by the legislature as “official” state songs. “The Arkansas Traveler” was without a doubt the first song about the state to receive widespread public recognition.
Robert Cochran, an English professor and folklorist at the University of Arkansas, has written about the early and circuitous history of The Traveler: “By 1845 it was known as a fiddle tune and in 1849 it was reported as the name of a race horse and the most popular dance tune in Hot Springs.” The song’s popularity resulted in a stage drama by the same name and which was performed throughout the nation. The talented Arkansas painter Edward P. Washbourne did two paintings based on the folk tune which were published by Currier & Ives and which added to the public recognition of the song and the drama.
Music of a very different nature took a big step in 1916 when Eva Ware Barnett, a classically trained musician and composer, published “Arkansas.” David Ware described “Arkansas” as “an anthem that substituted a genteel characterization of the state for the older ‘hillbilly’ image.” Barnett portrayed the state as “a bucolic, be-flowered, and fertile state always providing a warm welcome and safe shelter.”
I have always found Barnett’s song to be a bit dense and certainly dated. However, I really like that Barnett’s lyrics take pride in Arkansas being “rich in pearls and in diamonds rare.” I knew about the diamond mine, but the reference to pearls puzzled me when I first read it. Later I learned that northeast Arkansas was the epicenter of a great trade in native pearls-a “pearl rush” as it was referred to at the time.
The 1917 General Assembly designated “Arkansas” as the state’s official state song. However, Barnett retained copyright to the song, and in 1940 she filed suit against the state for publishing 60,000 free copies of the composition. The litigation dragged along for years, but Barnett eventually dropped the lawsuit. However, when Gov. Homer Adkins appointed a committee to choose a new state song, Barnett withdrew her composition from consideration. In 1947 the old “Arkansas Traveler” tune was selected to be the official state song, though new lyrics were selected to accompany the fiddle tune. The legislature refused to ratify the committee’s choice, thereby casting doubt on the subject.
Finally, in 1963, the General Assembly adopted a resolution critical of the Traveler folk tune and proposing that Mrs. Barnett’s “Arkansas” be reinstated as the official state song-but only if Barnett gave the copyright to the state. Feelings had moderated over the years, and Barnett not only agreed to transfer copyright, she attended a reception and autographed copies of the sheet music. Barnett’s song was popular with the public in part because the composition lent itself to choral performance and was thus sung at countless school assemblies and graduation ceremonies.
The celebration of Arkansas’ 150th anniversary of statehood in 1986 resulted in several new songs promoting the state. Among the more popular were “Oh, Arkansas” by Terry Rose of Little Rock and others, and “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” by Wayland Holyfield, a native of Conway County.
Holyfield’s song, which was commissioned by the old Arkansas Power & Light Co, and released in January 1986, remains popular today. It can be heard online at several sites including youtube.com/watch?v=grQlFjjvXSw.
In 1987 the General Assembly designated both “Oh, Arkansas” and “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” as “official state songs.” Barnett’s “Arkansas” was declared the official state anthem. Not wanting to offend anyone, the same General Assembly also designated the venerable “Arkansas Traveler” as the state’s official historic song.
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Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist living in Pulaski County. Email him at Arktopia. td@gmail.com.
Editorial, Pages 80 on 02/23/2014