Music of Arkansas
| Music of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Local music | ||
| AK – AL – AR – AS – AZ – CA – CO – CT – DC – DE – FL – GA – GU – HI – IA – ID – IL – IN – KS – KY – LA – MA – MD – ME – MI – MN – MO – MP – MS – MT – NC – ND – NE – NH – NM – NV – NJ – NY – OH – OK – OR – PA – PR – RI – SC – SD – TN – TX – UT – VA – VI – VT – WA – WI – WV – WY | ||
| History (Timeline) | Ethnicities | |
| to 1900 | African American | |
| 1900–1940 | Native American (Inuit and Hawaiian) | |
| 40s and 50s | Latin (Tejano and Puerto Rican) | |
| 60s and 70s | Cajun and Creole | |
| 80s to the present | Other immigrants (Jewish, European, South and East Asian, modern African and Middle-Eastern) | |
| Genres (Samples): Classical – Hip hop – Rock – Pop – Folk | ||
Arkansas is a Southern state of the United States. Arkansas' musical heritage includes country music and various related styles like bluegrass and rockabilly. Traditional folk instruments include the fiddle and banjo as well as guitar, mandolin, dulcimer and autoharp. Among its most prominent modern musical manifestations is Riverfest, a music festival held in North Little Rock, which has been held annually since 1978. The town of Mountain View bills itself as the "Folk Music Capital of the World". There is an Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, which includes musicians like Ronnie Dunn, Melvin Endsley, Al Green and Jimmy Driftwood.
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1966. When the orchestra was founded, a local bank held the organization responsible for the debts of previous attempts at organizing an orchestra. Ten individual members assumed responsibility for the debt, and so the orchestra was formed, led by experienced conductor Vasilios Priakos.
The state's local music scene includes bands like Faulkner, from Conway, who are no longer performing together, The Loiterers and Soophie Nun Squad.
State songs
Arkansas has four official state songs:
- State Anthem: "Arkansas" by Mrs. Eva Ware Barnett (Go)
- State Historical Song: "The Arkansas Traveler" by Colonel Sanford C. Faulkner (Go)
- State Song: "Oh, Arkansas" by Terry Rose and Gary Klaff (Go)
- State Song: "Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)" by Wayland Holyfield (Go)
The reason there are two official state songs is due to a copyright dispute. "Arkansas" was published in 1916 by the Central Music Company, written by Eva Ware Barnett and Will M. Ramsey. It became the official song on January 12, 1917. Until either 1945 or 1949, "Arkansas" was the only official song in Arkansas. At that time, there was a copyright dispute and the state adopted "The Arkansas Traveler" as the official song, a situation that remained unchanged until 1963. In that year, "Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)" was designated an additional state song, and the copyright dispute was resolved and "Arkansas" became official again, until 1987, when it was changed to the official state anthem. In that year, "Oh, Arkansas" was officially designated a state song as well and "The Arkansas Traveller" was designated the official state historical song.
Musicians
Musicians from Arkansas include:
- Black Oak Arkansas – rock band
- Elton Britt – country singer
- Jim Ed Brown – country group
- Robert "Washboard Sam" Brown – bluesman
- Bob Burns – vaudeville performer
- Sarah Caldwell – opera conductor
- Glen Campbell – pop-country singer-songwriter
- Johnny Cash – country singer
- Floyd Cramer – country pianist
- Jimmy Driftwood – folk singer-songwriter
- Ronnie Dunn – country singer, of Brooks & Dunn
- Melvin Endsley – country songwriter
- Evanescence – rock band
- Lefty Frizzell – country musician
- Randy Goodrum – producer and songwriter
- Al Green – soul and gospel singer
- Ronnie Hawkins – rock musician
- Lee Hays – folk singer
- Levon Helm – drummer for The Band
- Barbara Hendricks – opera singer
- Al Hibbler – jazz musician
- Wayland Holyfield – songwriter
- Howlin' Wolf – bluesman
- Scott Joplin – ragtime musician and composer
- Louis Jordan – bandleader
- Albert King – bluesman
- Tracy Lawrence – country musician
- Skeets McDonald – singer-songwriter
- Patsy Montana – country singer
- Walter Norris – jazz musician
- K. T. Oslin – country singer
- Twila Paris – gospel singer
- Art Porter Jr. – saxophonist
- Art Porter Sr. – pianist
- Dick Powell – singer, musical actor
- Elvis Presley – rock singer
- Florence Beatrice Price – classical composer
- Collin Raye – country singer
- Charlie Rich – country singer
- Pharaoh Sanders – jazz musician
- William Grant Still – violinist and composer
- Roosevelt Sykes – bluesman
- John Michael Talbot – country, rock and Christian musician
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe – gospel singer
- Conway Twitty – country musician
- T. Texas Tyler – country musician
- William Warfield – singer
- Peetie Wheatstraw – bluesman
- Sonny Boy Williamson – bluesman
- Mark Wright – songwriter
External links
Categories: Arkansas culture | Music of U.S. subdivisions