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Songs of Arkansas

Last update: January 14, 1999


    I kept hoping that Bill Clinton would send me a couple of suggestions, but he has been too busy with scandals and impeachment.
    The official state song is "Arkansas". This state song along with all the other official state songs is available on Coolidge 50.

    There is no particular order to the songs listed below. I welcome any and all suggestions and especially corrections, as well as additional information on any song listed below.

    My thanks to the search engine at Music Boulevard. Before I searched there, I had but a humble list of songs about Arkansas. Now I realize that I did own one song about Arkansas that I had forgotten about, and I am purchasing another (naturally from Music Boulevard).

    Songs of love for Arkansas

  • "Arkansas", written and sung (on MCA's Roger Miller album, his last) by Roger Miller. My hard-core Roger Miller fan friend, Jimmy Hirsch, should have told me about this one years ago, but it slipped his mind. I had to find it myself as a cover version on an album by Switzerland's Suzanne Klee (I'm a Woman, Suisa 50-5084-4). This song is silly in Miller's humorous style, but it does straightforwardly LOVE Arkansas.

  • "Arkansas", by Glen Campbell from the album Still Within the Sound of Your Voice; written by Joe Rainey.
    contributed by Bob Marshall

  • "Arkanas" on The Best of the Osborne Brothers (Sugar Hill 2203, release date: 03/11/91) by the Osborne Brothers; check out an excerpt in Real Audio

  • "Arkansas" on Hog Heaven (Capricorn Records 538136, release date: 10/20/98) by Elvin Bishop; I don't know much about this, so if anyone can provide some information, I would be grateful.

  • "Arkansas" on Complete Recordings (Yazoo 1080, release date: 01/31/91) by Henry Thomas

  • "Arkansas" on Strange Voices -- a History (Landslide 1017, release date 11/28/94) by. Col. Bruce Hampton

  • "Arkansas" on Border Town Legend (Alligator 8839, release date 1/16/96) by Long John Hunter; check out an excerpt in Real Audio

  • "Arkansas" on My Story (Bullseye Blues 9508, release date 05/23/91) by Jimmy McCracklin; check out an excerpt in Real Audio

    Honorable mention

  • "When Electricity Came to Arkansas" on Hot & Nasty: the Best of Black Oak Arkansas (WEA/Atlantic/Rhino 71146, release date: 11/10/92) by Black Oak Arkansas; although this song is not country or folk, as the instructions call for, hey, I remember it from my college days and was tickled to see new releases at Music Boulevard

  • "Arkansas" on Pie in the Sky by Oscar Brand. From what I know about Oscar, this could be a biting satire; I will be buying the album based on the interest sparked by Music Boulevard and reporting back.

  • " I can see Arkansas (across the Mississippi)" on Laredo by Steve Wariner is not about Arkansas as such but about a broken relationship and a departure; in fact, the singer remains across the Mississippi (River).

  • Folks from Arkansas have a good sense of humor, so they will certainly enjoy the Almanac Singers' (Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bess Lomax, Millard Lampell) "The State of Arkansas" on Songs for Political Action: Folk Music, Topical Songs and the American Left 1926-1953 (Bear Records).

  • "Arkansas Blues" is a frequently recorded jazz number (Fats Waller, etc.).

    Nope, naw, uh-uh

  • "Arkansas" on Love & Terror (Aware Records, release date 01/10/95) by Charles Mansen; "Outside of whatever historical interest this record may have (pre-Sharon Tate murder), it is the work of a man who was as good a singer-songwriter as he was a human being. Don't bother." (Kenneth M. Cassidy)