The Arkansas Traveler, or Arkansas Traveller, is a figure of American folklore and popular culture from the first half of the 19th-century. The character is said to have originated with

Sandford C. Faulkner Sandford C. Faulkner (March 3, 1803August 4, 1874), better known as Sandy Faulkner, was an American planter, raconteur and fiddler who personified the mid- 19th century folk song " Arkansas Traveler," for which he received writing credit. It ha ...

. It has had a widespread impact on culture as the namesake of newspapers, radio and television shows, a baseball team, a fruit variety, and an honorary title awarded by the governor of the state of Arkansas. The character has also been perceived as a discriminatory stereotype of ' hillbillies' and has been heavily criticized.

Origins

The tale is said to have originated with Sandford C. Faulkner (1806–1874) a Kentucky-born raconteur, fiddler, and planter. He owned a plantation in

Chicot County Chicot County ( ) is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,800. The county seat is Lake Village. Chicot County is Arkansas's 10th county, formed on October 25, 1 ...

, Arkansas. Faulkner's tale about 'Arkansas Traveler' influenced the creation of Mose Case's mid-19th century folk song " Arkansas Traveler," has since become the official state historic song of Arkansas since 1987.

Story

There are numerous variations of the story; supposedly it was an event that occurred on the campaign trail in Arkansas in 1840 to Sandford C. Faulkner. A well-dressed traveler on horseback, the ''Arkansas Traveler'', meets a fiddle-playing settler (sometimes described as a squatter) and the traveler asks for a place to sleep in his humble home. The settler initially rejects him, pointing out the cramped conditions and his poverty, and continues to try in vain to play a melody on the fiddle. The traveler then plays a whole tune on the settler's fiddle, whereupon the settler enthusiastically offers him board and lodging.

Influence and legacy

Fine art

Edward Payson Washburn was one of the best-known artists in Arkansas during the Antebellum-era. He painted "Arkansas Traveler" in 1856 based on the story he heard from Faulkner. The painting went on to inspire a series of prints, in 1859, Leopold Grozelier created a lithograph of the Washburn painting; and in 1870, Currier and Ives created two lithographs of the Washburn painting. File:The Arkansas Traveller. Designed by one of the natives and dedicated to Col. S. C. Faulkner, 1859.jpg, alt=Lithograph from 1859 after a painting by Edward P. Washburn, lithographed by Leopold Grozelier, Lithograph from 1859 by Leopold Grozelier, after the painting Washburn File:The Arkansas Traveler. Scene in the Back Woods of Arkansas. Currier and Ives, 1870.jpg, Lithography from 1870 by Currier and Ives after the painting Washburn File:The Turn of the Tune. Traveller Playing the Arkansas Traveller. Currier and Ives, 1870.jpg, Lithography from 1870 by Currier and Ives after the painting Washburn

Vaudeville stage

"The Arkansas Traveler" was a popular comedy sketch on the vaudeville circuit. It revolved around the encounter of a (usually lost) traveling city person with a local, wise-cracking fiddle player. Various jokes at the expense of the "city slicker" were interspersed with instrumental versions of the song. In many versions, the city person is also a fiddle player, and as the sketch progresses, eventually learns the tune and plays along with the country bumpkin.

Music

An phonograph cylinder recording of the song survives, from around 1890. The contemporary singer Michelle Shocked includes a vaudeville-style version of "Arkansas Traveler" on her 1992 album of the same name.

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

and

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

also do a version on their 1993 album ''

Not for Kids Only ''Not for Kids Only'' is an album of children's songs released by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Most of the songs come from the Southeast region of the United States. It was released by Acoustic Disc. The song "Jenny Jenkins" is featured in th ...

''.

Film

"The Arkansas Traveler" was frequently featured in

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

s in the 1930s and 1940s, most prolifically by

Carl Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...

in music he composed for the ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...

'' and ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

'' series. It usually was played, sloppily, when a yokel,

hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...

, or "country bumpkin" character would appear on screen. A slow version of the "Bringing home a baby bumble-bee" version is sung by Beaky Buzzard in the short '' The Bashful Buzzard''. The popularity and joyfulness of "The Arkansas Traveler" was attested to in the 1932 Academy Award-winning

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

short, '' The Music Box''. In this film, the boys labored to haul a player piano up a long flight of stairs and into a house through a bedroom window. Near the conclusion of their adventure, as they are starting to clean up the mess surrounding the newly installed piano, Stan and Ollie play a roll of "Patriotic Melodies". They dance with much grace and amusement to "The Arkansas Traveler", followed briefly by " Dixie". Marvin Hatley, who composed Laurel and Hardy's "Cuckoo" theme song, was the pianist for this sequence; the player piano was not real.

Arkansas Traveler award

The Arkansas Traveler Award, is an honorary title bestowed by the state on notable individuals who, through their actions serve as goodwill ambassadors for the state of Arkansas in the United States.

Reception

Arkansas Traveler tale has been subject to criticism, and the tale has changed over the years. Some Arkansans have been embarrassed by the tale, because of the stereotypes of ignorant people living in the backwoods, and of 'hillbillies'.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Arkansas folklore Arkansas culture Symbols of Arkansas Sandford C. Faulkner