OPINION: Guest writer

Make joyful noise

Is music Arkansas’ greatest resource?

Visitors flock from all over to enjoy the amenities and natural resources that Arkansas has to offer. But there's another natural resource in Arkansas with international appeal that even many locals don't know about: the state's incredible musical legacy.

For a state whose population only recently cracked 3 million, Arkansas has played an outsized role in the development of nearly every popular musical genre. That's been the lesson I've learned in writing and hosting "Arkansongs," the syndicated public radio program that's celebrating its silver anniversary next year.

The diversity of its people, coupled with the diversity of its geography--flatlands, hills, mountains, an urban population center or two, and even sunken lands--has meant that while surrounding states may claim influence on a single musical style, Arkansas can lay claim to several.

That strength may be a weakness in terms of marketing, yet other states do much more with much less--with their local businesses reaping the tourism and tax benefits of (arguably) narrower musical legacies than the Natural State's.

When producer Keith Merckx and I started "Arkansongs" a near quarter- century ago, we heard, "Arkansas music? Once you've covered Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, you're done, right?" But all these years later, we continue to find untold stories about Arkansas music and musicians from the state's rich history.

The longevity of a program like "Arkansongs" speaks to the power and depth of the area's musical heritage. And it's a tradition that goes back longer than some might think. The 2018 documentary film I contributed to, "Music In Arkansas Origins: 200 B.C.-1941 A.D.," cites the earliest known instrument in the region as a panpipe dating to 200 B.C.

This panpipe was made from river cane, sheathed in copper, and fitted with a silver mouthpiece. Centuries ago, it was placed in the gravesite of a young man. Known as the Helena Crossing panpipe, and dating from the early era of the Hopewell culture, the panpipe was found in 1960 at the southern tip of Crowley's Ridge, near present-day Helena.

The Hopewell culture was not one particular North American tribe, but a regional collection of many different advanced indigenous groups who share some traits and traded among themselves. The "Hopewell Interaction Sphere" lasted hundreds of years, and comprised a huge swath of the eastern middle half of North America, up and down the Mississippi River and well beyond.

The panpipe and other early instruments may not have been used in the same context as we perceive music today, but studies of subsequent cultures from subsequent centuries have additionally turned up rattles, bells, fifes, whistles, rasps, and the like.

The storied music tradition of Arkansas' Quapaw and Osage nations utilizes these instruments, but with a special focus on the drum. "You can always fall back on a song, depending on the situation in life," said Mike Shawnee, a longtime Quapaw Tribal Pow-Wow Committee chairman.

"All of our songs, they're either to honor a person, or they're about god and thanking him for our blessings," according to Anna McKibben, a member of the Quapaw Nation cultural committee. "Or, there's a lot of songs about veterans, and about our warriors."

More than two millennia later, Arkansas continues to be a musical source point. The state's tremendous contributions just in country, folk, hillbilly, rockabilly, and rock music have added up to some calling for the state to be nicknamed the birthplace of Americana music. But it goes much deeper than that. Arkansawyers also have generous showings in R&B, jazz, classical, avant garde, opera, rap, metal, and blues as well.

There are still authentic places to explore the state's musical heritage, such as Levon Helm's restored boyhood home in Marvell, and Johnny Cash's restored boyhood home in Dyess. And there are places to see artifacts and learn the stories, like the Old State House Museum in downtown Little Rock, and the Delta Cultural Center in Helena/West Helena.

But despite the state's deep history, too many historically significant places have been allowed to collapse--like Louis Jordan's boyhood home in Brinkley. And too many Arkansas cities lack the infrastructure--or even simple signage--to inform locals and visitors alike of their community's unique histories and significant citizens.

The ongoing heritage of Arkansas music has a deep legacy that's hiding in plain sight. It's something we all share, it's something everyone can enjoy, and it's something that can have a positive economic impact on communities statewide. It's just a shame the state doesn't recognize it in a manner commensurate with its worldwide impact.

For 25 years, "Arkansongs" has celebrated the greatest natural resource in the Natural State--Arkansas music. Please join us!


Stephen Koch is an award-winning journalist in both broadcasting and print, a musician, illustrator, and author. "Arkansongs" is heard weekly on stations all across Arkansas, in Louisiana, and in east Texas. In central Arkansas, it's heard Fridays at 6:50 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KUAR 89.1.

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