Arkansas Traveler

A legendary American fiddle tune and accompanying story that emerged around 1840, popularized by Colonel Sandford C. Faulkner (1803-1874) of Arkansas. The tune tells the famous tale of a lost traveler who encounters a squatter at a leaky cabin, leading to a humorous dialogue about mending the roof. The traveler ultimately wins the squatter’s hospitality by playing the second half or “turn” of the fiddle tune. While the story became associated with Faulkner’s experiences, the tune’s actual composition is disputed—likely written by Jose Tosso, a classical violinist and composer in Cincinnati, where the sheet music was first published in 1847 as “The Arkansas Traveller and Rackinsac Waltz.”

The story became a cornerstone of American folk culture, performed in minstrel shows, vaudeville, and even appearing in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy film “The Music Box,” where Stan and Ollie perform a memorable dance to the tune. The 1922 version by native-Arkansan “Eck” Robertson was among the first fifty recordings named to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, establishing its historical importance. Over the years, the “Arkansas Traveler” has become one of the most recorded tunes in American history, with versions ranging from classical symphonic arrangements by the Boston Pops Orchestra to bluegrass standards.

The tune served as Arkansas’s de facto state song from 1949 to 1963, though no evidence exists of official legislative adoption during this period. It was designated as the official state historic song in 1987. The melody features a traditional AABB structure and has become essential repertoire for old-time and bluegrass musicians.