Old Time Resource of the Week: Deep dive into Arkansas Traveler

The story and backstory of this iconic fiddle tune is worth reading. Plus, how many fiddle tunes have their own Wikipedia page?

It all appears to start in 1847 — not far back as some of our tunes — in the minstrel era. If they had had radios, this would be Top 40.

I first heard the comedy routine done by the Stanley Brothers as How Far to Little Rock and its sequel, Still Trying to Get to Little Rock.

And now the tune lives on in the children’s song, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee.