Traveling Through Time with Arnett Howard and Ohio’s Greatest Musicians

To honor and educate Ohio during its 2003 Bi-Centennial Celebration, one of the state’s favorite musical sons is transporting schools, churches and community organizations on a tour through time. The history of Ohio songs, their composers and performers will be the vehicle used in Traveling Through Time With Arnett Howard and Ohio’s Greatest Musicians.

Arnett arranged this program from decades of research using the resources of Ohio’s libraries, historical centers, personal interviews, sheet music collections and the world wide web. Arnett Howard has put together a multimedia production of sight and sound to spotlight much of the music born of the state’s songwriters. There are photographs, films, scores, recordings and memorabilia to narrate the stories of Ohio citizens whose musical talents created songs that impacted America and the world and Arnett Howard has compiled those materials to share with students of Ohio history. Below are a few profiles highlighted in the program:

One of Ohio's earliest composers, Dan Emmett, was born in 1815 and he grew up in the rough frontier of Mt. Vernon and Knox County.  Influenced by church hymns, fife and drum militia music and two former slaves who played fiddler and banjo, Dan began composing tunes at an early age and first performed his song "Old Dan Tucker" at age 15 on the Mt. Vernon Village Green.  He perfected the technique of Negro Impersonation, toured the US and England before writing the song that he is most noted for, "Dixie", in 1859.  He died in 1904 after a lifetime of touring as a minstrel star.

In 1894, Isham Jones was born in the mining town of Coalton, (Jackson County) Ohio, birthplace of Ohio's greatest governor, James A. Rhodes and NCR founder John W. Patterson.  While serving in World War I, he collaborated with Findlay, Ohio composer Tell Taylor ("Down By the Old Mill Stream") to create the song "You're in the Army Now".  After his band's first recording (Wabash Blues) sold over two million copies, he was reported to have been given over $500,000 in royalty payments.  His band recorded published over two hundred fifty songs in the first half of the twentieth century including such classics as "I'll See You in My Dreams", "There is No Greater Love", and "It Had to be You".  Ohio's greatest songwriter died in 1956.

Another Ohio songwriter, Tracy Chapman, was born in 1964 in Cleveland, where she learned to play ukulele, piano and guitar.  While in college, she performed on the streets and in coffee houses of Boston's Harvard Square, emerged with a song called "Fast Car" and a legion of fans attracted by her visions of change.  "Give Me One Reason" and "Wedding Song" are two reasons that Tracy Chapman is considered one of the "Greatest Women of Rock and Roll".

Traveling Through Time is a musical journey that will transport audience imaginations from days gone by with memories, like "Beautiful Ohio," exquisite melodies, like "Carmen Ohio," painful tributes like "Four Dead In Ohio," Broadway hits by Ohio lyricists ("Such A Lot of Living To Do") and an assortment of rock, rhythm and blues and hip-hop recordings by homegrown hit makers, like Chrissy Hynde, The Ohio Players, Midnight Star and Eric Carmen.

Call or e-mail today to schedule this performance of Ohio music history!