Who wrote “Arkansas / How Blest We Are”?

Roger Miller wrote the music and lyrics for the score of Big River.

Who sings it on the Original Broadway Cast album?

Jennifer Leigh Warren as Alice’s Daughter leads “How Blest We Are,” with the company; the comic “Arkansas” is set for the Young Fool.

When was this recording released?

1985, on MCA Records, later reissued by Decca Broadway.

Where does the song fall in the story?

Act II in Arkansas, pivoting from a hometown ode into a funeral hymn at the Wilkes family service.

How Blest We Are Lyrics – Big River

How Blest We Are Lyrics

[Alice's Daughter]
How blest we are
As children of a God so good and true
To understand his moving hand
And, love for me and you
How blest we are
As children of a God
Whose love is real
Enough to touch each one of us
Is part of Him I feel

[Alice's Daughter and Company]
I honor thee, I honor thee
To whom my love is vowed
How blessed be, forever we
Are bound to Him
As now (Amen)
Last Update: September, 28th 2025

Song Overview

Arkansas / How Blest We Are lyrics by Jennifer Leigh Warren — Jennifer Leigh Warren leads the hymn half of the medley, “Arkansas / How Blest We Are,” on the Original Broadway Cast album of *Big River*.

Review and Highlights

Scene from Arkansas / How Blest We Are by Jennifer Leigh Warren — The medley flips from a porch-song two-step to a reverent hymn.

Two moods, one track. “Arkansas” plays like a front-porch ditty - square rhythms, uncomplicated harmony, the comic Young Fool bragging on his home state. Then the floor tilts into “How Blest We Are,” a sincere hymn with gospel coloring that invites the full company to sing in close harmony. That pivot is the point: cornpone into church, innocence into ritual. Roger Miller knows how to tuck character inside style, so the band’s colors - harmonica, fiddle, banjo, trumpet, piano, and rhythm section - carry the shift as clearly as the lyric.

Creation History

The medley sits at Track 15 on the 1985 Original Broadway Cast album of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, first issued by MCA Records and later reissued by Decca Broadway. The album was produced by Jimmy Bowen.

Jennifer Leigh Warren originated the featured solo as Alice’s Daughter, and the hymn “How Blest We Are” was crafted for her voice during rehearsals.

Context for the show: Big River opened April 25, 1985 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, with music and lyrics by Roger Miller and a book by William Hauptman.

Highlights - quick hits

Split-screen storytelling: comic folk song into congregational hymn - a sharp dramatic cut.
Vocal design: solo tenor for the Young Fool gives way to Warren’s gleam over tight choral writing.
Band colors: harmonica flickers at the edges of “Arkansas,” while sustained keyboards and strings support the hymn’s long lines.
Button: the final “Amen” lands quietly - a rare soft landing on an otherwise lively cast album.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Jennifer Leigh Warren performing Arkansas / How Blest We Are exposing meaning — The hymn section centers communal faith and consolation.

Plot

Act II finds Huck with the Duke and King in Arkansas. A guileless local - the Young Fool - gushes about his state in “Arkansas,” and in doing so, tips the con men to the Wilkes family inheritance plot. The scene slides straight into a funeral, where Alice’s Daughter leads “How Blest We Are,” a hymn offered by the townspeople as the impostors work their scheme.

Song Meaning

The frame is ironic. The community’s song of gratitude becomes cover for a swindle. Yet Miller avoids cynicism - he lets the hymn keep its warmth. The number reads as a study in how music reflects setting: public pride turning private prayer, with the orchestra softening its attack to let text and blend carry the moment.

Shot of Arkansas / How Blest We Are by Jennifer Leigh Warren — Rustic to reverent - the medley’s tonal hinge in one image.

Production & instrumentation

The original Broadway pit listed harmonica, fiddle, banjo, guitar, piano, brass and drums, with onstage players used for color. That earth-tone palette keeps the score rooted in Americana while giving the hymn a dignified lift.

Key Facts

Artist: Jennifer Leigh Warren with the Original Broadway Cast
Composer & Lyricist: Roger Miller
Producer (cast album): Jimmy Bowen
Release Year: 1985
Album: Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Label: MCA Records - later Decca Broadway reissue
Track #: 15
Length: about 4:04
Genre: folk-country ballad into hymn - Americana, gospel-tinged theatre
Instruments: harmonica, fiddle, banjo, guitars, piano/keys, brass, bass, drums
Language: English

Questions and Answers

Who wrote “Arkansas / How Blest We Are”?: Roger Miller wrote the music and lyrics for the score of Big River.
Who sings it on the Original Broadway Cast album?: Jennifer Leigh Warren as Alice’s Daughter leads “How Blest We Are,” with the company; the comic “Arkansas” is set for the Young Fool.
When was this recording released?: 1985, on MCA Records, later reissued by Decca Broadway.
Who produced the cast album?: Jimmy Bowen. His producer credit appears on multiple official track uploads from the album.
Where does the song fall in the story?: Act II in Arkansas - it moves from a hometown ode that tips a con into a funeral hymn that the townspeople sing.

Awards and Chart Positions

Big River won seven 1985 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

The 2003 Deaf West revival earned 2004 Tony nominations and later received Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre, with widespread coverage for its ASL-sung staging.

Additional Info

Warren has continued to sing “How Blest We Are” in concert and cabaret settings, underscoring how cleanly the tune stands outside the plot frame.

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