Oklahoma is perhaps most famous for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical which shares its name, but the culture of the state is far more profound. It reflects the melting pot character of Oklahoma; many cultures have flourished here through the centuries and there is still evidence of Native American, Mexican and Asian influences. The state is also a significant part of the ‘Bible Belt’ and as such religion is woven into the tapestry of everyday life.

Oklahoma’s literary output is extremely rich and the state has served as inspiration and setting for some of the most celebrated works in American literature. These works include Barbara Kingsolver’s Pigs in Heaven, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Toni Morrison’s Paradise. Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath depicts Oklahoma in the time of the Great Depression, when ‘Okies’ were struggling to survive in the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma.

The nature of the state is immortalized in Washington Irving’s A Tour on the Prairies whilst John Joseph Mathews’ Wah'Kon-Tah: Osage and the White Man's Road deals with the relations between Native American’s and the American settlers who usurped them.

Oklahoma has been the setting for a variety of films, the most famous of which is, of course, the film version of the musical Oklahoma! Another Oklahoma film, Far and Away, portrays the state in the time of the pioneers who settled in the state in the early years of America.

Garth Brooks, an Oklahoma native, is one of the most popular artists in the American country music scene whilst the state has also been home to Jazz icon Chet Baker and indie band The Flaming Lips.