A music-filled March

We love music in the Arkansas Delta! The region has a rich history, and our musical heritage ranges from blues to gospel to rockabilly and everything in between. From Johnny Cash to Albert King to Conway Twitty to William Warfield, the eastern region of Arkansas was home to musicians who changed music.

In March, two great groups will perform in the Arkansas Delta.

The award-winning Oak Ridge Boys perform at Forrest City’s EACC Fine Arts Center on March 12. The group, with its distinctive four-part harmonies, has earned Grammy, Dove, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards over the last 40 years. The group has scored 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album—plus one double platinum single—and had more than a dozen #1 singles and over 30 Top 10 hits.

The Oak Ridge Boys point to Arkansas Delta native Johnny Cash as one of their earliest and strongest supporters at the beginning of their career. Cash encouraged the group, booked them for his Las Vegas show, and made them believe in themselves, their talent, and their music.

The Oak Ridge Boys have performed for five presidents, and they have become one of the most successful groups in history, still performing some 150 dates each year at major theaters, fairs, and festivals across the U.S. and Canada. In 2015, the group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the March 12 concert range in price from $31.20 to $39. For more information or to purchase tickets, log on to www.EACC.edu or phone 870-633-4480.

From their “home” aboard the Steamboat Natchez in New Orleans, the DUKES of Dixieland take to the stage of the Fowler Center in Jonesboro on March 17.

The group performs on the steamboat for 45 weeks every year, but also continue to schedule concerts throughout the United States and across the world. You’ll find them playing with symphonies as well as performing from stages at the world’s best festivals. And if you think you’ll only hear Dixieland tunes at one of their concerts, you’d be wrong. The DUKES play New Orleans music, ranging from Dr. John to Fats Domino, as well as many of their own original tunes. Their musical repertoire includes nearly 400 songs.

Tickets range in price from $15 to $30. For more details, visit the Fowler Center website at www.yourfowlercenter.com or phone 870-972-3471.

Now…put the two groups “together” and you have the Oaks and DUKES! Check out this video of the two groups performing together, from their CD, When Country Meets Dixie.