Brought To You By Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival
Craig Morgan and Chapel Hart are set to headline Main Stage lineup at Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival May 10-11.
According to Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival organizers, their 27th festival is scheduled to be held on May 10th and 11th on the downtown Natchitoches riverbank and is going to feature one of the most musically and culturally diverse main stage lineups in the festival’s history.
According to entertainment committee member Greg Burke, this year’s talent lineup may be the best in the festival’s 27 years.
“Oh it’s going to be absolutely spectacular”, said Burke, unable to restrain his excitement. “The main stage is all booked and scheduled and now we just have to fill out the other stages.” According to Burke, there will be approximately twenty bands on three stages over the festivals two days. This year’s festival is headlined by country music superstar Craig Morgan who is set to perform on Saturday night at around 9:00 p.m.
Craig Morgan has been a country hit maker for over a quarter century and during his award winning career has had seventeen charting country hits including the number ones “That’s What I Love About Sunday” and “Redneck Yacht Club”. Morgan is known for his high energy performances and is also a huge supporter of the military and veterans causes in fact, he currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Opening for Morgan is the super hot Nashville group “Chapel Hart” who were finalists on the hit television show “America’s Got Talent” a few years ago and then emerged again on the show’s special “Fantasy League” series which aired just a few weeks ago.
Millions have seen them on TV, they are selling out venues nationwide performing their number one hit “You Can Have him, Jolene” and many others.
Preceding “Chapel Hart” will be regional favorites “Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs” who have been hailed as “Louisiana’s top show band” and are the only band to have appeared in all twenty six previous festivals. They are making this a stop on their 30th anniversary “Over the Moon Tour” and promise some “special surprises” during their performance. The Moondogs performance is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. As always, they’ll deliver a high quality and high energy mix of rock and roll and R&B horn-driven favorites.
Taking the stage at 3:40 p.m. is a group offering some international flavor to the festival. “The Young Ones” International Latin Band are a band comprised of NSU music students who all hail from South and Central American countries. These super talented musicians will be performing a unique mixture of rock and roll, jazz, and rhythm and blues, all with a Latin flavor in their tribute to the music of Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and Bruno Mars.
At 2:20 p.m., Natchitoches will “experience the difference” with the Natchitoches R&B, soul, blues, and jazz based “On Point” band with a crowd pleasing mix of Motown and R&B classics with some contemporary hits thrown in.
The music on the main stage will start off with a bang at 1:00 p.m. with the amazing zydeco and R&B show performed by South Louisiana zydeco sensations “Mason Trail and Zydeco Rhythm” out of Lake Charles. They’ll have the crowd dancing early with a eclectic repertoire of modern zydeco along with traditional authentic zydeco music with a R&B flavor.
The festival begins on Friday, May 10th with “Tribute to Legends Night”. Appearing first at 7:00 p.m. will be “Lone Star Skynyrd”, the award nominated Lynyrd Skynrd tribute act from Texas which faithfully recreates the atmosphere and energy of Lynyrd Skynrd concerts. Closing out Friday at 9:00 p.m. will be “Rumours-ATL”, the award winning Fleetwood Mac tribute band out of Atlanta, Georgia which is widely recognized as the ultimate Fleetwood Mac tribute with its note for note recreation of the Mac’s hit songs.
According to Burke, the festival committee is still working on filling out the lineup on the other two stages, but promises that as always the wide variety of quality music, including lots of jazz and R&B, but featuring other genres of music as well. As always, the festival will feature many great vendors for food and other items, and a kids area for the young ones.
Early bird discount ticket pricing is in effect right now and for a limited time purchasers of tickets will go into a drawing for a Natchitoches “Getaway Giveaway” valued at over $1,000.00. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.natchjazzfest.
