Chapel Hart is a trio of Mississippi women who sing pure country music the way it was meant to be sung. The group was a huge hit when they competed on America’s Got Talent and their talent propelled them to a spot on the 2023 CMA Television Awards show with their original hit, “You Can Have Him, Jolene.” Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindale combine their Mississippi roots with Louisiana spunk to put on a high energy show that will show you why they were inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country in 2021. www.chapelhart.com
The Big Dam Horns play your favorite party and dance tunes from the 1960’s through today. Taking their name from Little Rock’s iconic bridge, the 12-member group brings its horn infused one-two punch of jazz, blues, soul and R&B with a little rock and roll thrown in for good measure. They will have you stomping your feet, clapping your hands and dancing the night away. www.facebook.com/TheBigDamHorns
Kish and Pamela will bring their rocking contemporary country sound to the stage and be sure to entertain you. Kish Moody and Pamela Hopkins, who returns from tour the week before Depot Days, will play many of your favorites and some original music currently on country radio! Get ready for a fun show full of energy and sing along with your favorites. www.pamelahopkinsmusic.com
Two gifted musicians, Cameron Kimbrough and Damion “Yella P” Pearson, better known as the Memphissippi Sounds, bring their custom blend of urban Memphis hip-hop and north Mississippi hill country blues to the stage. The blues will reach right into you as you hear Yella P on the harmonica or listen to the two riff on their guitars. It will be clear why their debut album received a Blues Award nomination for Best Emerging Artist Album. You’ll see for yourself why they are a King Biscuit Blues Festival favorite. www.memphissippisounds.com
Contemporary Christian band Crutchfield from Malvern, Arkansas will kick off music at Depot Days. Crutchfield has opened for well-known Christian groups like Crowder and Skillet and will bring their blend of a little rock, a little country, a little pop and a whole lot of faith to the Terry Scoggins Memorial Stage in the Front Street Park in downtown Newport. www.crutchfieldtheband.com
Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters legacy group still reflects the entire Legendary Drifters presence in the music industry, weaving a blend of nostalgic magic and on-stage excitement with a 21stcentury twist. Music’s Drifters represent more than the story of a single group’s success. Changes in personnel and management have led over the years to the sprouting of many Drifters permutations, but 1953 original Bill Pinkney has used the name continuously since the 1950s, and his legacy continues. Clyde McPhatter (Mount Lebanon Gospel Singers), Bill Pinkney (The Southern Knights), and Gerhart and Andrew Thrasher (The Thrasher Wonders) met while singing in gospel groups. When Atlantic Records rejected McPhatter’s trial group, these four men joined forces, signed individually with the company, and established in 1953 the foundation upon which a music legacy was subsequently built. Thirty-five years later in 1988, originals McPhatter, Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher and four later Drifters, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, and Rudy Lewis, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They continue the great legacy of Ambassador Bill Pinkney with dignity, pride, and respect.
Many consider Marty Haggard’s dad, Merle Haggard, as the greatest singer/songwriter ever. Growing up, Marty was able to travel with his dad and witness the writing and recording of all his great songs. He also had the opportunity to know many of the country greats like Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell and Johnny Cash, just to name a few. In 1979, Marty began touring with his own band, signing with Dimension Records in 1981. From 1983 to 1985, Marty toured with his dad, playing guitar and singing harmony. Marty signed with MTM Records in 1986 and released Trains Make Me Lonesome, which garnered a nomination as best new male vocalist. Marty’s love for his dad and his music eventually inspired him to begin a new project, which he titled A Tribute to Merle Haggard “My Dad.” In 2010, he recorded the first album of this project with a 15 song CD of Haggard classics. In 2011, Marty released A Tribute to Merle Haggard “My Dad” Volume 2. He then took the show on the road throughout the country plus Canada, Ireland, Scotland and England. As Marty’s song Apple proclaims, “the apple never falls too far from its tree.”
The Remnants of Rock is composed of original band members that started out together in 1968, with the addition of the current keyboard player. The Remnants deliver a Branson-style show featuring “the best music from Rock’s golden era 1959-1969 including classic songs by the Animals, Beach Boys, Beatles, Righteous Brothers, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Four Tops, Temptations and the Memphis and Motown sound. The group covers only Billboard’s Top 40 hits, and the majority of the songs are #1 hit records from the era. The band’s goal is to successfully recreate the music of the 1960s as authentically as possible.
Andre Lindsey, also known by his stage name BACKDRAFT, has performed with many artists including Carl Thomas, Gerald Levert, Dave Hollister, Montell Jordan, Fred Hammond, and Keith Urban just to name a few. His song writing ability and stage presence has been hailed as energetic and on fire by most reviewers and critics. Being a native of Magnolia, Arkansas, Backdraft is no stranger to the southern hospitality that is offered in the state.
His singing career, like most artists, started in the church. It was there that he learned to play drums and bass guitar. Backdraft recorded three gospel CD’s before continuing to write songs and perform in the secular world. “My love of music period is why I sing everything that makes me feel good, especially old school music.”
Backdraft is definitely no rookie to the stage nor to the crowd. His performances always seem to end in an energetic pleasing of the palates of music lovers everywhere.
The Jimmy Dunham Family is a family that loves playing Gospel music and have been playing for over 40 years. Jimmy, his daughter Brenda and Brenda’s son David have an interesting blend of Southern Gospel to what some may say is “Rocking Gospel.” The family has traveled all over Arkansas and the surrounding states performing at churches, family reunions, and just about anywhere they are invited to play. One of the highlights each year is when the family gets to take part in the Annual Depot Days festival in their hometown of Newport.
