NEWPORT -- The rock and country band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, formed in the late 1960s, was heavily influenced by the rockabilly and bluegrass sound that developed in Arkansas, its longtime member John McEuen said.
Now McEuen, whose hits with the band included "Mr. Bojangles," "House on Pooh Corner" and "I Saw the Light," returns to the state today, where he will perform at the 17th annual Depot Days in Newport. He will play 6-7 p.m. on the Front Street stage by the town's old train depot.
The festival, organized by Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce, embraces the musical heritage of the Arkansas Delta. This year's show also features J.R. Rogers, Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, and country music band Exile.
"I've played all over Arkansas before," said McEuen, who lives in Florida. "It's one of my favorite states to tour."
McEuen -- who plays banjo, mandolin and guitar -- said he is most influenced by the bluegrass music that came from Mountain View, where Jimmy Driftwood and Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones reigned.
"Arkansas music is all over the world," he said. "It's one of the pillars, one of the heavy influences."
Boyce took over the Depot Days 15 years ago and has used it to showcase local talent and groups that play country, bluegrass, rockabilly and rock 'n' roll styles that developed in the state.
"This has grown," Boyce said of his festival. "It's not just local folks out for a country picnic. We get serious music aficionados here. We have fans who appreciate that the roots of rock 'n' roll came from here."
Depot Days begins at 12;45 p.m. today, with an opening ceremony followed by musical acts for the next nine hours. J.R. Rogers and the All Stars will play at 3 p.m., Ace Cannon is featured at 4 p.m. and Sonny Burgess and the Pacers will play at 5 p.m.
McEuen will perform at 6 p.m., the Matte Gray Band follows at 7:15 p.m. and Exile plays at 8:45 p.m.
Boyce said that when he was young, he listened to the "bubble gum pop" music of the 1970s until his sister played a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album for him.
"I was taken away by the banjo and mandolin," he said.
Boyce, who prosecutes cases in Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties, opened his Rock 'N' Roll Highway 67 Museum on Hazel and Second streets in 2009 to showcase the musical acts that played the clubs along the road in the 1950s.
"Newport is in the heart of a triangle of Arkansas music," he said. "You've got the mountain music and bluegrass to the west, the rock 'n' roll from Memphis and the rhythm and blues [from the Delta]."
Performers who developed their music along U.S. 67 from Newport to Pocahontas included Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Billy Lee Riley, Rogers, Conway Twitty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
The museum will open from noon to 4 p.m. today, and Rogers and Cannon will be available for photographs and autographs, he said.
"I've been looking forward to Newport all summer," McEuen said. "This is a great area to play music."
Newport's
State Desk on 09/27/2014