NEWPORT — Newport’s yearly music heritage festival has grown to add a day for the sounds that helped put Jackson County on the map.
The 19th annual Depot Days takes place Friday and Saturday on Front Street in downtown Newport.
“Depot Days is not just another local picnic,” said Henry Boyce, festival chairman. “Every little town in Arkansas has some sort of hometown festival. Depot Days, in addition to being Newport’s only hometown festival, was also conceived as paying homage to rock ’n’ roll, primarily the music that was heard along [Highway] 67 on Rock ’n’ Roll Highway in the ’50s.”
The festival has expanded to include a Friday showcase called the Delta Blues Champs. The Deltatones, a Little Rock band, will perform at 7 p.m., and The Memphis All-Stars, a rock and R&B band, will play at 8:15 p.m.
“We just wanted to expand the scope of the festival,” Boyce said. “Most historians agree that rock ’n’ roll is a combination of country and blues. For years, Depot Days has focused on providing lots of country music, and we decided to add a bit more blues to the mix this year.”
Boyce has been involved with Depot Days since its beginnings and calls himself the “promoter, stage manager [and] garbage-can emptier” of the event. Boyce said the festival celebrates the music community that thrived in Newport decades ago.
“Newport had a couple music venues, honky tonks, juke joints, all up and down 67,” he said. “All of the major Sun Records stars who pioneered basically the rock ’n’ roll sound Elvis Presley gets the most credit for creating played in those clubs.”
Those artists included Billy Lee Riley, Bobby Lee Trammell and Sonny Burgess & The Legendary Pacers, a band that plays at Depot Days each year. Other acts that will take the stage this year are The Jimmy Dunham Family, The Zyndall Raney Band, Ace Cannon and others.
There are several reasons why the festival proves popular each year, Boyce said, including a barbecue contest (which costs $40 to enter), children’s activities and other family-friendly attractions.
“It’s free; secondly, it’s located in a neat spot right by the Iron Mountain railroad in Newport,” he said. “The depot has been restored and is kind of the backdrop to the whole scene for the crowd. Throughout the day, trains come by and add a little more of a feel for the nostalgia that trains bring.”
Julie Allen, executive director of the Newport Chamber of Commerce, said the festival celebrates the rock ’n’ roll history of Jackson County, along with the pioneers of that music.
“I think that the lineup this year has something for everyone,” she said. “From gospel to rockabilly, blues, soul, old-time rock, there is something for everyone’s taste.”
Genres such as R&B, Memphis soul, early rock ’n’ roll, classic country and zydeco will be heard at Depot Days.
“I’m the talent shopper; I’m the talent buyer,” Boyce said. “I run a lot of traps and always have my ear to the ground as to bands that are playing. We’re established now, so a lot of music agents and musicians themselves looking to play festivals actually contact us and are forwarding samples of their music all the time. I pay a lot of attention to YouTube and other sources of new and up-and-coming bands, and I appreciate, personally, a variety of music myself.”
Jason D. Williams, the festival’s headliner, is a “wildcat piano player,” Boyce said. Williams is scheduled to perform at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.
“He’s a high-energy piano player without question, inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis, and has a wild style,” he said. “He’s an acrobatic performer. He’s been known to do flips on his piano, swing from the rafters.”
Boyce said several bands have their own fans who will support their performances at Depot Days and that the festival also has its own regulars.
“We’ve got a loyal fan base now,” he said. “It’s not uncommon for us to see people coming in from England, Sweden, Australia, to catch a glimpse of living legends.”
Boyce advised event attendees to bring a cooler, lawn chair and “good pair of feet.”
Construction is underway in Newport on its new downtown entertainment park, which will include a permanent stage and veterans memorial. Allen asked those interested in attending Depot Days to “please excuse our mess.”
“Newport and Jackson County has such a rich heritage when it comes to music entertaining, and we just hope people come out and enjoy those rock ’n’ roll pioneers and those that are carrying the torch into the future,” she said.
For a full schedule and more information, visit depotdays.org.
Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.