Chesnutt, Byrd, and Cupid to Headline Jazz/R&B Festival on Saturday, May 13th!

Celebrating 26 years of bringing this regional musical event to the downtown historic district and Cane River Lake, the festival offers a variety of music from jazz, and rock to soul and country.

The Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival truly promises something for everyone. The Festival will be held on Saturday, featuring three stages of music on the historic and picturesque downtown riverbank in Natchitoches with food vendors onsite.

This year’s festival will kick off on Friday with what organizers are calling “A Tribute to Music Legends” which will feature two extremely popular acts out of Atlanta, Georgia: Elton Live!, which features an artist performing the music of Sir Elton John with the look, style, and sound of the “Rocket Man,” followed by the Purple Madness, a tribute to the music of Prince.

Both of these acts are widely acclaimed as being among the most authentic recreations of the music of those iconic artists in the world.

In addition to the acts performing on the main stage, there will be more than 15 local and regional acts performing on other stages, appealing to a wide variety of musical tastes, including Rock & Roll, Country, Zydeco, Alternative, Swamp Pop, and yes, lots of Jazz and Rhythm & Blues.

The 26th Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival will be held on the downtown riverbank on May 12-13, 2023 and as usual, the Main Stage lineup features artists who will appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes.

Headlining the event on Saturday night, May 13th will be what festival organizers are calling “A Double Shot of Country” featuring classic Country hit makers Mark Chesnutt and Tracy Byrd.

This duo was among Country Music’s most popular artists in the 90s and early 2000s, combining more than 50 hit singles and at least 10 No.1 hits on the Country charts. Both artists received numerous CMA and AMA awards and Byrd’s single, “The Keeper of the Stars,” was named Song of the Year and Single of the Year by those organizations.

Chesnutt and Byrd don’t tour together, but their paths often cross on the road and they have a shared history of growing up and cutting their musical chops in the Beaumont, Texas area. In fact, they have often been referred to as “The Beaumont Boys.”

The double-shot of country will be preceded on that stage by a single-shot of Rhythm & Blues/Swamp Pop/Soul in the person of the legendary Cupid of “Cupid Shuffle” fame.

This Louisiana native is responsible for starting an international dance craze with his double-platinum hit “The Cupid Shuffle.” In fact, in 2008, Cupid set a Guinness record for the largest line dance when he had over 17,000 people in Atlanta, Georgia dancing to that song.

Cupid is widely known for his high-energy performance that will no doubt have the crowd on its feet and dancing along.

In addition to these hit-makers, the Main Stage lineup on Saturday will offer a heavy dose of Rhythm and Blues, along with Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Rock & Roll.

Kicking off the day will be the high-energy B Cam and the Zydeco Young Bucks out of Shreveport, followed by the Houston-based Klockwork Band, a Soul and Rhythm & Blues show band that is returning by popular demand after last year’s great performance.

Regional favorite R&B/variety show band, Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs will be returning to perform at the festival for the 26th straight year presenting their unique brand of high-energy, horn-driven music.

Of course, there will be lots of food vendors and tons of activities for the kids at this family-friendly event.

*No umbrellas or ice chests are allowed*

* No chairs are allowed in front of or adjacent to the main stage. Chairs are allowed at the side stages. *