Press Release: Commodores to Headline 2022 Festival

The Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival announces the iconic R&B/Funk artists and Grammy winning group The Commodores will headline the 25th Silver Anniversary Festival on the downtown Natchitoches riverbank May 21st. Festival Chairman Rodney Harrington said the Board of Directors was determined to make this event the biggest and best.

“We believe that The Commodores are the biggest, most popular group to ever perform on the Natchitoches riverbank, and that’s saying a mouthful,” said Harrington. Their appearance was made possible by the generous sponsorships of the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and the Cane River Waterway Commission, both of which stepped up in a big way to assist us in booking this major act,” Harrington said. 

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The Commodores were discovered by Berry Gordy, head of Motown Records, and went on to sell over 75 million albums worldwide, seven #1 singles, five #1 albums, 20 Top 10 singles and 15 Top 10 albums including “Brick House,” “Sail On,” “Nightshift,” and more. The group is world renowned for their high energy show and will bring their “Greatest Hits Tour  – Live!” to Natchitoches. 

Joining them on stage will be Resurrection – A JourneyTribute Band, from Nashville, Tenn. 

Resurrection has been widely hailed as “The most pitch-perfect recreation of Journey’s music that you will ever hear.”  

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Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs will take the stage as they have for all of the festival’s 25 years.  They will be joined onstage by multiple guest performers including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist and former Elvis Presley bandleader, James Burton.

Burton and the Moondogs will be joined by country artist, Marty Haggard, who will perform a tribute to his late father, the legendary Merle Haggard. “It’s going to be a thrill to perform some of my dad’s songs with James Burton, who played on some of those recordings, including Mama Tried and Working Man’s Blues.  Also, it’s a privilege to perform onstage with a band like the Moondogs.

Also making a guest appearance is local favorite DeShawn Washington, a former performer on The Voice, who recently appeared and performed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

 Washington was invited by the New Orleans Saints to sing the National Anthem before one of the Saints home games in the Superdome last season.

Washington has become a viral sensation on social media with acapella performances and is scheduled to embark upon a national tour in June. 

The full lineup and schedule will be released soon.

Tickets will be going on sale soon and can be purchased online by visiting www.natchjazzfest.com .