The Murphy Arts District and Murphy USA have teamed up to present a summer kickoff concert on June 26 with Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist Tab Benoit.
There will be no admission cost to all first responders and health care workers that show I.D. at the entrance. Tickets for the general public will be $5.
Benoit has built a remarkable 30-plus year career on the foundation of his gritty and soulful Delta swamp blues. While acquiring a devoted legion of fans, Benoit has earned five Blues Music Awards, including BB King Entertainer of the Year (twice) and an induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
He has recorded and/or performed with the likes of Junior Wells, George Porter Jr., Dr. John, Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver, to name just a few.
Benoit’s accomplishments as a musician are matched only by his devotion to the environmental health of his native Louisiana wetlands. Benoit is the founder and driving force behind Voices of the Wetlands, an organization working to preserve the coastal waters of his home state. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the iMax motion picture “Hurricane on the Bayou,” a documentary about Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and restore the wetlands.
“We are really looking forward to a night of top-notch blues music at MAD. We want to thank Murphy USA for their partnership and for the idea of celebrating our first responders and health care workers. They are always thinking of ways to give back to the community and we are honored to be a part of it,” said Pam Griffin, MAD president and CEO.
Additional sponsors of the event include Teague Auto Group managed by Karl Malone Auto Group, the Systems Group, South Arkansas Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and HEPCO, Inc.
“This past year has been exhausting and challenging for the first responders and health care workers in our community. We wanted to provide them with a night to relax and listen to some fantastic music as a way of saying thank you” said Don Miller, MUSA community relations ambassador.
The event will take place inside the First Financial Music Hall at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the event will go on sale to MAD members Wednesday, April 14 at 10 a.m. CST, and to the public on Friday, April 16, at 10 a.m. CST.
Tickets will be available for purchase at eldomad.com or by calling the box office at 870-444-3007. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office at 101 E. Locust St. Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Seating for the event will be general admission in socially distanced pods. All CDC public health recommendations will be followed.