Eddie Cotton

    Newly scheduled performances at the MSU Riley Center this month will celebrate Mississippi music heritage.

    “Singer-Songwriters in the Round” will be held Friday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m.

    Tickets are general admission for $10, which includes the Sparkle & Twang exhibit on display at the MSU Riley Center.

    The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. when Meridian native Don Poythress joins two other Nashville singer-songwriters to share the stories behind their hit songs written for Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Reba McEntire, Bonnie Raitt, Lou Reed, Sheryl Crow and The Martins.

    On Saturday, Aug. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. a symposium will be held at the MSU Riley Center. Registration begins at 10:15 a.m.

    General admission are $15, which includes lunch and the Sparkle & Twang exhibit, followed by enlightening discussions with entertainment mixed in, as experts and musicians discuss Mississippi’s rich musical heritage, the legacy of Jimmie Rodgers, and the intertwined relationships of blues, rock, gospel and country music.

    Featured panelists include: country rock pioneer and Meridian native Chris Ethridge; Barry Mazor, author of “Meeting Jimmie Rodgers” and music journalist for The Wall Street Journal; Scott Barretta, Mississippi Blues Trail and host of MPB Radio’s Highway 61; Edgar Smith, PhD, Mississippi Blues Commission; L.C. Ulmer, Mississippi blues musician who as a young child met Jimmie Rodgers; and Jake Fussell, musician and folklorist.

    On Saturday night “The Next Generation of Blues” concert will feature Eddie Cotton, Grady Champion, Dexter Allen and the Jarekus Singleton Band beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the MSU Riley Center theater. Tickets are $25.

    The audience can expect a high-energy performance of soulful blues infused with gospel and R & B.

    Tickets for these events can be purchased in advance separately or together as a $40 package at MSU Riley Center Box Office.