By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Event organizers have always intended for East Texas’ musical heritage to play an important role in the J’ville Music Jam, but have lacked the time and resources needed to focus on the historical aspect of the festival. This year they hope Jacksonville’s musical past will play a much more prominent role in the JMJ.

After rocking the event in 2007, Grant Cook has agreed to headline the Jam again this year. Adding an historic element to his set, Cook will spend part of his stage time playing music by many of East Texas’ early music legends — like Johnny Horton and Al Dexter.

“Grant is aware of the musical heritage we have here, and he has offered to spend about 45 minutes of his show playing songs by some of the most successful and talented musicians in this region’s past,” said Johnnie Helm, co-founder of JMJ. “He is also going to be singing some songs by Neal McCoy, and will probably hire a female vocalist to sing some songs by Lee Ann Womack — both of whom are from Jacksonville. It was Roland Brown’s idea to tie our past music into the festival in this way, and I think it’s a great way to advertise that these people were from here.”

Helm said he is currently working to determine what permissions, if any, will need to be sought in order for the music of these other artists to be played at the music jam.

In addition to Cook, JMJ is planning to book six or seven other performers to play throughout the day. Helm said he has received promotional kits from bands across the country, including Austin and Nashville, which are interested in jamming in Jacksonville this year.

According to Helm, he has heard nothing but rave reviews from patrons who attended the event last year.

“Everybody that was there for last year’s finale was just blown away by it. Grant had invited a number of his friends from other East Texas bands to play with him, and together they did an instrumental version of House of the Rising Sun that was really something special,” he said. “Right after that, we were sitting around wondering how we would ever be able to top that this year.”

Helm is still looking for a volunteer with a passion for history and for music, who can help him research Jacksonville’s historical music scene. He said he would eventually like to have enough information and memorabilia to be able to set up an East Texas music museum in town, to be open year-round.

“There have been a few people who have been interested in helping us start a local music heritage museum, but we still need that one person to spearhead the effort and make it their baby. I just don’t have the time to be able to do it myself,” Helm said. “We have family members from some of the entertainers who would be great sources of memorabilia for the museum, but it all hinges on finding somebody who has an interest in taking charge of everything and developing it.”

Organizers of the event are still in need of financial sponsors and volunteers for this year’s Jam. Anyone interested in helping can contact the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce at 903-586-2217.

This year’s event, the third-annual J’ville Music Jam, will take place Saturday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For the first time, this year’s festival will also include a bike rally sponsored by the Jacksonville Police Association — with proceeds benefiting the Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee Counties.

“It has been one of my goals from the very beginning to make this area known for the music and the musicians who have come from here; because we have so much musical history around here,” Helm said. “ I think being able to include music from some of our greatest musicians in the music jam is a great way to help preserve a part of that history.”