May 30, 2003

By Deidra Jackson
University of Mississippi News Services

OXFORD, Miss. — Country music stars Marty Stuart and Merle Haggard use William Faulkner’s fabled home as a backdrop Monday, June 2, to announce plans for a summer tour across America’s heartland.

At noon, the two will unveil details of their “Electric Barnyard Tour” at Rowan Oak on the edge of the University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus.

The singer/songwriters also will perform at the news conference, which is free and open to the public.

“The Electric Barnyard Tour is a rolling country music show that’s part tent show, part revival meeting,” said Stuart, a country music scholar and frequent performer at UM. “I designed the event to play in small towns and rural atmospheres throughout America, taking various forms of country music back to the people.”

Haggard, who is slated to perform a June 1 afternoon concert at UM’s new Ford Center for the Performing Arts, said, “We’re going back to remember the forgotten ones.”

The tour also will feature Stuart’s and Haggard’s backup bands—The Fabulous Superlatives and The Strangers— as well as BR-549, Connie Smith, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, and The Old Crow Medicine Show. The groups will perform at the news conference.

Stuart also will announce the July 1 release of his first album this century, which he bills as his “love letter to the country music genre.”

The news conference will be broadcast live by Nashville’s 650 WSM-AM Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio and via WSM Online.

At age 13 in 1971, Stuart joined legendary Lester Flatt’s bluegrass band as a guitarist. Fusing honky-tonk with a gritty rockabilly backbeat and a fondness for bluegrass, Stuart went on to a successful solo career, recording and producing hit records. He has spent the past few years involved in several projects, including film scores, (All the Pretty Horses, Hi-Lo Country and others); an album and book of words and photographs, Pilgrims; and working as president of the Country Music Foundation.

Hailed by many critics as “the greatest country artist of our times,” Haggard enjoyed an extraordinary streak of 37 straight Top 10 hits including 23 No. 1 singles in a 30-year career span. He is noted for his distinctive brand of music that draws from the uniquely American folk, pop, jazz and blues musical traditions. His songs have been recorded by artists from country to rock ’n’ roll, and have influenced an entire generation of performers.

Related Links
	WSM Online.
	“William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak.” from William Faulkner on the Web.

Do you have a news item about a Mississippi writer? Please send your information to mwp@olemiss.edu.

June 19-22: Ford Center for the Performing Arts, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi

“Oxford Film Festival.” Oxford’s first community-sponsored film festival consists of 4 days of screenings, along with workshops on film-making, screen-writing, etc., for adults and children, juried professional independent and amateur films, presentations and awards. Ticket prices & details TBA. 10 a.m.-midnight daily. For more information, visit the festival web site, www.oxfordfilmfest.com.

June 26-29: The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi

The “Yoknapatawpha Summer Writers’ Workshop” is designed to give poets and fiction writers experience in the art of writing. The workshop features writing practice and critiques, as well as readings and craft presentations. By the end of the four days, participants should emerge with improved writing skills, as well as a greater appreciation for the process from thought to printed page. Open to anyone interested in writing. Pre-registration is required. Tuition for the workshop is $395 per person and includes workshops, lectures, panel discussions, readings, and one evening reception. The registration deadline is Friday, June 6, 2003. For more information, visit the workshop web site, www.outreach.olemiss.edu/summer/yokna_writers/.

If you know of upcoming literary events by or about Mississippi writers, please let us know by writing us at mwp@olemiss.edu. 

The following events are planned for the coming weeks and months. You may wish to begin planning now to attend or participate.

July 20-24, 2003

30th Annual Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi. Information and registration forms available at www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/faulkner/.

October 16, 2003

Elmore Leonard, author of more than 30 novels (including Bandits, Get Shorty, and Tishomingo Blues), numerous film and television productions, essays and commentaries, will read and talk about his career. For more information on Leonard, visit www.elmoreleonard.com/. Elmore Leonard’s new book, When the Women Come Out to Dance, is to be published in November 2003. Johnson Commons Ballroom, The University of Mississippi, 7 p.m. Sponsored by the John and Renee Grisham Visiting Writers Series and the Department of English at the University of Mississippi.

If you know of additional news items for this newsletter or if you have suggestions, please write us at mwp@olemiss.edu.

For more information about events in the Oxford and University of Mississippi community, see the Ole Miss Community Calendar:
www.olemiss.edu/calendar/

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