An Arkansas Originals Music Culture Program
Celebrating Pioneers of the Arkansas River Delta Blues
An Arkansas Originals Music Culture Program
Celebrating Pioneers of the Arkansas River Delta Blues
Our Heritage
The Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail is dedicated to preserving the rich blues heritage of the region. Through music education and storytelling, we honor the musicians who helped shape the Blues genre and the American music industry.
These stories are foundational to our history as a state and southern culture, and the Trail helps connect people to the soul of Arkansas pioneers and the influential music they created. It's entertainment, but it is also educational, establishing a common thread and inspiring hope in future talents who are drawn down the same path.
Honoring Arkansas Legends
Celebrating and Collaborating
The Arkansas River Delta shaped the foundation of American blues and influenced music traditions worldwide, yet many of its artists remain largely unrecognized. This gap represents both a cultural responsibility and an economic opportunity for Delta communities.
The launch of the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trial is an inaugural preservation program offered through its philanthropic partner, Arkansas Originals, which champions the people, places, and projects that define Arkansas culture.
As the pilot program of Arkansas Originals, the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail catalyzes the state’s first regional heritage music tourism collaboration. Rather than isolated markers or city-specific installations, the Trail creates a connected, research-driven experience that honors influential but often overlooked Delta musicians.
Through permanent markers, QR-enabled digital storytelling, community events, and a future Trail app, the program transforms Arkansas’s musical legacy into a dynamic cultural, educational, and economic asset for the region.
To start, the first six honorees have been announced along with fundraising and partnership efforts to complete all historical markers and planned events over the next twelve months. Additional markers celebrating historical blues legends will be unveiled across key cities such as Little Rock, North Little Rock, Scott, and surrounding towns in the Arkansas River Delta, with events and educational resources highlighting each artist’s story and musical legacy.
2025 Honorees
The first set of the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail honorees are:
- Bobby Rush (Emmett Ellis, Jr.), GRAMMY-winning showman and "King of the Chitlin' Circuit"
- Big Bill Broonzy (Lee Conley Bradley), Folk-blues ambassador and Delta-to-Chicago bridge
- Ellis CeDell Davis, slide guitar innovator with punk-blues edge
- Larry "Totsy" Davis, electric blues songwriter of "Texas Flood"
- "Tail Dragger" Jones (James Yancey Jones), a renowned American Chicago-style blues singer
- "Queen Sylvia" Lee Burton, one of the first Black women to lead blues bands in the Delta
Join Us
Help Honor Arkansas Legends
The Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail connects communities from Scott to Little Rock and Pine Bluff, honoring artists who shaped American blues and activating new opportunities in heritage tourism, education, and local economic growth.
Development & Funding Partners
Celebrating & Preserving Arkansas Culture
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Keep up with our events and news releases as the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail becomes a reality and catalyst for the state's first regional heritage music tourism network.