Third 'blues summit' to be in Helena, Ark.

" Theme to be decided upon. "

By Heather Gates

Planning is under way for the third Delta Music Heritage Conference, a "blues summit" aimed at promoting tourism in the Delta while preserving the heritage of the music and the culture.

The conference will be May 3-5, 1998, in Helena, Ark. The exact location will be announced later.

Bill Ferris heads a group from the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi that is planning the conference. Joining the group from Ole Miss is: a committee from Helena, Ark., that includes representatives from Phillips Community College, the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Delta Cultural Center; officials from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism; and Conaway Brown Inc., the Memphis-based publisher of BlueSpeak.

"The conference should be seen as a summit for culture, blues and tourism," Ferris said at a March 26 meeting. "There is enormous potential for tourism in this area if we can bring everyone together."

The first conference took place in Memphis in 1994, and brought together more than 100 people for seminars, lectures, panel discussions and brainstorming sessions. The keynote speakers were Ferris and Bob Pittman, the founder of MTV. The focus of the first conference was on the resources and popularity of cultural/heritage tourism.

The second conference, which took place in Greenville, Miss., in September of 1996, focused more on preserving and defending the Delta's heritage. Isaac Tigrett, founder of the House of Blues and Hard Rock Cafe, and author Shelby Foote were the keynote speakers.

The theme of this year's conference will be determined at a meeting May 15 in Helena. Decisions will be made then on speakers and the agenda for the conference.

Anyone interested in information about the Delta Music Heritage Conference should contact Munnie Jordon at 501-338-3690.