The Gulf States Newsroom’s Joseph King went to a few games at the 76th annual Choctaw Indian Fair to report on one of the oldest sports in the nation.

Our guest is the late singer, pianist and swamp pop hero, Tommy McLain, who passed away in July 2025. He told us how much he enjoyed being on the road, singing for new audiences. Tommy’s known in Louisiana for his hit cover in 1966 of “Sweet Dreams” and his contributions to swamp pop. He also recorded gospel music, wrote songs for Freddy Fender and toured with Dick Clark’s Road Shows in the 1960s. Tommy went back in the studio later in life with Elvis Costello and producer C.C. Adcock to record a 2022 album I Ran Down Every Dream. Entertaining was a constant for him since his early days in Pineville, LA, singing for his family and listening to the Grand Ole Opry. But his whole path changed when he went to a concert nearby in Alexandria.

Baton Rouge guitarist, harp player and singer Kenny Neal is a second-generation leader in the city’s blues scene, born into a family of ten children. Kenny’s father Raful Neal was a noted harmonica player, influenced by Little Walter and played in a local band with Buddy Guy. Raful Neal’s friend Slim Harpo gave son Kenny Neal his first harmonica at age three. Kenny started playing bass for his father at thirteen and went on to Buddy Guy’s band. Later, he recruited his siblings to form the Neal Brothers Blues Band. In 1989, Kenny recorded a breakout swamp blues LP Big News from Baton Rouge for Alligator Records. His fine guitar work and harmonica, as well as authoritative voice, carried him forward making sixteen more records. Kenny carries on the Baton Rouge blues tradition. Let’s go to to the Juke Joint stage at West Baton Rouge Parish Museum with Kenny Neal.

Whether Essence Fest is changing or simply growing depends on who you ask. The Gulf States Newsroom's Tanner Riley attended the 2026 festival. Here's what he saw.

This is American Routes for the Fourth of July weekend, celebrating our country’s 250th year and more live music recalling the fiftieth anniversary of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center. Including Afro-French zydeco and blues from South Louisiana accordionist Jeffery Broussard, classic folk songs from Johnette Downing and Scott Billington, Bentonia, Mississippi, blues from guitar slinger Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, and the latest Cajun French stylings of Louis Michot and band. First, here’s John Fenn, Head of Research and Programs at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, to tell a bit about the Center’s work and legacy over the last half century.

With record crowds, extreme heat, and packed streets expected in downtown New Orleans this weekend, here’s how to move through Essence Fest 2026 safely, smoothly and like you’ve done it before.