Anniversary Soul Showdown concert is this weekend

The community is invited to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Southern Soul Showdown, which is set for Saturday at the Union County Fairgrounds, said Michael Jackson of Mr. Mike’s Productions, who is presenting the show.

Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Today is the last day to purchase advance tickets for $30. The price goes up to $35 prior to the show Saturday and $40 at the gate. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $60. Coolers are allowed inside the gate for $5 each.

The concert will feature a battle between blues/southern soul heavyweight T.K. Soul and R&B/neo-soul crooner Calvin Richardson. Both have become favorites among local fans of the musical genres.

Known as the “Bad Boy of Southern Soul”, TK Soul has performed in El Dorado numerous times over the years and has been named the winner of the SSS on several occasions.

Richardson has won local audiences over with only a handful of appearances in El Dorado since October of 2019, Jackson said.

Richarson’s melodic R&B and neo-soul sounds are heavily influenced by vintage soul music of the 1960s and 70s, hip-hop and the R&B/neo-soul movement of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Showdown 2020 will also feature Donnie Ray, Britt Foxx and Kiko, all of whom are highly sought-after performers on the blues/southern soul circuit. P2K will host the show and DJ Big Daddy will be on hand to provide musical entertainment.

Jackson said he is hoping concert-goers will bring their lawn chairs and coolers to help him celebrate the milestone anniversary of Showdown, which was launched in 2006.

He said plans are already under way for another milestone anniversary: Soul Fest — also a Mr. Mike’s event that is held annually at the fairgrounds and features blues, southern soul, R&B and funk music — turns 20 next year.

Soul Fest and the Showdown have become two of the most highly-anticipated events in the Mid-South region, drawing hundreds of people, including a number of out-of-town visitors, to the fairgrounds each year.

Soul Fest was born in 2002 from a love of music and a desire to grow and add some variety to the local live-music/ entertainment scene, Jackson said.

As owner of Mr. Mike’s CDs and Tapes (also known as Mr. Mike’s Music and Artwork), which opened in 2000 at 1309 E. Hillsboro, Jackson said event promoters often leave fliers in his store to advertise area concerts.

Many were blues and southern soul-oriented shows that were attracting large audiences, including people from El Dorado, to other cities around the region.

Jackson had already begun booking concerts, mostly indoors, in El Dorado and had developed relationships with other concert promoters and musical artists.

“I thought, shoot, I’m helping them get people from El Dorado to their shows in other cities in Arkansas and places like Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and I love music, so why don’t I see if I can bring some live music to the people here and try to bring some people from out of town,” Jackson said.

“Plus, I was selling a lot of the artists’ music at the store and I saw which CDs were people were buying,” he added.

Soul Fest took off two years after the opening of Jackson’s music store and the Showdown followed Soul Fest four years later.

Jackson said he planned Showdown in response to requests he received to present another outdoor concert before fall and winter temperatures set in.

Soul Fest is typically held in late spring/early summer and Showdown, which started off as an early-fall event, has been moved to August.

Both have become consistent stalwarts in El Dorado’s annual lineup of live-music events, including MusicFest, a two-day festival and the city’s largest outdoor event that is presented each fall by Main Street El Dorado and the Murphy Arts District.

Jackson said ticket sales are going well for Showdown 2020, adding that many people who attended Soul Fest on June 13 said they had also made plans for Showdown.

Food vendors will be on-site for Showdown and COVID19 safety guidelines will be enforced.

Tickets may be purchased in advance at Mr. Mike’s Music and Artwork in El Dorado; Special Touch in Camden; JB’s in Crossett; Golden Girls in Warren; Record Rack in Pine Bluff; Golden Lady in Texarkana; Ugly Mike’s in Little Rock; and LBK’s in Farmerville, Louisiana.

For more information, call Jackson at 870-866-7441.