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It’s not just the headliners Spin Doctors and their openers Pilotdrift who will shake and spice up the music scene at Jump, Jive and JamFest on Saturday, May 17, in downtown Texarkana.

Cherryholmes and Wild Magnolias may be very different acts, but both have a claim to rich and authentic forms of American music. They’ll bring their talents to this year’s festival.

Wild Magnolias will get it rolling Friday, May 16, for the JJJ Kick-Off Party and BBQ at the ArtSpark on 4th and Main streets.

Direct from the wonderful stew of New Orleans music, the Wild Magnolias are an institution—Mardi Gras Indians dressed in the elaborate, homemade, feathered outfits created by working-class, black social organizations from the Big Easy. The carnival show band parades, sings and entertains during Mardi Gras and other times of celebration.

The group is led by Big Chief Theodore Emile “Bo” Dollis, a New Orleans native who became the “big chief” in 1964. The Wild Magnolias have taken their good times music as far as Carnegie Hall in New York City, London, Nice, Berlin and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.

“They’re a good addition to the festival because they do things in the festival style,” said Nita Fran Hutcheson, the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council’s director of marketing and development.

Wild Magnolias starts playing at 7:30 p.m. that Friday night with gates open for the kick-off party at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 and include the barbecue picnic buffet, a TexRep mystery experience, JJJ entertainment preview and the Wild Magnolias show.

With their own energized whirl on bluegrass music, Cherryholmes also dips its musical toes in some deep traditions of American music. They play on the main JJJ day, Saturday, starting at 2:45 p.m., on the Scott Joplin Stage.

Since starting nearly from scratch in 1999, they’ve hit it big on the bluegrass scene, garnering a Grammy nomination in 2006 and been named entertainers of the year in 2005 by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

A genuine family band whose members have learned some of the instruments as they’ve gone along, the group is led by Jere (“Pop”) and Sandy Lee (“Mom”) Cherryholmes. Cia Leigh, BJ, Skip and Molly Kate join their parents for the lively bluegrass fun, members taking turns singing lead and each with unique musicianship to share.

On that youthful note, starting at 12:30 p.m. on that Saturday, Paul Green’s School of Rock All-Stars will bring the rocking spirit to the Scott Joplin Stage. That’s the touring group made up of the School of Rock’s best students.

The Paul Green School of Rock Music has 41 branches across the country, and as a performance-based school it teachers kids ages 7 to 18 about rocking out and being good rock musicians.

You just may catch these kids in the future’s hip bands.

Several local acts are also featured on the main Jump, Jive and JamFest day—both in the morning and afternoon on Saturday.

One of them, Olive & Iron, consists of family making music together with the brother duo of David Magness (on guitar and vocals) and Justin Magness (on drums). They’re joined by their dad Kale on bass, Casey Lauterbch on electric guitar and Stephen Dumas on keyboard.

“We’ve added a lot to our band—a larger, more dynamic sound,” said David Magness.

The Christian rock band has been around about six years, playing regional shows all over the South.

Ida Myrtis, a band with two married couples rocking together, has been playing Texarkana venues for the past year.

“We’re really influenced by the late ‘60s music—The Beatles, Pink Floyd and The Doors,” said Mark Meadows.

The band recently completed an EP and hopes to go back to the studio and record more original material soon.

“It’s a good vibin’ band. We all enjoy each other’s company,” Meadows said.

Country Plus Band, the Oaklawn Opry’s regular house crew of musicians, will also join the band roster on Saturday. They’ve logged many miles together.

“We’ve been together 16 years and of course we perform at the Opry every Saturday night. We do traditional country, gospel and some top 40. We have a seven-piece band,” said Henry Matthews.

Matthews plays the steel guitar and fiddle, and he’s joined by Roger Stalcup on lead guitar, Roy Dale Bray on bass, Chip Bricker on keyboard and vocals, Terry McCasland on the sax and vocals, and Steve Payne on rhythm guitar.

West Kimble and The Texas Specials, The Big Easy’s house band that plays Tuesday nights at the downtown East Broad Street club, will be sharing the bittersweet sound of the blues on Saturday morning from the Scott Joplin Stage.

“They’re going to do some original blues and some blues everybody should know,” said Red Stoker, owner of The Big Easy.

For Texarkana, these acts add up to some seriously diverse musical entertainment.

“There’s something for everybody here,” said Hutcheson.