Sculptor Kevin Kresse speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the atg Pavilion at Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock. Photo: Michael Hibblen
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday in North Little Rock for a pavilion in Argenta Plaza that will eventually house statues and busts of influential musicians who emerged from Arkansas. Artist Kevin Kresse, best known for crafting an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Johnny Cash for the U.S. Capitol, is making the sculptures of 20 musicians who span a broad range of genres, along with Stax Records executive Al Bell.
The first group will be unveiled in September, Kresse said, and will include a replica of the Cash statue using the same mold. Others will be Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharp, Al Green, Glen Campbell, Louis Jordan and Florence Price. Subsequent unveiling ceremonies will take place each year until all 21 statues or busts are on display. In addition to the busts being placed in the pavilion, a second casting will be made of each which will be placed in the hometowns of the musicians.
“It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about for so long that it’s almost surreal that this day is here,” Kresse said in an interview before the ceremony. “It’s the beginning of what I see as a longer adventure with this being the beginning of it. But I see this spreading out around the entire state eventually, hopefully moving on to educational components for kids and everything too.”
Attending the event were private financial donors, state and local tourism officials, representatives of the communities the musicians are from and some of the musicians’ family members. The pavilion is being named after Applied Technology Group, which is headquartered a few blocks away and is owned by Scott and Ruth Landers. The $3 million project is a partnership between North Little Rock Tourism and the nonprofit Argenta Arts Foundation.
“This project will move the needle on tourism not just in the Argenta Arts District, but throughout the state, as well,” said John Goudin, who is the project’s campaign chair. To the financial backers, he said “they’ve never blinked from day one on this project, so thank you all so much.”
Also at the ceremony were Glen Campbell’s youngest sister Sandi Campbell Brink and cousin Steve Campbell, who still lives in Pike County. Glen Campbell was born in the community of Billstown, near Delight, which is also where he was laid to rest in his family’s cemetery after his death in 2017.
Steve Campbell said the second cast of the statue will be placed in a room at the Delight Branch Library. In the meantime, he said in an interview that he’s painting the room and preparing materials that will be placed in there.
“The heritage of music in Arkansas is totally unbelievable. When you start looking at the people that came out of Arkansas and made it so well, it influenced the entire world of music. So Glen being part of it, it thrills us to the core. But all of the others, as well, that there are parts of it, where just the whole nucleus stretches out to the entire state.”
Kresse says the idea of creating a series of statues came to him in 2018 while driving back from the city of Marvell where he had unveiled a bust of Levon Helm, drummer for The Band. He said he had a list in his head of artists he wanted to honor, then began working with radio host Stephen Koch of “Arkansongs” and musician Greg Spradlin. Koch and Spradlin had been working on getting highways named for some of the musicians. But the project was put on hold when Kresse was commissioned for the Cash statue in the U.S. Capitol. Once that was unveiled on Sept. 24, 2024, he then began talking again with Goudin.
The goal, Kresse said Monday, was “for everyone in Arkansas to see the huge cultural impact that the music has had on the whole world and for them to get a real sense of pride of that.”
Also at the ceremony was Jimmy Cunningham, director of tourism development for the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission. Compared to the neighboring states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, he said Arkansas is late in promoting its musical heritage.
“Arkansas’ got such an incredible, incredible music history, with so many greats, so many giants, and so many contributions, but we haven’t curated our narrative. And so, you know, if nobody else tells the story, how is it gonna get out? We gotta do it ourselves,” Cunningham said.
“I’m excited about it because I think Arkansas needs to celebrate its music. It needs to tell the world how important that music is, and this is one way to do it.”
Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis said the pavilion will become a key stop along the Arkansas Music Trail, giving travelers a place to connect to the state’s musician legacy while also boosting economic tourism.
“When visitors come here to see the 21 different busts,” he said, “they’ll stay and explore our restaurants, shops, and the riverfront that North Little Rock has to offer. It’s the power of tourism. It drives our foot traffic, supports small businesses, it strengthens our overall communities, as well as quality of life. It’s what makes Arkansas special, our creativity, our culture, the warm, welcome people that they feel when they arrive.”
Here is the complete list of artists being honored and the cities where second castings of statues and busts will be placed:
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
This story was published in the April 24 issue of The Glenwood Herald.
The tombstone for Glen Campbell and his wife Kimberly at the family’s cemetery in Billstown. Photos: Michael Hibblen
Wednesday, April 22, would have been Glen Campbell’s 90th birthday. The music legend was born in the unincorporated Pike County community of Billstown and is buried in his family’s cemetery there. But he’s more widely known as a native of the nearby town of Delight where he attended school.
He brought national attention to the town by concluding episodes of his television program “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” which ran from 1969 to 1972 on CBS, by saying,“If you’re ever in Delight, Arkansas, come see me.” While he dropped out of school in tenth grade to pursue a music career and left Arkansas, relatives of Campbell still live in the area.
Campbell had a five-decade recording career, first as a session musician, then as a solo artist with a string of hit songs. He released 64 studio albums, selling over 45 million records worldwide. He won multiple Grammy Awards in the country and pop categories, along with other awards and honors. Campbell also acted in several movies, including the 1969 screen adaptation of “True Grit” in which he co-starred with John Wayne.
Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936 to John Wesley Campbell and Carrie Dell Campbell. He was the seventh son of 12 children. His father was a sharecropper in Billstown and the family struggled financially while primarily growing cotton. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas notes that many of Glen Campbell’s relatives were musicians and that he developed an early interest in singing and playing. He received his first guitar at the age of 4, began performing in public by age 6, brought his guitar to school while in kindergarten and occasionally played on local radio stations.
He moved with his parents to Houston, Texas, then joined an uncle’s band in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he began performing in nightclubs. He eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1960 where, as people familiar with Campbell’s career know, his incredible guitar playing led to him being an in-demand studio musician backing a diverse group of world-renowned singers. As part of a loose collective of session musicians who became known as “The Wrecking Crew,” he played guitar on many of the biggest hits of the 1960s, ranging from Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” to the Monkee’s “I’m a Believer.”
Campbell finally found success as a singer in 1967 with “Gentle on my Mind,” followed by the even bigger hits “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman.”
In the subsequent decades he had ups and downs in his personal life, became fodder for the tabloids, but always managed to reemerge to enthusiastic fans. He openly discussed his struggles with alcohol and cocaine, saying he gave up drinking and drugs in 1987. But in 2003 he had a relapse and spent 10 days in an Arizona jail after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
In 2011, Campbell disclosed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, but rather than immediately pull back from public eye, he embarked on “The Goodbye Tour.” He performed around the world, including shows in Little Rock, Fayetteville, Forrest City and Jonesboro. A film crew followed him on that tour and captured the progression of his illness. The documentary “I’ll Be Me” was released in 2014 with the opening scene showing Campbell and his wife Kimberly watching old home movies, but he didn’t recognize himself.
Like his candor years earlier on drug and alcohol abuse, the film is credited with helping to reduce the stigma and shame of a condition that a sizable percentage of people will experience.
Glen Campbell died at a long-term care facility in Nashville, Tenn. on August 8, 2017 at the age of 81. He was laid to rest the following day during a private ceremony in Billstown, returning to the community where his life began.
Visiting Campbell’s grave
Last year I was listening to a podcast on the Beach Boys, which referenced Campbell’s work with the band and that he filled in for Brian Wilson on a tour for about four months after Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown in December 1964. Campbell, who had recorded on several Beach Boys songs, was quickly brought in to play bass guitar and sing high harmonies. It dawned on me that several times a month I drive relatively close to Billstown, but had never gone through.
On an early Sunday morning, Feb. 2, 2025, after dropping off my daughter in Texarkana, I put the cemetery address of 821 Billstown Road into my phone. It counted down the miles until I started passing tombstones and saw a wooden post with a hanging sign that said “Campbell’s Cemetery.”
I parked and first read a historical marker placed by the state which told the story of Campbell’s life. I then started walking among the many gravestones, most with Campbell as the surname, looking for Glen Campbell. I soon found the one for him and his wife Kimberly, who is still alive, and was looking at the little trinkets that I assume have been left by fans. Then I was a little startled to hear a recording of Campbell singing “Amazing Grace.” Looking around, I saw a speaker in a tree and realized it was likely triggered by a motion sensor. But it was perfect to hear on a solemn Sunday morning while paying my respects to someone whose music has deeply impacted my life.
A speaker in a tree that plays Campbell’s recording of “Amazing Grace” when activated by a motion sensor.
The sign for Campbell’s Cemetery at 821 Billston Road near Delight, Arkansas.
I shared this story with my friend Mark Keith, co-publisher of the Hope-Prescott News, owner of the Little River Journal and former owner of the Glenwood Herald, and he told me about his visit to the Campbell Cemetery. Being a musician himself and a radio veteran in the area, he said had previously gotten to know several of Glen Campbell’s relatives, including cousin Steve Campbell.
While driving through Billstown several years ago during the pandemic, he realized he hadn’t seen Campbell’s grave and decided to stop. While he knew about the motion sensor that starts “Amazing Grace,” he too was caught off guard when the song began playing. Then he noticed a long white Chevrolet truck was passing the cemetery.
“So it goes down the road and he stops and backs up. And I thought, oh good lord, I’ve upset the Billstown mafia. Well, Steve Campbell gets out, and I’ve known Steve for many, many years. He plays music, has a group, is a very good singer and a very nice guy,” Keith said.
They visited for a little bit, he said, while maintaining social distancing.
“So I was really tickled to see him and I thought that was a great little story to tell everybody about going to Billstown and running into a real live Campbell there.”
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
I’m excited that an interview I recorded with Willie Nelson 20 years ago is included in a new book. Willie Nelson on Willie Nelson: Interviews and Encounters, which was edited by Paul Maher Jr., is a compilation of transcripts of 31 interviews he has given over the decades about a broad range of topics. The book was released on Sept. 16 by Chicago Review Press.
Michael Hibblen interviewing Willie Nelson in Plantation, Florida on May 26, 2005. Photo: Candace West/Miami Herald
An editor’s note prefacing the chapter that featured my interview said, “One of the many causes supported by Willie Nelson is to combat global warming and crude oil dependence on foreign nations. Here he details to reporter Michael Hibblen his choice to use biodiesel fuel and the formation of BioWillie, his own biofuel company.”
I was working for the Miami Herald when I met Willie on May 26, 2005 as he was refueling three leased tour buses with biodiesel before a show that night with Bob Dylan.
“It’s fuel that can be grown by farmers, and I’ve been involved with the farmers for a long time. I see it as a way for those guys to have a better life — and at the same time it’s good for the environment. It also reduces our dependency on energy from around the world where we could become more self-sufficient,” Willie said.
The cover of “Willie Nelson on Willie Nelson,” which was released by Chicago Review Press.
At the time, he owned a biodiesel station called Willie’s Place, which was located along Interstate 35 in Texas between Dallas and Waco, about 15 miles from his boyhood hometown of Abbott. Behind the station was a six-acre facility capable of producing 3 million gallons of biodiesel fuel a year.
“It’s a truck stop that’s been there for a long time. My friend Carl Cornelius — the joke is that I won it in a poker game, and now I’m trying to lose it back. But it’s a great spot to promote biodiesel because we have a pump there, and we got some BioWillie there, and a big sign, and we’re doing a lot of business with XM Radio.”
A 750-seat theater and radio studios were eventually built there, but after a loan default, Willie’s Place went into foreclosure six years after our interview. It would become a standard truck stop known as Petro Carl’s Corner. The theater and radio studios, along with gold records and other memorabilia, are now gone.
After the interview, Willie performed that night with Bob Dylan at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. It was part of a tour that featured them playing at old ballparks around the country, which Willie told me was Bob’s idea. As I mentioned, they would be playing later that year at Ray Winder Field in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. It would close the following year and was eventually torn down. Likewise, Fort Lauderdale Stadium would be demolished in 2019.
AUDIO: Interviewing Willie Nelson on May 26, 2005 about his use of biodiesel while refueling his tour buses in Plantation, Florida. We also discussed the tour he was on with Bob Dylan, playing mostly in old minor league ballparks.
The text that was republished in the book came from this page on my website, while additional photos are also featured. Audio of the interview was broadcast on South Florida NPR station WLRN-FM 91.3, which had a news partnership sharing content with the Miami Herald.
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
I’m looking forward to seeing Jim Lauderdale play tonight in Little Rock. I’ve been listening to his songs for years, but still don’t feel like I have a true appreciation of his music. I’ve heard he’s great live, so I’m excited to know I’ll be see him performing at Stickyz on Sunday, Oct. 19. Leading up to the show, I played a couple of Lauderdale’s bluegrass songs — including one from his latest album — while filling in last weekend hosting Not Necessarily Nashville on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1. Below is the full playlist for the show.
It’s always a joy filling in for Flap Jones a few times a year. The first time I hosted her program was 35 years ago — that’s how far back she and I go. At that time her show was on KABF-FM 88.3, where I also hosted a program. Flap has enlightened me about so much good country music over the years, and she has many longtime regular listeners. I know the bar is very high whenever I’m sitting in hosting the show.
AUDIO: Not Necessarily Nashville, Oct. 11, 2025 at 7 p.m. on KUAR-FM 89.1.
I also played a reflective song from Joe Ely, who announced last month he has been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, two conditions that significantly affect cognitive and physical functions. He and his wife Sharon are being very open about the diagnosis, with a post on Facebook saying they’re sharing the journey, “not to dwell in hardship, but to bring understanding, awareness and hope through the healing power of music.”
Not Necessarily Nashville playlist Oct. 11, 2025:
Willie Nelson (featuring Loretta Lynn) — “Somewhere Between” (To All The Girls…) Jim Lauderdale (featuring the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys) — “Little Bitty Diamonds” Jim Lauderdale — “All Roads Lead Back To You” (The Bluegrass Diaries) Kathy Mattea — “Life As We Knew It” (Untasted Honey) Waylon Jennings — “I Hate To Go Searchin’ Them Bars Again” (Songbird)
The Byrds — “I Am A Pilgrim” (The Byrds)
The Reivers — “Please Don’t Worry” (Second Story)
Patterson Hood — “Pinicco” (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams)
Alison Krauss — “Poison Love” (Windy City)
Billy Joe Shaver — “Ramblin’ Fever” (Tulare Dust – A Songwriters’ Tribute to Merle Haggard)
Joe Ely — “You Can Bet I’m Gone” (Satisfied at Last)
Iris DeMent — “Let the Mystery Be” (Infamous Angel)
Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris — “Cash on the Barrelhead” (Grievous Angel)
Texas Tornados — “(Hey Baby) Que Paso” (Los Texas Tornados)
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
An amazing project to honor many Arkansas musicians who were influential across a broad range of genres is being planned for North Little Rock. Artist Kevin Kresse, best known for sculpting an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Johnny Cash that was unveiled last year in the U.S. Capitol, is planning to make busts of 19 additional musicians, along with one of industry executive Al Bell.
The busts, which are scheduled to be completed in 2029, will be displayed in the ATG Pavilion in Argenta Plaza. They will be anchored by a full-size replica of the Cash statue, to be made using the same mold that created the statue for the Capitol. I discussed what’s being planned with Kresse and project Campaign Chair John Gaudin on “Arkansas Week,” which aired Friday, August 29 on Arkansas PBS.
In addition to the busts being placed in the pavilion, replica busts will be provided to the hometowns of each musician. Fans travel from around the world to see the places where Cash, Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and others grew up. This will help those communities honor their legacies.
Below is a complete list of the Arkansans being honored and the towns that will receive busts:
Johnny Cash — Kingsland
Louis Jordan — Brinkley
Al Green — Forrest City
Levon Helm — Marvell
Glen Campbell — Delight
Florence Price — Little Rock
Pharoah Sanders — North Little Rock
Lefty Frizzell — El Dorado
William Grant Still — Little Rock
Charlie Rich — Colt
Sonny Boy Williamson — Helena
Scott Joplin — Texarkana
Big Bill Broonzy — Pine Bluff
Jimmy Driftwood — Mountain View
Conway Twitty — Helena
Sister Rosetta Tharpe — Cotton Plant
Granny Almeda Riddle — Heber Springs
Al Bell — North Little Rock
Albert King — Osceola
Ronnie Hawkins — Fayetteville
Howlin Wolf — West Memphis
In the second segment of the program, I talked with Dr. Pearl McElfish, director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institute for Community Health Innovation about efforts to improve maternal health. She provided an assessment of postpartum care, which is especially dire in rural areas. The institute is working to reach new mothers through a combination of telemedicine, mobile clinics and remote monitoring, she said.
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
I sat in for my pal Flap Jones this past weekend hosting Not Necessarily Nashville on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1. It’s always a joy selecting an hour of music to play and discuss.
With only a few days before the Wednesday, March 19 screening of the Arkansas PBS documentary Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash at Robinson Center in Little Rock, followed a week later by Bob Dylan performing at the same venue on Wednesday, March 26, I played two songs Cash and Dylan recorded together. These versions of “Guess Things Happen That Way” and “I Still Miss Someone” were recorded during two days in a Nashville studio in February 1969 and were eventually released a half-century later in 2019 as part of Dylan’s The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15, Travelin’ Thru.
AUDIO: Not Necessarily Nashville, March 8, 2025, 7 p.m. on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1.
I also played a couple of songs from an album by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Scottish musicians Lulie Fowlis and Karine Polwart. Looking for the Thread was released in January and has been a relaxing escape during my work commutes over the last few weeks.
Not Necessarily Nashville playlist, March 8, 2025:
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos – “Johnny Be Goode” (Buck Owens in London) Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart – “Satellite” (Looking For The Thread) Jim Lauderdale “Delta Blue” – (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney) Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash – “Guess Things Happen That Way” (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969) Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash – “I Still Miss Someone” (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969) Glen Campbell – “These Days” (Meet Glen Campbell) Kinky Friedman – “See You Down the Highway” (Poet of Motel 6) Ray Charles and Willie Nelson – “It Was a Very Good Year” (Genius Loves Company) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood – “Some Velvet Morning” (Movin’ with Nancy) Alison Krauss & Union Station – “Looks like The End of the Road” (Arcadia) Sam Moore and Conway Twitty – “A Rainy Night in Georgia” Ringo Star – “Time on my Hands” (Look Up) Tom T. Hall – “I Miss a Lot of Trains” Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart – “Looking for the Thread” (Looking For The Thread)
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
This is the online home of Michael Hibblen, managing editor of Newsroom Ventures, which publishes six Arkansas newspapers. I've worked as a reporter, editor and manager for newspapers, radio and TV stations for more than three decades, with this website telling the story of my career. Also featured are outside interests I've researched. The views expressed here are my own and might not reflect those of my employers.
Preserving the Rock Island Depot at Perry
Since 2017, I've been part of a group working to preserve the former Rock Island Depot at Perry, Arkansas. To keep it from being demolished, we raised money to move the depot to an adjacent lot, still alongside the tracks, which is now owned by the city. The building has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and our group has become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRESERVATION OF THE DEPOT.
My Book
Released by Arcadia Publishing in 2017, Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas delves into the history of the railroad, which once had a huge footprint in Arkansas. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE ABOUT MY BOOK.
For 13 years, from May 2009 to December 2022, I worked for NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That included 10 years as News Director while continuing to anchor and report. You can read and hear reports from that time on Little Rock Public Radio's website.
