FERRIDAY, La. &045; From an impromptu performance by Grammy winner Aaron Neville of New Orleans to the sounds of the Louisiana Cavalcade cast, the second Delta Music Festival was packed full of Louisiana flavor.

Hundreds flocked to the event in downtown Ferriday for a day of music, food and fun &045; and to see the induction of Neville, the late Conway Twitty and the late Gov. Jimmie Davis into the Delta Music Hall of Hame.

What they got was not only an impromptu performance by Neville &045; a rendition of &uot;C’est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)&uot; that brought cheers from the crowd and brought many to the &uot;dance floor&uot; up front.

In addition, Neville toured the town’s Delta Music Museum, which now includes exhibits for him, Davis and Twitty, and signed autographs and posed for pictures with locals for more than 30 minutes.

&uot;I’m speechless,&uot; Neville told the crowd after being presented his award plaque by Secretary of State Fox McKeithen. &uot;I didn’t know what to expect &045; and now I see all these people out here to greet me.&uot;

&uot;It’s a great honor&uot; to be recognized along with Conway Twitty, Neville said in an interview prior to the presentation. &uot;He was great &045; he had so much to contribute.&uot;

Michael Twitty, Conway Twitty’s son, said his father was never one for awards. &uot;He said his best award was the people loving his music,&uot; said Michael Twitty, whose band performed his father’s hits at the festival.

But he also expressed gratitude at the recognition the Hall of Fame gave his father Saturday. &uot;I’m very proud and honored,&uot; he said. &uot;I never get tired of being around people who love and respect Conway Twitty.&uot;

Neville, Davis and Twitty joined Ferriday natives Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart and Leon &uot;Pee Wee&uot; Whittaker, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame last year during the first-ever festival.

But Saturday’s induction allowed the Hall of Fame to branch out into other areas of the Delta &045; which, according to festival organizers, includes everything from Memphis to New Orleans.

Twitty, also a past honoree of the Country Music and Country Songwriters halls of fame, was born in the Mississippi Delta and attended high school in Tallulah, La.

Davis, best known for the Louisiana state song &uot;You Are My Sunshine,&uot; was born near Beech Springs, La.

Neville &045; a rhythm-and-blues, country, jazz and gospel singer who has recorded a dozen top 10 hits and won four Grammys &045; was born in, and still lives in, New Orleans.

&uot;He’s been such a great ambassador for Louisiana,&uot; Assistant Secretary of State Al Ater said, referring to Neville. &uot;This is just our chance to say thank you.&uot;

Even after more than three decades of recording and touring solo and with the Neville Brothers, Neville shows no signs of slowing down.

Fresh from releasing the gospel album &uot;Believe&uot; in January, he plans to release a disc of jazz standards in August or September. And Neville said Saturday that he is not ruling out making another gospel recording in the future.

That’s exactly the variety of music festival-goers said they were looking for Saturday.

And they got it, with the 13 statewide musical acts handpicked for the Secretary of State’s Louisiana Cavalcade tour ranging from country and gospel acts to rappers to alternative bands.

The day also included performances by local band Easy Eddie and the Party Rockers, who headlined Saturday night’s street dance.

&uot;I’m here for the music &045; Cajun and old country, especially,&uot; said Ronnie Freeman of Ferriday. &uot;I attended last year, and I’ll probably be here next year, too.&uot;

&uot;I’m here for the food and the music &045; and to get my party on. It is the weekend, after all,&uot; said Linda Anderson of Ferriday, surveying rows of booths hawking everything from burgers to steaks.

&uot;And to watch Glen McGlothin get down,&uot; Anderson’s friend, Emma Skipper, said with a laugh, referring to Ferriday’s audacious mayor, himself a musician.