By Gene Coleman

NATCHEZ — Bishop Gunn will bring the band’s flavorful blend of rock, soul and blues back home to Natchez next year and mix it with the Southern taste of boiled crawfish on May 11 for the second-annual Bishop Gunn Crawfish Boil and Music Festival, the band recently announced.

The band’s debut album “Natchez,” released last May, entered the Billboard charts at No. 4 on the blues charts. The band’s popularity led to spots at major music festivals and support performances for Blackberry Smoke.

The band is now on the road with The Marcus Kane Band and recently played two sold-out shows.

Earlier this year, the band’s inaugural Bishop Gunn Crawfish Boil and Music Festival drew more than 3,000 fans from throughout the nation for a day of crawfish, shrimp and a live music lineup on the Natchez bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The lineup for next year’s event has not been revealed, but drummer Burne Sharp said the band has some big plans in the works.

Sharp said he looks forward to returning home to Natchez for the next festival.

“It’s always a good time,” Sharp said. “We definitely believe growing up there and the culture and Southern hospitality and the Mississippi River formed our music and the way we write. It’s awesome every time we go back home and celebrate with everyone.”

Sharp said the band’s inaugural music festival in Natchez was more than the band expected for a quickly organized event.

“Last year absolutely blew our expectations out of the water,” he said.

Advance tickets go on sale Oct. 1 for $15 and are available online at ardenland.net or by calling 877-987-6487. Tickets will be $25 at the gate. Children 10 and younger will be admitted free.