If you accompanied the legendary George Bedard on his first trip through 20th century American roots music in 2013 — From Ragtime to Rock ‘n’ Roll, and got back on the bus for his second tour in 2014 — From Delta Blues to Chicago Blues, you’re going to want to climb aboard Different Trains — Same Time, his third in a series. For this production, frontman Bedard will reach back in time to classic modern country singers like Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Buck Owens who were peaking at the same time as the Kings of the blues — BB, Freddie, and Albert, and showcase each of their unique music styles, all on the same stage, at the same time.

Lest you think the Ark will be too crowded with icons of the past, Bedard is featuring some of today’s most-gifted musicians like special guests Ricky Nye, the versatile blues, boogie, and New Orleans-style pianist from Cincinnati; Bobby Murray, award-winning blues guitarist (with Etta James for many years), songwriter, and record producer; Mark O’Boyle, pedal and lap steel guitar; Mark Newbound, country shuffle drummer (both Marks were with Bedard’s country band “The Bonnevilles” in the 1980s), and Patrick Prouty, bass, and Rich Dishman, drums, of the indomitable Kingpins.

“This train isn’t going to leave the station quietly,” warns Bedard. The full band will come out like a speeding locomotive to open the show with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” before throttling back for a solo and some duet songs with O’Boyle, a couple of instrumentals from “Pickin’ Apart the Past,” after which Nye and Newbound will drive the first set home with a classic country segment. The second set will begin by featuring three to four of Ricky Nye’s blues and boogie tunes before bringing up Bobby Murray, when the entire band will kick out a tribute to the Kings of the blues.

Having been hailed as both a local and national treasure, Bedard has closed Ann Arbor’s Top of the Park for 25 years, performed on the main stage for the Food Gatherers fund raiser for 20 years, and last year took the Kingpins to Honduras to perform as guests of the U. S. Embassy during it’s celebration of U. S. Independence Day. The four-day tour, part of the Arts Envoy Program sponsored by the U. S. Department of State and local educational and cultural institutions, also included hands-on teaching performances at schools and orphanages. “We were pleased to have been asked to do this U.S. Embassy Honduras tour," said Bedard. “It gave us an opportunity to spread the American roots music styles to another audience altogether.”