The Ark-La-Tex, Arklatex, or ArkLaTex is a U.S. socio-economic region where Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma intersect. Some prefer the more inclusive Arklatexoma. The region is centered on the Shreveport/Bossier metropolitan area in Northwest Louisiana, although Marshall in Northeast Texas, Natchitoches, Louisiana, and both Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas retain a large degree of autonomy. Most of the region is located in the Piney Woods, an ecoregion of dense forest of mixed deciduous and conifer flora. The forests are periodically punctuated by sloughs and bayous that are linked to larger bodies of water such as Caddo Lake or the Red River.

In Arkansas: Arkadelphia, Ashdown, Camden, Delight, De Queen, El Dorado, Fouke, Glenwood, Hope, Magnolia, Mena, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Prescott, Stamps, and Texarkana.

In Louisiana: Benton, Bernice, Blanchard, Bossier City, Greenwood, Hosston, Mansfield, Many, Minden, Mooringsport, Natchitoches, Plain Dealing, Pleasant Hill, Ruston, Sarepta, Shongaloo, Shreveport, Springhill, Vivian, and Zwolle

Brian Blade (born July 25, 1970) in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.

As a young boy, Blade grew up in a home in Shreveport, Louisiana in which he frequently heard Gospel music and soul music. In elementary school, his music appreciation classes furthered this musical upbringing, and at age nine he began playing the violin; he continued to do so until age thirteen, when he, inspired by his brother, Brady Blade, Jr., became a drummer.

During highschool Brian began listening to the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Elvin Jones, and Joni Mitchell. By the age of eighteen, Brian moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University. During this period, he was able to study and play with most of the master musicians living in New Orleans, such as: John Vidacovich, Ellis Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, Bill Huntington, Mike Pellera, John Mahoney, George French, Germaine Bazzle, David Lee, Jr., Alvin Red Tyler, Tony Dagradi and Harold Battiste. Blade made his first recorded appearances as a sideman with Kenny Garrett and Joshua Redman and continued to work in that capacity with other musicians.