NEW ORLEANS?Bon Jovi will rock the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time this year, returning to Louisiana after donating $1 million in 2005 to build homes for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm thrilled," Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis said Thursday, calling the group "one of the greatest American rock bands of all time."

In the wake of Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Bon Jovi gave $1 million to help build 28 homes for low-income families displaced by the storm.

The homes were built in Houma, a coastal community roughly 50 miles southwest of New Orleans, through Habitat for Humanity and Oprah's Angel Network.

"That really says something about this group's sense of humanity and responsibility," Davis said. "It says that they're unique and extraordinary, that they have a spirit and a soul ... to be that generous."

Bon Jovi formed in the early 1980s with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

The group will join Dr. John, Kings of Ten, The O'Jays, Cowboy Mouth and more than a dozen other acts performing on May 2. In all, Jazz Fest spans seven days over two weekends -- April 24 to 26 and April 30 to May 3.

Others slated to perform at the festival's 40th anniversary are Wynton Marsalis, Joe Cocker, Henry Butler and Trombone Shorty. They will entertain audiences on different stages April 24, the festival's opening day. Other first weekend acts include Irma Thomas, James Taylor, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Pete Seeger and Etta James.

Performing the second weekend are Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Sugarland, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

Like last year, the Neville Brothers will be the festival's closing act on May 3.