Brass Band Headquarters: Donna's Bar and Grill

For nearly 18 years, Donna’s Bar and Grill in New Orleans was more than a neighborhood bar. It was a gathering place where musicians came to play, collaborate, learn, celebrate and, sometimes, simply see what the night might bring. That history comes back to life on Thursday, October 29, when the New Orleans Jazz Museum opens Brass Band Headquarters: Donna’s Bar and Grill, a new exhibition featuring photographs that capture the musicians, personalities, and unforgettable moments that made Donna’s one of New Orleans’ most beloved music venues during the transition from the 20th to the 21st century.

Located at 800 North Rampart Street, Donna’s Bar and Grill operated from 1993 to 2010 and became a microcosm of New Orleans music and culture. Musicians from across the city and around the world gathered there nightly, creating a unique environment built on community, camaraderie, collaboration and education.

At the center of it all were Donna Poniatowski Sims, the club’s namesake and owner, and her husband, Charlie Sims. Together, they created a welcoming space for musicians, artists, neighborhood residents, visitors and music lovers from around the world. They also had the foresight to document the people and moments that filled the club, preserving a remarkable visual record of an important period in New Orleans music.

“Donna’s was one of those places that could only happen in New Orleans. It was an important part of the story of New Orleans music and the musicians who have carried our traditions around the world,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “It brought musicians and people from all walks of life together under one roof, and you never knew what kind of music, friendship or memory you were going to find when you walked through the door. This exhibit gives us a chance to remember Donna and Charlie and the incredible community they built, and to share that piece of New Orleans music history with people who may not have had the chance to experience it.”

Donna’s became a crossroads for New Orleans’ brass band and Black Masking Indian traditions, providing a place where artists could develop their craft to grow from neighborhood recognition to international renown. “Headquarters” was an appropriate name for a club that became such an important gathering place for the movement.

From the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Olympia Brass Band to the Hot 8 and countless other artists, Donna’s hosted many of the musicians who helped fuel the resurgence of the city’s brass band tradition, a sound that continues to influence New Orleans music today. The club also welcomed an extraordinary range of jazz musicians and singers, including members of the Marsalis family and the incomparable Topsy Chapman.

The exhibition features photographs of musicians and patrons doing what Donna’s inspired them to do best: playing, connecting, celebrating and enjoying themselves. Images of Troy Andrews, Shannon Powell, Kermit Ruffins, Doc Paulin, Uncle Lionel Batiste and many others offer an intimate look at the energy and creativity that filled the club. And the music was only 7part of the story.

Donna’s drew an equally diverse crowd. Visiting musicians, lifelong New Orleans music fans, neighborhood regulars, tourists, colorful local characters and people of every generation could be found inside. No two nights were necessarily alike. The atmosphere could be unpredictable, exuberant and unforgettable. It was wild, and it was fun, to say the very least.

Through Donna and Charlie Sims’ photographs, visitors to the exhibition can step back into that world and get a glimpse of the people, music and community that made Donna’s unique. The photographs preserve not only the musicians who performed there, but also the spontaneity, joy and sense of connection that turned the club into a legendary gathering place.