Deacon John JazzFest N.O. photo by Amber Roussel
All attendees will enjoy authentic New Orleans cuisine, starting at 6 p.m., in BIG ARTS Boler Garden with concert to follow. Participants are looking forward to showing off their Mardi Gras masks at the party.
Deacon, with his band, the Ivories, was the first rock’n’roll musician to play with the New Orleans Symphony in 1970. In the 1980s, Deacon’s prowess on the slide guitar eventually landed him a part in Allen Parker’s movie, Angel Heart. In 2000, he was inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame and taught blues music in schools throughout Louisiana. In 2003 Gambit Magazine named Deacon Best Male Performer, Best Rhythm and Blues Artist and Entertainer of the Year and Offbeat magazine awarded him Album of the Year, Overall Band of the Year and Best R&B/Funk/Soul Band.
He performed at the Congressional Ball at the White House in 2005, sang at the historic inauguration of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in 2007, and has performed at every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
In 2008, the United States Postal Service and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation honored him with a commemorative envelope and he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. In 2009, Deacon received a Community Arts Award from the Arts Council of New Orleans, performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, and was honored with an Asante Legends Award. In 2010, Offbeat music magazine awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award; he also received the Cutting Edge Music Conference’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Federation of Musicians’ highly-coveted Charles Walton Diversity Advocate Award.
Deacon has graced the covers of many local and national newspapers and magazines. He has appeared in movies, live musical theater, and has been featured in national TV commercials, including the recent Capital One credit card ads. He is currently featured in HBO’s series, Treme. Deacon is the star of the critically acclaimed documentary movie, Going Back to New Orleans: The Deacon John Film, and live concert DVD and CD, Deacon John’s Jump Blues.
Tickets start at $125 for general admission; call BIG ARTS Marks Box Office at (239) 395-0900 for other ticket offers.
Benefactor Sponsors John M. and Mary Jo Boler, Grand Patron Sponsors Deborah & John La Gorce, Patricia & Davis Thurber, and FineMark National Bank & Trust, Patron Sponsors Chico’s FAS, Inc., Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, The L.A.T. Foundation, and ’Tween Waters Inn.
For further information about concerts at BIG ARTS, to purchase tickets, to sign up for workshops, or to become a member, stop by BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road Sanibel, call (239) 395-0900, e-mail info@BIGARTS.org, or log on to www.BIGARTS.org.
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Whether your interest is in classical, jazz, or popular music; dance; the visual arts; lectures; film or live theater; or in attending a class or workshop – BIG ARTS has something for everyone! BIG ARTS serves Sanibel, Captiva and Southwest Florida.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
