NICKEL-A-DANCE: Kermit Ruffins & The BBQ Swingers

From playing himself in the HBO Series Tremé, to barbecuing outside his bar, Kermit’s Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge, to sitting in with Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, trumpeter/vocalist Kermit Ruffins keeps himself busy when he isn’t on stage doing what he does best—entertaining and sharing his love of life with the world.

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But he did not come by his gifts easily. Ruffins did his homework and developed his stage persona and musical act by studying artists who came before him. He watched videos of Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway until the tape wore out, cut his teeth busking the streets of the French Quarter, and apprenticed on stages with local legends “Uncle” Lionel Batiste and Danny Barker. While still in high school, he co-founded the Rebirth Brass Band, but eventually left the touring band to return home to the culture he missed so…