Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Concert Series: Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation presents the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Concert Series featuring Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots live in concert on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center (1225 N. Rampart Street). Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins promptly at 8pm.

Tickets are $10, available here on Eventbrite: https://sunpie2023.eventbrite.com

Seating is limited, so please register in advance. All proceeds from this concert series directly support the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

The concert will be livestreamed: jazzandheritage.org/live

About Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots

Bruce Sunpie Barnes is a New Orleans musician, former park ranger with the National Park Service, actor, photographer, book author, former high school biology teacher, former college football All-American, and former NFL player (Kansas City Chiefs). Sunpie Barnes’ many careers have taken him far and wide. He has traveled to over 60 countries playing his own style of what he calls Afro-Louisiana music incorporating blues, zydeco, gospel, Caribbean and African influenced rhythms and melodies. He is a multi-instrumentalist, mastering accordion, harmonica, and piano along with rubboard, talking drum, and dejembe. He learned accordion from some of the best Zydeco pioneers in Louisiana, including Fernest Arceneaux, John Delafose, and Clayton Sampy.

Along with his musical group Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, he has performed at festivals and concerts across the US and around the globe. He has collaborated with music gurus such as Harold Brown (WAR), Willie Dixon (Father of Chicago Blues),and Trey Anastasio (Phish). Sunpie has recorded 7 critically acclaimed CDs with his compositions currently featured in 16 Hollywood film productions.

In addition to this musical work he is also a former member of the Paul Simon Band that embarked on a 58 city world tour “Paul Simon and Sting Together”, which span 47 countries (2014,15 and 16). In 2018 Latin Super Star Carlos Vives invited Sunpie along with the Louisiana Sunspots to perform with him at the 51st annual Vallenato Festival in Valledupar, Columbia.

Film acting has also been an important part of his busy career. Sunpie’s work has appeared in such Hollywood productions as Point of No Return, Deja Vu, Under Cover Blues, Jonah Hex, Treme,The Big Easy, Skeleton Key, Heartless, The Gates Of Silence Odd Girl Out, The African Americans, Sesame Street, NCIS New Orleans, Queen Sugar and Mayfair Witches.

He is deeply involved in New Orleans parade culture and co-authored the 2015 critically acclaimed book “Talk That Music Talk” – Passing On Brass Band Music In New Orleans “The Traditional Way”. Over 300 of Sunpie’s photographs are featured in this book. Le Kèr Creole is his latest book that also has a 15 song disc of music composed in Louisiana Creole. He is the Big Chief of the Northside Skull and Bone Gang, one of the oldest existing Black Carnival groups in New Orleans. Sunpie is also a member of the Black Men of Labor Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

About the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Concert Series is a program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other raised funds, for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural enrichment.

For more on what we do, please visit us online at jazzandheritage.org