The thought process that led Steve Watson and Ben Sherman to open the Kingpin, one of New Orleans’ classic neighborhood dive bars, in 2001 was relatively straightforward.
“We liked drinking,” Watson recalled this week. “We figured we could drink and bartend.
“There was a lot of not really knowing what we were doing. It took off on its own.”
A quarter century later, the Kingpin, tucked in at 1307 Lyons St., between Prytania and Perrier, is a much-loved Uptown watering hole with a side hustle in live music.
On Saturday, the Kingpin celebrates its 25th anniversary with a full afternoon and evening of live music both outside and inside. New Orleans keyboardist John “Papa” Gros kicks off the festivities outside at 2:30 p.m. He’s followed by trumpeter James Andrews at 4 p.m., Americana band Thousand $ Car — which features Watson on bass — at 6 p.m. and A Clockwork Elvis at 7 p.m.
The Kingpin Bar has grown into an Uptown institution for drinks after work or on a night on the town.
The party moves inside for yacht rock cover band Light Rock Express at 9 p.m. Admission is free.
Watson and Sherman grew up together in Washington, D.C. Their parents were involved in bars and restaurants, so they were steeped in the hospitality industry. The duo were roommates in Madison, Wisconsin, before they ended up in Austin, Texas, where Watson played with the Neptunes and other bands.
Eventually, they landed in New Orleans. After deciding the little room on Lyons Street would be a fine location for a business, they scraped together several thousand dollars, enough to stock the bar, pay three months’ rent, and buy a couple of window AC units. With that, the Kingpin was up and running.
From the get-go, the Kingpin featured Elvis Presley tribute band A Clockwork Elvis on the anniversary of the King’s birth and death.
Steve Watson co-owner of The Kingpin starts taking things off the walls to give away to patrons as part of a smoke out event around midnight when the new smoking ban went into effect in New Orleans, La. Tuesday, April 21, 2015.
During the pandemic shutdown, the Kingpin started hosting outdoor concerts to give musicians work and fans a chance to hear live music again. Watson booked James Andrews, John “Papa” Gros and other musician buddies for the concerts, enjoying the process of “being on the other side of the business” of live music.
As weather permits, the Kingpin continues to present a couple outdoor shows a month. In addition to A Clockwork Elvis, the bar’s other standing gig is the biannual appearance by Light Rock Express.
The Houston-based yacht rock cover band typically instigates mass singalongs in the packed bar. In addition to closing down Saturday’s anniversary party, Light Rock Express will also be at the Kingpin starting at 9 p.m. Friday.
Members of the extended Manning and Landrieu families have been regulars over the years. Both Cooper Manning and Mitch Landrieu have served as guest singers with Light Rock Express.
Tyree “Squeak” Nelson performs with James Andrews in front of the Kingpin in New Orleans, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Nicole Richie has partaken of the Kingpin’s hospitality. So has Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. When Nowitzki was in town for the NBA All-Star Game a few years back, Watson recalled, he had to duck down to pass through the doorway, then stuck around until long past sunrise.
But the bar’s main clientele has always consisted of locals from the neighborhood and beyond. They’re drawn to this uniquely New Orleans bar founded by a couple of transplants who found the city — and the Kingpin — to be very much to their liking.
“It’s been a blast,” Watson said. “We’ve enjoyed it so much. I’m lucky to be part of it.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
