Kermit Ruffins stepping down from managing Mother-in-law Lounge

By Jasmine Robinson
Contributing Writer

(Veritenews.org) — Kermit Ruffins, owner of Kermit’s Tremé Mother-in-Law Lounge, is stepping down from managing the iconic New Orleans jazz bar. His final day running the bar was Tuesday (May 6).

The renowned jazz musician first announced his decision to step down on May 1. He will remain its owner and will continue performing at the bar, which is one of the city’s few Black-owned music venues.

Ruffins has spent over a decade running the bar. He told Verite News in an interview that although it’s been fun, he’s ready to shed the day-to-day work that comes with operating a successful bar.

“I just decided I want to not have the responsibilities of getting up and ordering liquor and cooking … and paying the bills,” he said.

One of the bar’s current employees will take on the manager role, but Ruffins declined to disclose details.

Ruffins first agreed to lease the bar, once owned by the R&B singer Ernie K-Doe, in 2011. Ruffins officially reopened it in 2014.

Mother-in-Law is the fifth bar he’s operated in New Orleans, and he said it’s been his most successful. He first became interested in owning and operating bars early in his career as a musician.

“I started the Rebirth Brass Band in ‘82 and the first thing we did was play in bars,” Ruffins said. “So I fell in love with bars.”

Decades of performing in bars as a trumpeter and singer hasn’t dulled his excitement for it. He currently performs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays at Mother-in-Law.

One of his favorite aspects of the business is being able to play for audiences that have traveled to New Orleans from around the world and always having a new crowd when he takes the stage.

“I have the biggest jazz fanbase to the point where sometimes I don’t believe it,” he said. “So it’s just a blessing that … people plan their vacation on coming to see me and coming to this bar.”

Ruffins said that he first considered retiring from managing Mother-in-Law about a year ago; in recent months, he’d hinted at such plans on social media. He plans to wait ten years before making a decision on whether or not he wants to sell the bar.

Until then, he’s going to continue performing there. He might even add a fourth day to his weekly performance schedule.

“I’m still gonna be barbecuing, I’m still gonna be entertaining people that come in from all over the world no matter what,” he said.

Ruffins said he’s going to use his new free time to attend more jazz shows around the city. He said he gets a lot of inspiration for his own performances from watching other musicians.

“Now, I can go bar hopping to all the jazz clubs around New Orleans, like I used to do before I had the club. I used to go to everybody’s show … I was the guy to be at every jazz show in the city before my show,” he said.

He’s also looking forward to spending more time with his three-year-old daughter, Blossom.

“I get to take the little one to all the jazz shows now. Especially jazz brunch,” he said.

This article originally published in the May 12, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.