The small, pink building at 800 N. Rampart St. in New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood was more than just a hole-in-the-wall bar, music venue, and restaurant. It was a gathering place for the city’s vibrant music scene, where the sounds of New Orleans’ brass bands, jazz musicians, and Mardi Gras Indians filled the air, and the stories of the people who made it happen were etched into its walls.

Folks in New Orleans know Donna from Donna’s, a place where she ruled as the bartender and co-owner, along with her husband Chef Charlie Sims, who regaled as the kitchen master. The building, designed for a free woman of color in the 19th century, was a testament to the city’s rich musical heritage, and it was here that the musicians who made the place happily buckjump and swing Crescent City-style came to play.

Regulars at the timeworn pink building will recognize the musicians who made the place a happy place, from its opening in 1993 to its regrettable demise in 2010. Donna Sims, now retired and living in Bywater, sets the scene with 400 photos she took through the years and stories she relates in a written “voice” that sounds much as it did when she chatted up friends and patrons as she tended bar.

“I do have notes, though not a journal,” Donna explained during a recent interview. “When I was tending my bar I heard a lot of stuff and I just remembered it. The other thing was that I have a lot of memorabilia — I have a lot of posters and I have a couple of huge calendars from different years. So I had resources of my own.”

Donna shot all of her photographs in the book using a Canon camera that she found early one morning on a French Quarter stoop. She was inspired to learn how to use it after Herman Leonard, the late great photographer, praised her photos and offered her instruction. “He really got me interested in photography,” Sims said.

Through the lens of a music-lover, Donna Poniatowski Sims recounts the history of the building, from its design by the great-great-grandchildren of its original owner to its current state as a beloved gathering place for music lovers. She shares stories of the brass bands, jazz musicians, and Mardi Gras Indians who performed at the club, and how she learned to identify the often-changing members of the young, up-and-coming brass bands through her photographs.

Donna’s experience as a schoolteacher also shines through in her writing, especially when explaining terminology unique to New Orleans, like second-lining and jazz funerals. She writes with a warm, conversational tone, as if she were sharing stories with friends over a glass of wine at Donna’s.

Charlie Sims, the kitchen master, was a huge presence at Donna’s, sharing his love and knowledge of modern jazz with those gathered in the small kitchen. He was a beloved figure, and his passing in 2017 at the age of 81 was deeply felt by the community.

A happy place, Donna’s was a gathering place for the city’s vibrant music scene, where the sounds of New Orleans’ brass bands, jazz musicians, and Mardi Gras Indians filled the air, and the stories of the people who made it happen were etched into its walls. With her book, Donna Poniatowski Sims figuratively reopens the doors of the small, kind of funky pink building, inviting readers to experience the magic of Donna’s.

1. • The small, pink building at 800 N. was designed for a free woman of color in the 19th century.
2. • Donna Sims ruled as the bartender and co-owner, along with her husband Chef Charlie Sims.
3. • The building was a testament to the city’s rich musical heritage, and it was here that the musicians who made the place happily buckjump and swing Crescent City-style came to play.

Donna Poniatowski Sims’ book, “Donna’s Bar & Grill — New Orleans,” is a testament to the enduring spirit of Donna’s, a place that was more than just a bar, music venue, and restaurant. It was a gathering place for the city’s vibrant music scene, where the sounds of New Orleans’ brass bands, jazz musicians, and Mardi Gras Indians filled the air, and the stories of the people who made it happen were etched into its walls.

With her book, Donna Poniatowski Sims invites readers to experience the magic of Donna’s, a place that was a happy place for the city’s vibrant music scene, where everyone was welcome. As she writes in her book, “We just wanted it to be a happy place. We just felt like we were a community place where everybody was welcome.”

Highlights

• • 400 photos taken by Donna Sims throughout the years
• • Stories of the brass bands, jazz musicians, and Mardi Gras Indians who performed at the club
• • Terminology unique to New Orleans, like second-lining and jazz funerals
• • The history of the building, from its design by the great-great-grandchildren of its original owner to its current state as a beloved gathering place for music lovers

• • Second-lining: a style of marching and dancing in New Orleans that is often associated with jazz funerals and parades
• • Jazz funerals: a type of funeral procession that features jazz music and is often attended by the deceased’s friends and family

With “Donna’s Bar & Grill — New Orleans,” Donna Poniatowski Sims has created a book that will be cherished by music lovers for years to come. It is a testament to the enduring spirit of Donna’s, a place that was more than just a bar, music venue, and restaurant.