Jimmy’s Music Club, a fixture in the New Orleans music scene since 1978, will reopen, Thursday, August 14, 2025. The club, located at 8200 Willow Street was founded by Jimmy Anselmo, and hosted decades of performances before closing after Hurricane Katrina. The building later housed The Frat House and The Willow, the latter operating from 2014 until early this year.
New owner Christopher Jones purchased the building and the Jimmy’s name in April. “Sixteen years ago, I stood at the door of this venue for my first job in the service industry… Today I bought the building,” Jones announced on social media in April 2025. “We’re bringing back the spirit, the sound, and the soul — with a modern twist.”
Jones, a former reserve officer with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and a veteran bar owner, said his approach will be “big on rules” and not geared toward underage drinkers. He has renovated the club and plans to lease an adjacent building for a restaurant. Entertainment programming is still in development, with possibilities ranging from DJs to live music and comedy.
“The venue that helped launch my journey is now mine — and I’m bringing it back to life. We’ll be renovating it and reopening this iconic space as the legendary Jimmy’s Music Club, a name that’s been part of New Orleans since 1978 We’re bringing back the the spirit, the sound, and the soul — with a modern twist. Grand reopening end of Summer 2025 Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the ride so far. This one means a lot.Let’s make history — again.”
Jimmy Anselmo received OffBeat’s Best of The Beat Lifetime Achievement in Music Business and opened the club in 1978 (first performers were Little Queenie & the Percolators), closed it post-Katrina in 2005 and leased the space to several operators (as he still owned the property), that included The Frat House and The Willow. The last iteration of the club was The Willow that operated from 2014 and recently closed its doors.
Jimmy’s has an enduring fan base — the venue has several Facebook groups online that demonstrate the interest in the club (I Attended Concerts At Jimmy’s Music Club in New Orleans, with 45,000 members; and Bring Back Jimmy’s Music Club with 2,100 members). The club was also the subject of a documentary.
Jones is also leasing an adjacent building that will include a restaurant next door to the music club.
“I graduated from high school in 2007 and started working the door at The Frat House in 2008, so working at the building that housed Jimmy’s was my first experience working in the service industry. I’m very well aware that it was a popular college bar, and I believe in that area it’s going to be successful. You know, there has to be a level of entertainment provided for college-age individuals. It’s a tricky situation because you can enter an establishment that sells liquor at 18, however you cannot purchase and consume liquor unless you’re 21. We’re just not gonna cater to anything specifically like underage drinkers [subsequent bars like The Frat House and The Willow were reported by neighbors as condoning underage drinkers]. I don’t condone underage drinking, or anything like because I’m pretty big on rules—obviously you have to be that way or you can’t stay in business.
“I was a reserve officer with Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office so I mean staying in line and following rules is embedded in my DNA. I’ve got a thick skin, too, because you need to have one in the bar or club business for sure, and I’ve been in it for a while. This is actually my fourth concept that I’ve owned because I used to own the Tasting Room on Magazine Street, and then I owned a bar on Veterans in Metairie. I owned The Basin in Lakeview for a little while and then now this is the fourth one.
“When I heard about the property and business being up for sale, I said ‘Wow, oh yeah!’ because I knew the potential. I’m very well aware of numbers we used to do, but times change—but you know, there’s still a lot of potential for that building. I’m also a general contractor and a real estate developer, and the real estate interested me and as well as the duplex that conjoins the club property (at 1324-26 Dublin St.), where we plan to put a restaurant, by leasing it to an outside restaurant operator. I think as far as the real estate investment standpoint, there’s a lot left on the table and I think with the addition of the restaurant, you know, there could be a cool utilization of that patio.”
