Vegas Cola is one of New Orleans' most well-known best-kept secrets. Raised in Treme, she formalized her vocal education at the University of New Orleans by day and cut her teeth gigging on Bourbon and Frenchmen Streets by night. Displaced by Katrina, she returned with renewed perseverance — and spent the next two decades lending her vocal and songwriting skills to the city's greatest musicians, from Dave Bartholomew and Russell Batiste to James Andrews, Donald Harrison, Kermit Ruffins, Troy Andrews and Big Sam's Funky Nation.
Now fronting the Vegas Cola Band, she showcases her own alluring songwriting in a show that blends R&B, jazz, opera and funk — “the living accumulation of the bandleader's expert experience and captivating charisma.” The band held a five-year Friday-night residency at the Marigny Brasserie, made its French Quarter Festival debut in 2022 (celebrated with an OffBeat feature, “Light It Up”), and took second place at the inaugural New Orleans Music Showcase, earning a spot at the 25th Anniversary Essence Festival.
Vegas Cola Band has become a favorite of NOLA tourists and locals alike, with residencies and private bookings across the city, regular sets at Tipitina's and d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street, and screen appearances on Marvel's Cloak & Dagger and Southern Charm. Book them for your wedding, your corporate event — or just catch them on Frenchmen and hear what two decades of Crescent City stagecraft sounds like out front.
