By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Louisiana’s LeRoux, who gave the world one of the most celebrated Southern Songs ever with “New Orleans Ladies”, is returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

LeRoux’s return engagement will take place Thursday, May 16th, at The Grand Magnolia Ballroom in Pascagoula as a part of the on-going Grand Magnolia Live Music Series. Show time is 7:00 p.m., and tickets are now on sale through www.grandmagmusic.com or in person at Scranton’s Restaurant in Pascagoula.

A recording session at Bogalusa’s Studio in the Country in the late 1970’s would produce the signature New Orleans song of the 20th Century. “New Orleans Ladies” quickly climbed the Billboard charts in July 1978 and ultimately became the band’s signature anthem.

It was chosen by readers of Gambit Weekly as the was Best New Orleans Song of the 20th Century, and the song went to number 1 in the Southeast region on Billboard.

Along with that anthem to women that sashay by “from Bourbon Street to Esplanade”, LeRoux produced major hits such as “Take a Ride on a Riverboat”, and “Nobody said it was Easy”, the latter of which garnering much video play time on MTV back in the early 1980’s.

“We really enjoy coming over to Pascagoula to play at The Grand Magnolia” founding member Tony Haseldon said. Haseldon is one of four “core” members of the band that have been with the group for over two decades, including original founding member Rod Roddy as well.

“It’s a beautiful room with a great sound and the crowd that comes to enjoy the music is just outstanding”, added Haseldon, who has written some major country hits for other artists over the years as well.

LeRoux was considered one of the foremost members of the “Southern Rock” music scene at one point touring with The Allman Brothers Band, The Amazing Rhythm Aces, the Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, and Wet Willie as well as the Doobie Brothers, Foreigner, Emmylou Harris, Heart, Journey, Kansas, the Kinks, the Little River Band, Lost Gonzo Band, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Randy Newman, the Neville Brothers, Ozzy Osbourne, Pure Prairie League, Bonnie Raitt, REO Speedwagon, Santana, Bob Seger, Steven Stills, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Wariner, Muddy Waters, Edgar Winter, and ZZ Top.

LeRoux’s television appearances include Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert, Solid Gold, Midnight Special, several videos on MTV over the years and its own PBS live video of Rocking the Nottoway, filmed at Louisiana’a antebellum Nottoway Plantation in Iberville Parrish in 1997.

The next show in The Grand Magnolia Music Series is set for Saturday, March 23rd as we welcome back Michael Martin Murphey to Pascagoula. We also have John Hiatt coming in June.We will also make another BIG announcement one week from today for our show between Louisiana’s LeRoux and John Hiatt.

The Grand Magnolia Music Series has featured the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Mac McAnally, The Bellamy Brothers, FireFall, Sonny Landreth, Deana Carter, Rodney Crowell, J.D. Souther, Lee Roy Parnell, John Conlee, Keith Sykes, Will Kimbrough, Paul Overstreet, Marcia Ball and former Widespread Panic lead guitarist George McConnell as well as many others over the past few years over the past 10 years.