Article Contributed by 117 Enterainment Group
Published on October 31, 2025
Trombone Shorty performs with bandmates at Brass & Bayou 2025 Gala Courtesy: GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi
GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi has announced that the “Brass and Bayou” 2025 Gala, which was held on Oct. 30, has raised a total of $201,000. Proceeds will directly benefit the Museum’s education programs. The 2025 Gala was held at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland, Miss., and honored GRAMMY®-winning artist Trombone Shorty with the seventh annual Crossroads of American Music Award. This year’s Gala also Pass Christian Elementary School teacher Cherynne Wright with the sixth annual L.U.C.Y. Award (Lifting Up Children and Youth).
“It was such a special night filled with unforgettable music and generosity as we celebrated incredible GRAMMY winner Trombone Shorty at our 2025 Brass and Bayou Gala,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “We were also deeply honored to recognize our L.U.C.Y. Award recipient, Cherynne Wright, for her outstanding achievements and devotion to music education. Thanks to the support of our amazing sponsors and everyone who purchased a ticket and joined us, we raised over $201,000 for the Museum. These are vital funds that will help us continue our mission of inspiring and educating students about the power and value of music.”
The 2025 GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Gala was presented by Quality Steel, with additional support provided by platinum sponsors Cannon Motors of Mississippi, Kirk Auto, the Paul Janoush Family and Whole Cellars Package Store. The event featured a special performance by Atlanta-based dance/music ensemble Tasteful Tea.
The Gala also included a special menu catered by chef Gary Lott., and a live and silent auction with items to bid on from GRAMMY-winning artists such as Taylor Swift, Eric Church and Trombone Shorty.
Established by the Museum’s Board of Directors, the Crossroads of American Music Award honors an artist who has made significant musical contributions influenced by the creativity born in the cradle of American music. Past recipients of the Crossroads of American Music Award are GRAMMY winners the late Charley Pride and Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Rush, Marty Stuart, Keb’ Mo’, and Rosanne Cash.
The annual GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Gala is the Museum’s signature fundraising event. Proceeds from this year’s gala will benefit the Museum’s education program, which seeks to use music as a gateway to learning by inspiring and cultivating creativity, critical thinking and self-expression.
ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY
Born Troy Andrews in New Orleans, Trombone Shorty got his start earlier than most: at 4 years old, he made his first appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival performing with Bo Diddley; at age 6 he was leading his own brass band; and by the time he was a teenager, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to play on his Electric Church World Tour.
Since 2010, Trombone Shorty has released five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, including 2022’s Lifted; toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more. Trombone Shorty has also played countless major music festivals, including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, and Newport Jazz; he’s performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards®, six times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honored with his own Muppet. In 2011, he launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education. In 2016, he received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first self-titled children’s book. In 2022, Trombone Shorty won his first GRAMMY as a featured artist on Jon Batiste’s Album of the Year-winning record We Are.
Meanwhile in New Orleans, Shorty leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness, hosts the annual Treme Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests such as Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band, and has taken over the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys and Kings of Leon.
In addition to touring across the globe nearly year-round, Trombone Shorty leads a cultural exchange trip to Cuba with his Trombone Shorty Foundation wherein 100 students gather over a 5-day period for music workshops and concerts. The fourth trip of his kind took place in January of 2025 and included an ever-expanding group of special guest artists.
ABOUT GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI
Developed by the Cleveland Music Foundation—a nonprofit organization founded in 2011—the 28,000-square-foot GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is housed near the campus of Delta State University, home of the Delta Music Institute’s Entertainment Industry Studies program, which features the most unique audio recording facilities in the South. Affiliated with the GRAMMY Museum Foundation™, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is dedicated to exploring the past, present, and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The Museum features a dynamic combination of public events, educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations, and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric area that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi’s songwriters, producers, and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.
For more information, visit grammymuseumms.org.
