Kermit Ruffins on the hometown gun violence that rocked his family: “I could have been doing 2 funerals”

Kermit Ruffins has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages. Trumpet in hand, this 59-year-old has been taking jazz to the next level since his childhood.

“My uncle Percy Williams, he’s a trumpet player, and I remember being 8, 9, 10 years old, and he would come to the house almost every weekend and just put the trumpet in my hand and I would watch this thing. , man, when he opened that box, that shine, that smell of copper, it was so exciting.”

In high school, Ruffins and some classmates founded the Rebirth Brass Band, which, to their surprise, became a world-famous group. Ruffins, a New Orleans native, is considered music royalty.

After over a decade of touring the world, Ruffins’ roots called him home in the early ’90s. That’s when he formed his next band, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers.

“It’s dance music,” he said of the group’s sound. “And we’re doing it in a cradle of jazz where jazz was invented, just steps from where we’re sitting.”

But his musical success couldn’t protect his family from gun violence.

Two years ago, Ruffins’ pregnant girlfriend, Harmonese Pleasant, was shot and killed by a stray bullet outside their home. This caused an emergency delivery and left their daughter, Blossom, with a spinal cord injury. Doctors don’t know if she will ever be able to walk.

“It’s just amazing, you know. It’s like it’s not really happening. Because now my baby probably won’t walk again,” Ruffins said. “And then Harmonese has this big scar, she’s the most beautiful girl in the world. So it’s a lot when I watch Blossom and knowing what’s going to happen until she goes to school and everything she will cross.”

Louisiana ranked second in gun-related deaths in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At national scale, homicide rates and violent crime generally decreased in 2023, according to data released by the FBI.

But last weekend, one person was killed and 11 others injured in New Orleans after a shooting outside a nightclub after a festival, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Meanwhile, Ruffins and Pleasant hope their story will raise awareness about gun violence.

“Because it’s a real thing. It’s an important thing,” Pleasant said. “And it affects people in a very important way.”

“I could have done two funerals,” Ruffins added.

David Begnaud recently reported CBS Mornings on Tulane University students who build wheelchairs specially designed for children with disabilities. Students delivered one to Ruffins’ daughter to help her move around more comfortably.

With a new perspective on life, Ruffins’ music now has a different feel, a little more focused on hope and peace in the community.

For Ruffins, there is no role he cherishes more than that of father. Through everything his family has been through, he is grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received.

“They love me to death and everyone loves Blossom,” Ruffins said. “She’s a fucking joy, and I look in her eyes, she’s excited about life.”