It's Mardi Gras Time with Carolina's
favorite Dixieland Band!
The Moore Square Dixielanders made their debut in 1991
after clarinetist Donald Martin, banjo player Chris Royce,
and bass player Mike Stockstill got together to play some
gigs as a new acoustic trio. Naming themselves after one
of the original Squares in the City of Raleigh, their success
was instant. Combining years of experience and a genuine
love for old time and new time toe tapping music, the group
was immediately in demand after several engagements for the
City of Raleigh and City Market. Their most important and
dedicated fan has been Big Ed Watkins, owner of Big Ed's
restaurant, where the group has played for jazz brunch for
nearly ten years. The motto of Big Ed's and the Moore Square
Dixielanders has been to bring no only the finest in American
food but the finest in American music to their customers.
Performing not only Dixieland, but many varieties of music,
the house is always full at Big Ed's. Their success has not
gone unnoticed. Now expanded to four and sometimes five
or six, they are now a part of the North Carolina Arts Council's
prestigeous touring program. Over 900 engagements later,
a partial list of clients include: City Market, WUNC Radio,
the North Carolina State Capitol, the Cardinal Club,
the Capital City Club, the Holiday Inn Downtown,
the North Carolina Republican and Democrat Parties,
UNC-W, Arts Councils of Wilson, Burke, Watauga,
Beech Mountain, and Dozens of brides and grooms.
They have performed on an exchange with the Sister Cities
Program in downtown Hull, England, on the Left Bank
in Paris, and in New Orleans. As one of the best jazz
bands in the country, they are riding the reemergence
of swing as a popular music.