About this talk

Oklahoma-born and Texas-bred, Mark Rubin will speak about the immigration and evolution of Jewish communities in the South. He will interweave this rich history with his own personal story of growing up Jewish in a small-town setting.

Rubin will also give an overview of the many ways Jews in the American South influenced—and were influenced by—the distinct cultural heritage of their new homes, from commerce to cuisine, music to civil rights.

Mark Rubin is affiliated with the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans, where this multifaceted history continues to be explored and celebrated.

About Mark

Oklahoma-born, Texas-reared, and now living in New Orleans, multi-instrumentalist Mark Rubin is an unabashed Southern Jew, known equally for his muscular musicianship and larger-than-life persona that has earned him the respect of legends of the industry. Over an accomplished 40+ year career, he has accompanied or produced a virtual who's-who of powerful, authentic American traditional music, while straddling numerous musical genres, including Country, Western Swing, Bluegrass, Cajun, Tex-Mex, Polka, Klezmer, Roma, and more.

Today, he lives and works as a professional musician playing tenor banjo with the Panorama Jazz Band in New Orleans and makes a study of the musical traditions and cultures of South Louisiana. He continues to be a first call tuba and bassist in the Yiddish Klezmer community, performing nationally and internationally. He recently took a position at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, where he jokes he's an exhibit.