At the 2019 commencement ceremony for Loyola University, a musical icon will be celebrated not only for his contributions to music, but also the city of New Orleans. At Loyola University New Orleans’ Commencement 2019, which takes place in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Saturday, May 11, Deacon John Moore will be celebrated with a Doctor of Music, honoris causa.

DMoore, who has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and was the 2010 recipient of OffBeat’s Lifetime Achievement Award, has a career that spans over 50 years. With an ear for good music, the talented New Orleans musician began teaching himself to play guitar by listening to records and books, and began singing with his first R&B band in the seventh grade. And that was just the beginning.

As John Swenson wrote in 2010, “Over the years, Deacon John established himself as the most sought-after performer for private parties in the city; built a shadow career as a session guitarist on a series of recordings that reads like a greatest hits of classic New Orleans R&B and pop; been in the lineup for every renewal of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; led some of the most interesting New Orleans music revues ever assembled; starred in the great tribute to New Orleans R&B, Deacon’s John’s Jump Blues; and served as the first African-American president of the New Orleans chapter of the Musicians’ Union.”

Also receiving honorary degrees are Rabbi Alexis Berk of Touro Synagogue; Hiroshi Motomura, an internationally recognized advocate and scholar in immigration and citizenship law; and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, who will deliver the law commencement speech in a separate ceremony on Saturday evening. 

Of very special note is the Commencement 2019 “headliner.” New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner, Gayle Benson, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters and deliver a commencement speech.