Big Sam’s Funky Nation has dropped a new song just in time for Mardi Gras season. “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” hit streaming platforms January 13.

When you think of New Orleans, the city’s foremost flambeaux-lit traditions of Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, voodoo, Po’ boys, beads, gumbo, and Second Line undoubtedly come to mind. You can also count Big Sam’s Funky Nation amongst those Crescent City treasures.

Sammie “Big Sam” Williams tells OffBeat, “I was sitting at home right before Christmas thinking about Mardi Gras and how different or nonexistent it would be in 2021 and it just hit me to write a Mardi Gras song! We know the classics that have been around forever and hopefully this song will be right up there with those. I wanted everyone to experience Mardi Gras through the song. Although I can’t touch on everything, you hear and feel the vibe of the holiday all throughout.”

“Mardi Gras in New Orleans” has the 70s funk groove stylings of Ohio Players meets Funkadelic but with hooks and melodies adapted to a modern day audience. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph contributed background vocals with Drew Baham on trumpet, Calvin Johnson on tenor sax, Utopia Francois on alto sax, Jerry Henderson playing bass, Derwin Perkins playing guitar, and Big Chief Shaka Zulu on percussion. This song was recorded and mixed by Keenan McRae of Artisound Productions at Studio 3 one one 6 and mastered by Cloud Bounce.

The NOCCA-educated and OffBeat Award-winning Big Sam’s frontman Williams personally draws on over two decades in the game, spanning everything from 300 shows per year during his days in Dirty Dozen Brass Band and gigs backing up Widespread Panic and Dave Matthews Band to recording and touring with Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello. Additionally, he would be sought out for a recurring role on the critically acclaimed HBO series Treme.

Big Sam tells OffBeat that a video for the song is not far. To download and purchase the song, click here.