Celebrating the Birthday of Pete Fountain

Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain (Pierre Dewey LaFontaine, Jr.) was born in New Orleans on July 3, 1930. He played traditional Dixieland jazz and was noted for his sweet fluid tone. Fountain started playing clarinet as a child after a doctor recommended he play a wind instrument to treat a chronic lung condition. At first, Pete was unable to produce a sound, but with practice he eventually made music and improved the health of his lungs. While he did take lessons, he also learned by playing along with jazz records of Benny Goodman and Irving Fazola. As a teenager, he played with bands in Bourbon Street bars, and later with the Basin Street Six, as well as the Dukes of Dixieland in Chicago. Fountain was later featured on the Lawrence Welk Show and made numerous guest appearances on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. He recorded over 100 LPs and CDs, and performed regularly in New Orleans, being featured in nearly every New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since its inception in 1970. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Fountain passed away on August 6, 2016, survived by his wife of 65 years, Beverly, and their three children. Today we remember Pete Fountain and celebrate his legacy as a true ambassador of New Orleans music around the world.

Photo: I, Sumori

Essence Festival of Culture - A Virtual Experience! 7/2 - 5/2020

Essence Festival of Culture - A Virtual Experience! This year’s second weekend of the Essence Festival continues digitally with music, entertainment, empowerment and culture on July 2 to 5, 2020, streaming on ESSENCESTUDIOS.COM.

Enjoy music sets from some of your favorite festival artists as the explosive evening concert series goes digital! Catch the #ESSENCEFEST all-star lineup in performances to benefit and celebrate Essential Heroes, Black-owned businesses, and entrepreneurs. Catch your Hollywood faves in Q&As and be the first to see exclusive sneak peeks of the hottest upcoming releases! Get the tools you need to invest in yourself and makes strides in entrepreneurship, career, and personal finance. Plus, get the latest on the 2020 candidates, the issues that matter most, and why your voice counts! Kickstart your path to recovery with meditation, conversations, workouts, and tutorials designed to boost your mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Step inside a virtual beauty sphere with top brands, makeup artists, hair stylists, skincare experts and more! Stream live tutorials and get expert tips to accentuating your own flawless beauty with products and brands that are making a splash across the globe. Tune in for Sunday worship featuring powerful words of praise and legendary Gospel performances.

Enjoy the Essence Festival - a benefit series to receive, sustain and thrive!

Save Our Stages! Independent Live Music Venues Need Our Help!

National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has a mission to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters in the United States. These entertainment hubs are critical to their local economies and tax bases as employers, tourism destinations, and revenue generators for neighboring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and retail. Independent venues exist in every state across the country; they were the first to be closed, they will be the last to open. The economic recovery process will extend past just reopening the front doors, requiring solutions unique to the industry.

Your voice matters — Tell your legislators to save independent music venues! It only takes a minute to have a significant impact on the music of your city! Click on #SAVE OUR STAGES to help. Thank you for your support!

Celebrating the Birthday of Clifton Chenier

Accordionist Clifton Chenier was born on June 25, 1925, in Leonville, Louisiana, and was known as the King of Zydeco, and also as the King of the South. A French-speaking native, he was an eminent performer and recording artist of zydeco, which arose from Cajun and Creole music, with R&B, jazz, and blues influences. Chenier began his recording career in 1954, and garnered his first national hit in 1955 with "Ay-Tete Fi" (Hey, Little Girl) (a cover of Professor Longhair's song). The national success of the release led to numerous tours with popular rhythm and blues performers such as Ray Charles, Etta James, and Lowell Fulson. Chenier is credited with redesigning the wood and crimped tin washboard into the vest frottoir, an instrument that would easily hang from the shoulders.

In 1976, Chenier reached a national audience when he appeared on the premiere season of the PBS music program Austin City Limits. Three years later in 1979 he returned to the show with his Red Hot Louisiana Band. Chenier's popularity peaked in the 1980s, and he and his band traveled throughout the world. Chenier was recognized with a Grammy Award in 1983 for his album I'm Here. He was only the second Louisiana Creole to win a Grammy, following Queen Ida. He was a recipient of a 1984 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Sadly, Chenier died of diabetes-related kidney disease in December 12, 1987 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Since then, his son C. J. Chenier has carried on the zydeco tradition by touring with Chenier's band and recording albums. Today we celebrate the birthday and amazing legacy of a true Louisiana original!

Happy Birthday, Luther Kent!

Blues vocalist Luther Kent was born Kent Rowell in New Orleans on June 23, 1948, and is known for his powerful, soulful voice, as well as his band Luther Kent & Trick Bag, which mixes swinging blues with New Orleans R&B. He began his professional singing career when he was 14, and was influenced by Ray Charles, Etta James and Bobby Bland. In 1970, he became the lead singer for a group named Cold Grits, and in 1974 he joined Blood, Sweat & Tears. He toured with them until the end of that same year, but he never recorded with that group. In 1977 he released his first solo album, and by 1978 he had formed Luther Kent & Trick Bag with Charlie Brent, former musical director for Wayne Cochran. The band was very active during the 1980s and 1990s, and released 3 CDs under the name. Kent released a gospel album in 1996 which featured Allen Toussaint and Pete Fountain. In 2006, Kent toured Italy with Italian blues guitarist Robi Zonca and his band, and a recording of the show was released as album Magic Box that year. Apart from his solo work, Kent also sings as a guest with the traditional jazz group, The Dukes of Dixieland, and appears on some of their recordings. Kent continues to perform and is a regular performer at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Let’s wish Luther a very happy birthday!

Photo by Masahiro Sumori

Happy Birthday, Deacon John!

R&B, rock ‘n roll and blues guitarist, singer, bandleader and actor Deacon John Moore was born in New Orleans on June 23, 1941. Happy birthday to a true Big Easy legend!

Photo by Mobilus In Mobili - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mobili/21498536583/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44363359