Happy Birthday, Tab Benoit!

Singer songwriter, guitarist, and drummer Tab Benoit was born November 17, 1967, in Houma Louisiana. A guitar player since his teenage years, he plays primarily Delta blues on his 1972 Fender Telecaster, but he’s skilled in a number of blues styles. Benoit learned from blues legends, and formed a trio in 1987, playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Two years later he began touring other parts of the South, and started touring more of the United States in 1991. He landed a  recording contract in 1992, and has been prolific since then, releasing 19 recordings between 1993 and 2012. In that time, he has collaborated and performed with countless legendary musicians including his regular crew, bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Darryl White, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, George Porter, Jr.., Kenny Neal,  Debbie Davies, Jimmy Thackery, Charlie Musselwhite, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, Anders Osborne, Michael Doucet, Ivan Neville, and more.

In 2007, Benoit won his first B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award presented by the Blues Music Awards, the most prestigious recognitions afforded to Blues musicians. Benoit was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and two years later, he won three separate Blues Music Awards: Contemporary Blues Male Artist; Contemporary Blues Album (for 2011's Medicine); and for the second time, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. In 2013, the second year in a row, Benoit won the Blues Music Awards Contemporary Blues Male Artist.

In 2003, Benoit founded 'Voice of the Wetlands,' an organization promoting awareness of the receding coastal wetlands of Louisiana.He promotes the issues that plague Louisiana's imperiled coast to his national audience, and supports outreach and education about Louisiana's Wetlands loss and how Louisiana's rich culture is endangered as its wetlands disappear.In 2010, Benoit received the Governor's Award - Conservationist of the Year for 2009 by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

Photo: Bengt Nyman

Happy Birthday, Stanton Moore!

Funk, jazz and rock drummer Stanton Moore was born in New Orleans on July 9, 1972. A founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career and has recorded with numerous bands of diverse music genres. Moore also teaches New Orleans drumming, including running drum camps and his own Drum Academy. He also writes for drumming publications, and develops instructional books and videos. Happy Birthday, Stanton!

Photo by: Sam Friedman https://www.flickr.com/photos/friedpixphoto

Happy Birthday, Johnny Vidacovich!

Jazz drummer John Joseph Vidacovich Jr. was born on June 27, 1949, and is a member of the band Astral Project with  James Singleton, Tony Dagradi, and Steve Masakowski. He has also worked with Bobby McFerrin, Stanton Moore, Charlie Hunter, Willy DeVille, Robert Walter, Mose Allison, Johnny Adams, Professor Longhair, James Booker, and Alvin Tyler. He began teaching at Loyola University New Orleans in 1982. Today we wish this exceptional musician a happy birthday!

(Wikipedia Biography)

Photo: bindifry

Happy Birthday, Shannon Powell!

Jazz and ragtime drummer Shannon Powell was born in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans on April 8, 1962, and by age six he was playing drums regularly at church. While still in grammar school, Powell met legendary musician Danny Barker and eventually became a regular member of Danny Barker & His Original Jazz Hounds. His first paying gig was with that band at Jazz Fest, when Powell was just 14 years old. In high school, Powell became a member of New Orleans Finest, trumpeter Leroy Jones’ first band, and went on to study at the Black Academy of Arts, joining pianist Willie Metcalf, Jr.’s band, along with classmates Wynton and Branford Marsalis.

Powell toured with Harry Connick, Jr., from 1987 to 1992, and released two platinum albums with him. Powell has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Dr. John, Earl King, and the Preservation Hall Jazz.  He has also recorded with numerous prominent artists, including Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, Irvin Mayfield, Leroy Jones, Blind Boys of Alabama,  John Boutté, Kermit Ruffins, Charmaine Neville, Henry Butler, George Porter, Jr., and Snooks Eaglin.

Powell is a regular at Jazz Fest and has toured internationally, and now plays with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He leads his own quartet with Jason Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, and Roland Guerin, and has recorded "Powell's Place," a CD which features Powell’s vocals on a mix of traditional and original jazz songs. In addition to being a leader on the traditional jazz circuit, Powell also serves as an educator. If you don’t catch him at workshops presented at universities and jazz festivals all over the world, you can see more of him in Tradition is a Temple, the 2011 documentary film about New Orleans musical culture. No matter when you see him next, today let’s all wish this extraordinary musician a very happy birthday! 

Photo: Shannon Brinkman

Happy Birthday, Jason Marsalis!

Jazz and funk drummer and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis was born in New Orleans on March 4, 1977, into the Marsalis family of musical royalty. He is the youngest son of the late pianist and music professor Ellis Marsalis, Jr., and brother to jazz musicians Branford, Wynton and Delfeayo, as well as Ellis Marsalis III and Mboya Kinyatta. Marsalis started playing drums at age three when his parents purchased a toy set of drums. By age six, he had a real drum kit, at seven he sat in with his father’s group, and by nine he was a consistent performer at his father’s engagements. Jason had also taken up violin at age five, but drums and percussion were his primary focus. In 1991, he was accepted to the acclaimed New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts High School (NOCCA), and he continued playing gigs with his father and brothers. In 1995, Marsalis joined the Marcus Roberts Trio, while still attending Loyola University in New Orleans. He made appearances with international jazz luminaries and remained on the New Orleans music scene, working with a diverse cross section of bands. In 1998, he co-founded the Latin-jazz group Los Hombres Calientes, recording two albums with the group, and also producing two albums under his own name. He also produced reissues and current recordings of his father on their self-owned label, ELM Records. Marsalis and his brothers and their father were named NEA Jazz Masters, and he is one of the artists featured in Tradition Is a Temple, a 2013 documentary film about New Orleans. Marsalis continues to grow and develop as both a composer and performer, and all who are fortunate to hear his music and see him perform become loyal fans. Happy Birthday to an amazing musician!

Photo: Infrogmation

Celebrating the Birthday of Ernie K-Doe!

Rhythm and blues singer drummer, broadcaster, and club-owner Ernest Kador, Jr., known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was born in New Orleans on February 22, 1933. He was best known for his 1961 hit single “Mother-in-Law”, which was written by Allen Toussaint, and went to number 1 on the Billboard pop chart..His song "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" reached number 21 the same year, and "Later for Tomorrow" reached number 37 in 1967, but he never had another top 40 pop hit.

In the 1980s K-Doe did radio shows on New Orleans community stations, occasionally causing problems for the noncommercial stations with his frequent self-promotion.  In the 1990s K-Doe began to call himself "The Emperor of the Universe" and wore a cape and crown, becoming a famous local eccentric in New Orleans. Always an elaborate showman, one of K-Doe's most notable later performances ended with him performing seven continuous renditions of "Mother In Law" while dancing in front of the Aquarium of the Americas’ shark tank dressed in a green plumed cape. "Here Come the Girls", written by Allen Toussaint and recorded by K-Doe, was released in 1970, but was not a hit until it was used in an advertising campaign in 2007 and re-released. In 2008, a cover by the Sugarbabes reached number 3 on the UK charts, and in 2017 it was covered by Trombone Shorty. In 1994 The Mother-in-Law Lounge was opened by Ernie K-Doe, and it became an icon in the local community. K-Doe continued performing and occasionally recording until shortly before his death on July 5, 2001.

Today we celebrate the Emperor of the Universe’s birthday, and remember this talented artist … Ernie K. Doe.