Saints of The Church

Saints of the Church of New Orleans have woven their talents indelibly into the fabric of the Big Easy, continuing to serve the devoted from heaven.

A

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

Louis Armstrong is the most famous and influential jazz musician of all time, and was a beloved American icon and cultural ambassador. He was born into poverty in New Orleans on August 4, 1901, dropped out of school at the age of 11, and learned how to play the coronet after being sent to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys in 1913. Nicknamed Satchmo, Satch and Pops, in the 1920’s he emerged as a trumpet virtuoso whose highly inventive, improvised solos transformed jazz. He followed his mentor, Joe “King” Oliver, to Chicago, played in numerous prominent jazz bands, and led his own successful band, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. Armstrong ultimately moved to New York, where he made his home. Armstrong had a distinctive, gravelly voice and charismatic stage presence which propelled him to great popularity, both at home and internationally, and not just with his musical recordings, but on radio, films and television. Among his most popular songs are the heartwarming “What A Wonderful World” and the cheerful “Hello Dolly”, for which he won a Grammy in 1964. Armstrong’s career spanned five decades, from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, and 11 of his songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Armstrong passed away in his sleep from a heart attack, a month before his 70th birthday, on July 6, 1971. A 12-foot statue of Armstrong, trumpet in hand, is located in Louis Armstrong Park, located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, just across from the French Quarter.

B

DANNY BARKER

Guitarist, banjo player, singer and author Daniel “Danny” Barker was born in New Orleans on January 13, 1909, and performed as a rhythm guitarist for several bands throughout the 1930s, including Cab Calloway. Throughout his career, he played with noted artists including Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet, as well as touring with his wife, singer Blue Lu Barker. From the 1960s, Barker's work with the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band was pivotal in ensuring the longevity of jazz in New Orleans, producing generations of new talent, including Wynton and Branford Marsalis who played in the band as youths. Barker passed away on March 13, 1994.

DAVE BARTHOLOMEW

David Louis Bartholomew was born on December 24, 1918, in Edgard, Louisiana. He was a musician, bandleader, composer, writer, arranger, and producer in many musical genres including Big Band, swing, R&B, rock and roll, New Orleans and Dixieland Jazz. Bartholomew is best known for his numerous successful collaborations with Fats Domino and other artists, as well as for his significant and influential role in the transition from swing and jump blues to rock and roll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and recognized for these achievements, being dubbed “one of the Crescent City’s greatest musicians.” New Orleans music legend Dave Bartholomew passed away on June 23, 2019, at the age of 100, but his music lives on.

SIDNEY BECHET

Sidney Bechet was a jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer who was born in New Orleans on May 14, 1897. Bechet is considered one of New Orleans’ greatest jazz musicians, along with King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. By the age of 13, Bechet was a professional jazz musician, and by 16 he was touring the South with pianist and singer Clarence Williams. In 1919, Bechet began touring with trumpeter King Oliver, eventually going on to Chicago, New York and Europe. He was a master of improvisation, becoming one of the first important soloists in jazz, playing lead parts that were usually reserved for trumpet. Known for his heavy vibrato, his unequaled energy made him king of the soprano saxophone, and also one of the most original and innovative clarinetists in jazz. From 1925 to 1931 Bechet lived and played in Europe, playing in England, France, Germany and Russia, and it was there where he achieved his greatest success. Bechet has had a deep and lasting influence on the way jazz clarinet and soprano saxophone are played, inspiring countless musicians along the way. Sidney Bechet passed away in Paris, France, on May 14, 1959, on his 62nd birthday.

EDDIE BO

Singer, pianist and songwriter Eddie Bo (Edwin Joseph Bocage) was born on September 20, 1929, in New Orleans, and grew up in Algiers and the Ninth Ward. Eddie, who was trained in jazz, was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, and released more single records than anyone else in New Orleans other than Fats Domino. Eddie won two Lifetime Achievement awards from the South Louisiana Music Association and Music/Offbeat Best of the Beat. He was a veteran of the New Orleans music scene who has been sorely missed since his passing on March 18, 2009. 

SPENCER BOHREN

Singer songwriter, guitarist, teacher and visual artist Spencer Bohren was born on April 5, 1950, in Casper, Wyoming. He played guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, and percussion, and utilized the roots of American traditional music to write songs in blues, country, gospel and folk styles. Bohren grew up in Wyoming and spent time in Colorado, Oregon, Washington in the early part of his career. In 1976 he began raising a family with his wife, Marilyn, in New Orleans. Bohren performed throughout the United States as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, and Japan. He performed on the A Prairie Home Companion radio program and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He also taught at the Fur Peace Ranch. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he hosted a weekly Monday-night jam session at the Tipitina's music club in New Orleans. Although he most often worked as a soloist, he performed in several bands, including the Funston Brothers, the Eagle-Ridin' Papa, Butterfat, Rufus Krisp, the Earthtones, and Gone Johnson. He collaborated with folk blues performer Judy Roderick, diesel-billy guitarist Bill Kirchen, opera singer Karen Clift, Dr. John, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and the vocal duo The Tremors.

In the academic world, Bohren presented a musical overview of American roots music, a lecture-performance entitled Down the Dirt Road Blues, which traces the journey of a single song, "Dirt Road Blues," from Africa to the days of slavery in the American South, through the modern age. He used appropriate vintage instruments to orchestrate the story as the song evolves from a simple vocal melody to a blues song, a dance number, a hillbilly banjo piece, a country hit, and into the age of rock 'n' roll. His CD Carry the Word was named "Best CD of the Year 2000 by a Louisiana Artist" by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, and he has won the New Orleans Gambit Weekly's "Big Easy Award for Best Folk Artist" several times. Also a visual artist, Bohren created artworks that he calls "Reliquaries" and shares his philosophy and techniques with interested students of all ages. Bohren released fourteen albums since 1984., and appeared in television drama HBO's "Treme" in 2012. Sadly, Bohren died on June 8, 2019, but his musical legacy is enduring.

BUDDY BOLDEN

Cornetist Charles Joseph “Buddy” Bolden was born in New Orleans on September 6, 1877, was one of the founding fathers of jazz. Many jazz musicians, including Jelly Roll Morton and the great trumpeter Louis Armstrong, acclaimed him as one of the most powerful musicians ever to play jazz.

Little is known about the details of Bolden’s career, but it is documented that by about 1895 he was leading a band. Acknowledged as the cornet king of New Orleans, Bolden often worked with six or seven different bands simultaneously. In 1906 his emotional stability began to crumble, and the following year he was committed to the East Louisiana State Hospital, where he died on November 4, 1931.

JAMES BOOKER

Singer and New Orleans rhythym and blues keyboardist James Carroll Booker, III, was born in New Orleans on December 17, 1939. His unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. New Orleans legend Dr. John described Booker as "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced." 

Booker was the son and grandson of Baptist ministers, both of whom played the piano, and he spent most of his childhood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As an adolescent, he returned to New Orleans and attended the Xavier Academy Preparatory School, becoming highly skilled in classical music, and also combining elements of stride, blues, gospel and Latin piano styles in his performances. Booker made his recording debut in 1954 with "Doin' the Hambone" and "Thinkin' 'Bout My Baby", produced by New Orleans legend Dave Bartholomew. In 1958, Arthur Rubinstein, considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century, performed a concert in New Orleans, after which Booker, only 18 years, was introduced to the concert pianist and played several tunes for him. Astonished, Rubinstein said, "I could never play that ... never at that tempo" Around this same time, Booker also became known for his flamboyant personality among his peers. In 1960, Booker's "Gonzo", reached number 43 on the Billboard chart and number 3 on the R&B record chart, followed by some moderate success. Unfortunately, he began using drugs, serving a brief sentence in Angola Prison for drug possession in 1970. 

In 1974, Booker played organ in Dr. John's Bonnaroo Revue touring band, and during this period, he appeared on albums by Ringo Starr, John Mayall, The Doobie Brothers, Labelle and Maria Muldaur. His 1975 performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival earned him a recording contract the produced the album, Junco Partner. Booker recorded a number of albums while touring Europe in 1977, and also played at the Nice and Montreux Jazz Festivals in 1978 and recorded a session for the BBC during this time. From 1978 to 1982, Booker was the house pianist at the Maple Leaf Bar in uptown New Orleans. Booker's last commercial recording, Classified, made in 1982, was completed in four hours. Sadly, Booker's mental and physical condition had deteriorated. Tragically, Booker died on November 8, 1983, while seated in a wheelchair in the emergency room at New Orleans' Charity Hospital, waiting to receive medical attention. The cause of death, as cited in the Orleans Parish Coroner's Death Certificate, was renal failure related to chronic abuse of heroin and alcohol. Booker left us far too soon, but you can still see him perform and learn more about him in Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, an excellent, feature-length documentary. 

Lagniappe: Booker joined the Jerry Garcia Band in 1976, but it is reported that after two Palo Alto, California, concerts in which Garcia ended up backing up Booker on most numbers, Booker was replaced.Also, the truth about how he lost an eye (with stories ranging from an act of violence by a mobster to getting an infection) remains unknown.

HENRY BUTLER

Jazz and Blues pianist Henry Butler was born in New Orleans on September 21, 1948. Blinded by glaucoma at birth, at five years old he entered the Louisiana State School for the Blind. There was no piano in his home, so he memorized piano melodies until he found a piano to play. Butler was performing regularly by age 16, attending school during the day and playing, arranging and composing for the groups he played with at night. Butler not only played piano, he also learned drums and saxophone, and was successful both as a soloist and in groups in Los Angeles and New York City. A true Renaissance man, Butler earned a college degree and graduate degree and taught at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. Sadly, Henry passed away on July 2, 2018, but his music lives on.

C

BOOZOO CHAVIS

Zydeco pioneer Wilson Anthony "Boozoo" Chavis was born on October 23, 1930, near Lake Charles, Louisiana, in a Cajun Creole settlement called Pied des Chiens (Dog Hill). Chavis was an accordion player, singer, songwriter and bandleader who began playing accordion in his youth, having been was exposed to his father, uncles and cousins who all played. He was nicknamed "Boozoo" in his childhood, although the name’s origin is unknown. As a teenager, Chavis bought a button accordion and began performing regularly at a dance club that his mother opened, often sitting in on performances with Clifton Chenier, as well as playing at house dances on weekends and evenings.As well as developing the playing style that came to be known as zydeco, Chavis worked as a farmer, jockey, and horse trainer. Chavis earned the nickname "The Creole Cowboy" because of his background raising horses, as well as the white Stetson hat he wore during performances. 

In 1954, Chavis’ first recording, "Paper in My Shoe," sung in both French and English, was the first commercially released zydeco song and the first zydeco hit, and subsequently became a zydeco standard. Chavis was convinced that the recording was more successful than the record companies claimed, so he lost trust in the music business, and over the next thirty years only released three more singles. He performed rarely during the 1960s and 1970s, devoting most of his time to raising racehorses and farming on his property in Dog Hill. 

In the early 1980s, zydeco was gaining recognition outside of Louisiana in the United States, as well developing as a strong following in Europe, thanks largely to the popularity of artists such as Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Rockin' Dopsie. Chavis returned to performing music regularly in 1984 after discovering that another musician was impersonating him. He signed a five-year contract with the Maison de Soul label, and released a locally successful single, "Dog Hill" and four albums: Louisiana Zydeco Music (1986), Boozoo Zydeco! (1987), Zydeco Homebrew (1989), and Zydeco Trail Ride (1990).In 1989, Chavis founded the "Labor Day Dog Hill Festival" as a fan appreciation party, and to showcase zydeco musicians and also keep the zydeco tradition alive. During the 1990’s, many of his songs also appeared on compilation albums featuring many of the most well-known zydeco performers.

During the 1990s, Chavis performed widely with his band, the Magic Sounds, and was crowned "The King of Zydeco" in New Orleans in 1993, after Clifton Chenier's death. He was a prolific writer of zydeco songs, some including references to his friends and acquaintances and others too raunchy to be sold openly. The release of X-rated versions of his songs "Uncle Bud" and "Deacon Jones" on his 1999 album Who Stole My Monkey? resulted in a parental advisory sticker, the first for a zydeco recording. In 1998, Chavis was inducted into the Zydeco Hall of Fame, and in 2001, he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

 Sadly, Chavis died on May 5, 2001, from complications resulting from a heart attack, just one week after a performance in Texas. His legacy lives on in his zydeco music festival, and the numerous musicians whom he influenced. 

Lagniappe:The first recording session for Chavis’ "Paper in My Shoe" did not go well, so whiskey was brought in, and the band lost their inhibitions. An inebriated Chavis fell off of his chair at the end of the released version of the song, so the song fades out, which was one of the first records to use that technique

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. He may be gone, but the amazing legacy of this true Louisiana original lives on.

Lagniappe: Chenier is the subject of Les Blank's 1973 documentary film, Hot Pepper. In 2015, the Library of Congress deemed Chenier's album Bogalusa Boogie to be "culturally, historically, or artistically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

D

DR. JOHN

Malcolm “Mac” John Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, was born in New Orleans, on November 21, 1940, and was a singer, songwriter and musician whose unique “New Orleans Sound” combines blues, pop, jazz, soul, boogie woogie, funk, and rock n roll. A six-time Grammy winner, Dr. John was a skilled pianist and guitarist who began his musical career in the 1950’s playing with New Orleans luminaries Professor Longhair, Art Neville and Allen Toussaint. Rebennack came up with the persona of “Dr. John, The Night Tripper” and adopted a stage appearance inspired by Mardi Gras Indians and voodoo shaman. He made his album debut with Gris-Gris in 1968, and had a hit single in 1973 with “Right Place, Wrong Time”. Over the following decades, Dr. John has released numerous albums and songs covering a wide range of styles and genres. Always a strong supporter of his home town, sales from his 2007 Grammy nominated album, Sippiana Hericane, benefitted the New Orleans Music Clinic, and he was one of the founders of All For One (AFO) Records, a predominantly African-American cooperative. Dr. John was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Dr. John passed away of a heart attack in his beloved New Orleans on June 6, 2019. He is sorely missed, but his music lives on.

Lagniappe: In 1961, Rebennack’s ring finger on his left hand was severely injured in a barroom gun incident, causing him to focus on playing the piano rather than guitar. He later underwent successful reconstructive surgery and therapy on his finger.

BIG CHIEF BO DOLLIS

Theodore Emile "Bo" Dollis was born in New Orleans on January 14, 1944, and grew up in Central City. While in high school, he secretly attended Sunday night Indian "practice" at a friend's house, following The White Eagles tribe, playing and singing the traditional repertoire. In 1957 he masked for the first time with The Golden Arrows, not telling his family of his involvement with the Indians. He made his suit at someone else's house and told his folks he was going to a parade. Hours later his father discovered him, having recognized his son in the street, underneath a crown of feathers. In 1964, Bo Dollis became Big Chief of The Wild Magnolias, having previously participated in other Mardi Gras tribes.

Bo Dollis' name is virtually synonymous with the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indian Tribe. Dollis’ talent is legendary, as he could improvise well and sing with a sweet voice, or a rough edge. Dollis’ childhood friend Monk Boudreaux, Chief of the Golden Eagles, has appeared with The Wild Magnolias since 1970. In that year, The Wild Magnolias recorded a single called "Handa Wanda," that, in addition to featuring their usual ensemble of vocalists and battery of percussion instruments, made history as the first time Mardi Gras Indians performed in the studio with a full band backing them up. The single found success in jukeboxes and through local word-of-mouth, if not on the radio, and ultimately led to a record contract. Two critically acclaimed full-length albums followed, in 1974 and 1975, and a single, "Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke it Right)", went to #74 on the Billboard Black Singles chart in 1974. 

In the late 1980s, The Wild Magnolias’ career got a boost from Allison Miner who booked them on new tours, along with signing them to Rounder Records, who released an album of theirs, I'm Back...at Carnival Time (featuring the ReBirth Brass Band) in 1990. In 1992, the Magnolias toured Europe as part of Willy DeVille's "New Orleans Revue", along with Dr John, Johnny Adams, and Zachary Richard. In 1999 they released Life is a Carnival, and with a permanent backing band, they embarked on worldwide tours. 2013's New Kind of Funk  marked the first Wild Magnolias record fronted by Dollis' son, Gerard "Bo Jr.," who also now serves as Big Chief of the tribe. Sadly Big Chief Bo Dollis died on January 20, 2015. While he may be gone, his music lives on, and everyone who listens to it hears an authentic music to which New Orleans owes so much.

Lagniappe: The band that backed The Wild Magnolia’s on the 1970 single "Handa Wanda," were called the New Orleans Project, and included local musicians, such as pianist Willie Tee and guitarist Snooks Eaglin.

FATS DOMINO

Pianist and singer-songwriter Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr., also known as “The Fat Man”, was born in New Orleans on February 26, 1928. A rock’n’roll music pioneer, Domino sold more than 65 million records, including the first million-selling rock’n’roll song, “The Fat Man” in 1949. Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 hits including "Blueberry Hill" and “Ain’t That A Shame”. He was one of rock’s biggest stars in the 1950s, but he described his music as the same rhythm and blues he had played in New Orleans. His style of music made him one of the firs R&B artists to become popular with white audiences. Domino also had a significant influence on the music of the 1960s and 1970s, as acknowledged by some of those he influenced, including Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Domino was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1998. Four songs of Domino's have been named to the Grammy Hall of Fame for their significance in music history: “Blueberry Hill” in 1987, “Ain’t It A Shame” in 2002, “Walking to New Orleans" in 2011 and “The Fat Man” in 2016.

Domino's home was badly flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and since he had remained in his house with his wife, they were feared lost in the flood. However, on September 1, he and his family were rescued. Domino lost most of his possessions in the devastation, but the irrepressible artist still managed to release the album Alive and Kickin’ in 2006, with a portion of sales going to a local charity for musicians. This kindness was returned in 2007 when friends and rock stars (including Elton John, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz, and Lucinda Williams) recorded Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, to raise money for repairs to his home. Domino died on October 24, 2017, at his home in Harvey, Louisiana, at the age of 89, from natural causes.

Lagniappe: Noted for being shy and humble, Domino does not get the recognition he deserves for his contribution to rock’n’roll. In addition, some believe his music and shows that brought young people of all races together impacted the breakdown of racial segregation in the U.S. 

ROCKIN’ DOPSIE

Zydeco singer and accordionist Alton Jay Rubin, who performed as Rockin' Dopsie, was born on February 10, 1932, in Carencro, Louisiana, and was the son of Walter Rubin, who played accordion at local dances. Dopsie was given his first accordion at age 14, and performed at local parties until he was 19, at which time he moved to Lafayette with his parents. He began playing in clubs in the mid-1950s, and took his stage name from a dancer called Doopsie, including pronouncing his name the same way. In addition to performing as a zydeco musician, he continued working his day job, eventually becoming an electrical contractor.

Dopsie performed around Louisiana, and recorded occasionally the 1950s and 1960s, and his appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1976 led to the release of his first album, Doin' The Zydeco. His music assimilated R&B influences into zydeco, even covering R&B hits in a zydeco style. Starting in 1979, he toured Europe regularly with his group, the Twisters, and his popularity there led to him recording a string of albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1986, he played accordion on the zydeco-influenced song "That Was Your Mother" on Paul Simon's Graceland album, and recorded the album Crowned Prince Of Zydeco in 1987. His final album in 1991, Louisiana Music, received a Grammy Award nomination. Sadly, he passed away at 61 on August 26, 1993.

Dopsie’s band continues to perform, now known as Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters. The band is led by his son Dopsie Jr., who is an accordionist, vocalist and washboard player, and with his son Alton Jr., on drums. Dopsie's younger son Dwayne also plays accordion and leads his own band, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers.

Lagniappe: Since he was left-handed, Dopsie learned to play the accordion upside down.

LEE DORSEY

R&B, soul and funk singer-songwriter Irving Lee Dorsey was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1924, and his biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with instrumental backing provided by The Meters.

Dorsey was a childhood friend of Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy in World War II, and in the 1950s he boxed as a lightweight in Portland under the name “Kid Chocolate”. He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to New Orleans, where he opened an auto repair business, as well as singing in clubs at night. His first recording was in 1958, and his first hit came with “Ya Ya” in 1961, which went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over one million copies. His later releases were not successful, so Dorsey returned to running his repair business, but continued to release singles.

He was approached again by Allen Toussaint and recorded "Ride Your Pony", which reached number seven on the R&B chart in late 1965. He followed it up with "Working in the Coal Mine", his biggest hit, touring internationally, and also recording an album with Toussaint, The New Lee Dorsey in 1966. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on the album Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the US singles chart, after which he returned to his auto repair business. In 1976 Dorsey appeared on the album I Don't Want to Go Home by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings, including the album Night People. In 1980, he opened for  The Clash on their US concert tour, and also toured in support of James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Dorsey's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can”) and Devo ("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was covered on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album, and Robert Palmer had a hit with "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley". Dorsey’s version of the Allen Toussaint song "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys' song "Sure Shot", with the lyric "Everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey." Clearly, Lee Dorsey’s talent is timeless and his fans span across varied musical genres.

Sadly, Dorsey contracted emphysema and died on December 1, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61. His music has had a significant and enduring influence on musicians in New Orleans and worldwide.

Lagniappe: Dorsey’s hit song "Ya Ya" was inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhymes.

E

SNOOKS EAGLIN

Guitarist and vocalist Fird “Snooks” Eaglin was born in New Orleans on January 21, 1937. Not long after his first birthday, Eaglin lost his sight due to glaucoma. At about five years of age, his father gave him a guitar, and he taught himself to play by listening to and playing along with the radio. Mischievous as a child, Eaglin was given the nickname "Snooks" after a radio character named Baby Snooks. In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin entered a radio talent contest, and in 1950, he dropped out of a school for the blind to become a professional musician. Two years later, he joined a local band started by Allen Toussaint called the Flamingoes. Eaglin played both the guitar and the bass parts simultaneously on his guitar, and he stayed with the band until they disbanded in the mid-1950s. 

His vocal style was reminiscent of Ray Charles, and he played such a wide range of songs and styles of music, sometimes within the same concert, album, or song, that he was nicknamed “The Human Jukebox.” He usually did not prepare set lists for his live shows, playing songs that came to him on stage and taking requests from the audience. Amazingly, his musical repertoire was said to include 2500 songs. Though he had a lengthy career spanning nearly five decades, Eaglin’s recording and touring as a solo artist were inconsistent. Over the years he worked with luminaries such as James Booker, Dave Bartholomew, Ellis Marsalis, Professor Longhair, and the Wild Magnolias. He was at his most consistent between 1987 and 1999, when he recorded five albums and recorded with other artists including Earl King and Henry Butler. 

Eaglin was scheduled to make a comeback appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the spring of 2009, but sadly he passed away on February 18, 2009.

Lagniappe: Early on he was occasionally credited under other names including "Lil" Snook, Blind Snooks Eaglin, Ford Eaglin, and Blind Guitar Ferd.

F

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.

Lagniappe: Fountain was a founder and the most prominent member of the Half-Fast Walking Club, one of the best known marching units that parade on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans. The original name was "The Half-Assed Walking Club," but Pete changed the name under pressure exerted by the parade organizers.

G

H

AL HIRT

Trumpeter and bandleader Alois Maxwell “Al” Hirt, nicknamed "Jumbo" and "The Round Mound of Sound", was born in New Orleans on November 7, 1922. A Police Officer’s son, he played in the Junior Police Band with a trumpet purchased for him from a pawn shop when he was 6 years old. By the age of 16, he was playing professionally with his friend, jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain. In the 1940s he performed with the preeminent swing bands of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman. In the 1950s he returned to New Orleans, working with various Dixieland groups and leading his own bands. Hirt's virtuosic playing attracted the attention of RCA Victor, and he posted twenty-two albums on the Billboard charts in the 1950s and 1960s. He had two Top 10 best selling albums in 1964, and scored a hit single with his cover of New Orleans legend Allen Touissaint’s “Java”, later winning a Grammy for the same recording.

In 1962 Hirt opened his own club on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, which he ran until 1983. He also became a minority owner in the NFL expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967. In 1965, he hosted a television variety series, and he starred along with a marching band at the first Super Bowl halftime show in 1967. Hirt was famously injured while riding on a Mardi Gras float in 1970; it is believed he was struck in the mouth by a piece of concrete brick. Fortunately, he underwent surgery, and later returned to the club scene. And, in 1987, Hirt played a solo rendition of "Ave Maria" for Pope John Paul II's visit to New Orleans. Hirt died on April 27, 1999, of liver failure at the age of 76. In 2009, Hirt was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

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MAHALIA JACKSON

Mahalia Jackson was born on October 26, 1911, and grew up in the Black Pearl section of the Carrollton neighborhood of uptown New Orleans. She was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel” and possessed a powerful contralto voice. “I sing God’s music because it makes me feel free”, Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, it “gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.” She made some recordings in the 1930s, but experienced great success in 1947 with “Move On Up a Little Higher” which sold millions of copies. Her success led to radio and television, as well as a tour that included performing at Carnegie Hall in 1950 to a racially integrated audience. She became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, Jackson performed before King gave his ”I Have a Dream” speech. She recorded about 30 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen “golds”—million-sellers. Mahalia Jackson passed away on January 27, 1972. Mahalia Jackson won four Grammy awards (in 1961, 1962, 1972 and 1976), and was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973. Other honors include induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1978, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6840 Hollywood Blvd) in 1988, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence” in 1997, and induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In addition, the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts was opened in January 1973. Located in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, the 2,100 seat theater was closed in August 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina and reopened in January 2009.

Lagniappe: She was born as Mahala Jackson and nicknamed “Halie”. In 1931, Jackson recorded “You Better Run, Run, Run”, and it was around this time she added the “i” to her name, changing it from Mahala to Mahalia.

 BEAU JOCQUE

Zydeco musician and songwriter Beau Jocque (born Andrus Espre) was born on November 1, 1953, in Duralde, Louisiana, to a father who was a well-respected accordion player. He played guitar in a high school band, and his early influences were not zydeco musicians but rather acts such as War, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Santana. After high school, he spent nine years in the Air Force, and then worked at an oil refinery, where in 1987, he experienced a work-related accident that left him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. He began playing his father's button accordion as part of his therapy, gaining proficiency and studying the styles of C. J. Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Boozoo Chavis, John Delafose.

He grew up speaking Louisiana Creole French fluently, and took the stage name "Beau Jocque," meaning "Big Guy," because he stood 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 270 pounds. In 1991, he put a band together, including his wife Shelly on rubboard, playing a few gigs in small clubs and parties. Along with his bass vocals and growling lyrics, he incorporated guitar solos, blues-rock beats, and rap lines into his songs, appealing to crowds and causing word to spread quickly about his band. Beau Jocque's first recording My Name is Beau Jocque was issued in 1992, and he sent cassettes to area radio stations and also sold them at his gigs, creating a buzz. Within a short amount of time, Beau Jocque was playing clubs four to five nights a week and was one of the biggest draws on the Louisiana zydeco circuit. Rounder Records took notice and signed him, releasing Beau Jocque Boogiein 1993, which contained the song "Give Him Cornbread”, his first hit and ultimately his signature song. In 1995, Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers were the headliners on the Rounder Records "Louisiana Red Hot Music Tour". In June 1999 they were a featured band at the first annual New Jersey Arts and Music Festival. Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers won the Big Easy Music Awards three times as Best Zydeco Artist. 

Beau Jocque recorded five studio albums for Rounder, with a sixth live album and two compilation albums released posthumously. All were financial successes for both the label and the artist. His contract with Rounder was not exclusive, so Beau Jocque also recorded two albums for New Orleans-based Mardi Gras Records, as well as a mini-CD on his own label. Sadly, Beau Jocque passed away at home in Kinder on September 10, 1999, the day after he and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers performed a two-set show at the Rock n' Bowl in New Orleans. He was at the height of his career when he passed, and his music will always be remembered and enjoyed by his many fans.

Lagniape:Beau Jocque's rapid rise created some tension with the older zydeco musicians who felt he hadn't paid his dues. He and Boozoo Chavis often traded insults in public, but they were supportive of each other in private. The friendly rivalry was good for business, with the New Orleans Rock n' Bowl staging annual mock battles billed as "Boo vs. Beau" during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. One year, Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts paid the $5 admission to experience the showdown. One such "battle of the bands" was the centerpiece of a 1994 documentary film The Kingdom of Zydeco. 

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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.

Lagniappe: Ernie’s widow Antoinette led a tongue-in-cheek campaign for K-Doe's election for mayor of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans in 2006, five years after his death. The campaign generated revenue from sales of T-shirts and bumper stickers which helped rebuild the Mother-in-Law Lounge and the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, which were both damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

EARL KING

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Earl King (Earl Silas Johnson) was born in New Orleans on February 7, 1934. King started playing guitar at 15, entered local talent contests, and met his idol, Guitar Slim, at one such contest at the Dew Drop Inn. In 1954, King toured with Guitar Slim's band, representing himself as Slim, after an automobile accident had sidelined Slim.King ultimately became a regular at the Inn, and made his first recording in 1953 as Earl Johnson. In 1955 his hit song “Those Lonely, Lonely Nights” reached number 7 on the BillboardR&B chart. The legendary Dave Bartholomew invited King to record for Imperial Records in 1960, and it was there that he recorded his signature songs “Trick Bag” and “Come On”.

While King did not record for much of the 1960s, he was very productive producing and songwriting for local labels, including the iconic “Big Chief” recorded by Professor Longhair. He recorded a few tracks for Motown Records in the mid-1960s, and in 1972 he recorded the album Street Paradewith Allen Toussaint and the Meters, which was ultimately released in 1982. King appeared on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1976, recorded the album That Good Old New Orleans Rock ‘n Roll, released in 1977. His 1986 album Glazedwas nominated for a Grammy Award. He released two more albums in the 1990s featuring such luminaries as Snooks Eaglin, George Porter, Jr., and David Torkanosky. King performed off and on locally until his death. 

Earl King passed away on April 17, 2003, just a week before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. And in typical New Orleans style, his funeral was held during the festival with many musicians in attendance, including Dr. John, Aaron Neville, and Leo Nocentelli.  

Lagniappe: King’s song “Trick Bag” has been covered by numerous artists including Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Anson Funderburgh, the Meters, and Robert Palmer.

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ELLIS MARSALIS

Pianist, composer and music educator Ellis Marsalis was born in New Orleans on November 14, 1934. Marsalis is the patriarch of a musical family, with internationally famous sons, saxophonist Branford and trumpeter Wynton, as well as accomplished jazz musicians, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason. Marsalis played with Al Hirt and other musicians in the 1950s and ‘60s, and in the ‘70s he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and became a leading educator there, as well as at the University of New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana. His students have included New Orleans musicians Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Donald Harrison, Marlon Jordan, and Nicholas Payton. Marsalis has recorded numerous albums and has been featured on the recordings of many musicians, but he has focused his efforts on teaching, encouraging students to listen and experiment. As a result, he has influenced the careers of many musicians, and in 2007 he received an honorary doctorate from Tulane University for his contributions to jazz and musical education. And, in 2008, Ellis Marsalis was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. A further honor was bestowed on him when the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music at Musicians' Village in New Orleans was named in his honor, and in 2011 he and his sons are group recipients of the 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.

COSIMO MATASSA

Record producer Cosimo Matassa was born in New Orleans on April 13, 1926, and opened the J&M Recording Studio in 1945 at the age of 18, at the back of his family's shop on Rampart Street. In 1955, he moved to the larger Cosimo Recording Studio on Gov. Nichols Street, nearby in the French Quarter.

Matassa was crucial to the development of the sound of R&B, rock and soul of the 1950s and 1960s, often working as an engineer with producers Dave Bartholomew and Allen Toussaint. He recorded many hits, including Fats Domino’s "The Fat Man" (a contender for the first rock and roll record), Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", and records by Ray Charles, Dr. John and many others. He was responsible for developing what became known as the New Orleans sound, with strong drums, heavy guitar and bass, heavy piano, light horns and a strong vocal lead.

Matassa retired from the music business in the 1980s to manage the family's food store, Matassa's Market, in the French Quarter. In 2007, Matassa was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and was also given a Grammy Trustees Award that same year. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013. Cosimo Matassa passed away on September 11, 2014, aged 88, in New Orleans, but his musical legacy lives on forever.

Lagniappe: J&M Recording Studio was designated as a historic landmark in 1999, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum designated J&M Recording Studio a historic Rock and Roll Landmark in 2010, one of 11 nationwide.

BIG CHIEF ALLISON “TOOTIE” MONTANA

Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana was born in New Orleans on December 16, 1922, a lather by trade, was a New Orleans cultural icon who acted as the Mardi Gras Indian "chief of chiefs" for over 50 years. Tootie is revered in the Mardi Gras Indian culture as the Big Chief who is responsible for changing the violent way of the Indians' culture. Tootie was Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe and made the culture of the Mardi Gras Indians about pageantry rather than violence.

The history of the Mardi Gras Indians can be traced back to the time of slavery in New Orleans. When slaves would escape from the city, many would find shelter with the Indigenous people of America. Traditions of the Mardi Gras Indians stemmed from what was observed while under the care of the indigenous people. The art of masking in Indian suits at Carnival is a way to pay respect to the people who looked after escaped slaves. Originally, the Mardi Gras Indians fought violently over lands and wards surrounding the parishes. Tribes from different sections of town would engage in fights called humbugs in parts of New Orleans called the battlefield, and Carnival was the time that any Indian revenge was executed. Tootie spoke out against the violence and turned to music and dance as a way to express competitive showmanship.

Tootie’s great uncle Becate Batiste was the first creole to mask with the Indians, and his father Alfred Montana also masked, providing Tootie with the opportunity to observe and ultimately participate in the culture. Before WWII Tootie became known as Big Chief of the Yellow Creole Pocahontas tribe, and in 1947, he became Big Chief of The Monogram Hunters, a tribe he founded with local friends. During the time of his work as Big Chief, Tootie changed the nature of masking. He changed the bland colors of Indian suits to a show of aesthetically pleasing beads, feathers and sequins. Tootie would use vibrant colors and ostrich feathers to display his pride to be a Mardi Gras Indian, becoming known for his geometric beadwork. Many Indians looked forward to Tootie unveiling his latest color scheme and patches. Tootie eventually replaced Mardi Gras Indian violence with a competition of beauty, and of love and sightseeing. He believed that if an Indian spent months working on an elaborate suit, they would avoid violent scenes to prevent tarnishing the suit. In the late 1950s, Tootie regained his title of Big Chief for the Yellow Creole Pocahontas tribe.

The start of Carnival involves the Chief marching in the back of his tribe, while non-costumed followers trail behind the Indians, known as a second line. Ahead of the tribe is a "Spyboy" who is a block or two ahead. He will motion to the "Flagboy" if the road ahead is clear or not. The "Flagboy" will then alert the chief. The chief will then make the decision as to what road to take. Because of the ambiguous nature of the Indians, there is no telling what path they make take around New Orleans. This makes finding their exact location difficult to pinpoint each year. When two tribes meet each other on the same path, they will have a battle. This battle no longer involves bloodshed and weapons, but chanting and dancing, as well as an informal competition as to which chief has the "prettiest" suit. The chants are in a native language, and can tell a story, shared experience or taunt the opposing tribe. The relationships between the tribes have become calm since the work that Tootie did with changing the traditions of the Mardi Gras Indians.

In 1982 Tootie is quoted to have said that "Now, people run to the Mardi Gras Indians; back in the day, people would run from them". Montana is a recipient of a 1987 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. Tootie continued to mask as Chief until 1998, when his son Darryl took over as Chief of The Yellow Pocahontas Tribe. At the age of 78, Tootie was the oldest continuously masking Mardi Gras Indian. In 1995 he stated, "I am the oldest, I am the best, and I am the prettiest". 

After handing down the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe to his son, Tootie continued to work on suits and would mask during Carnival until he was 82 years old, totaling 52 years of masking. He wasn’t able to walk as easily and had a cart pull him with his tribe. He continued to make beautiful suits in bright colors that would draw the crowds out on Super Sunday. On March 19, 2005 the Mardi Gras Indians were faced with police brutality on Saint Joseph’s Day night, a night when the Mardi Gras Indians parade. The police blocked off the road that the Indians were using and began to scatter the masses and fire into crowds. Tootie had been dealing with this brutality since he began suiting in the 1940s. On June 27, 2005 Tootie was making a speech at the New Orleans City Council Chamber against the NOPD abuse of the Mardi Gras Indians. In the middle of his speech Tootie suffered from a heart attack that took his life. At his funeral, different tribes from across the city gathered to sing, dance and honor Tootie, the Big Creole Chief, the Chief of Chiefs.

Lagniappe: Big Chief Allison “Tootie” Montana is honored with a life-sized statue in Louis Armstrong Park, in Tremé, across from the French Quarter. He is depicted in full Big Chief costume, covered in feathers and holding a tambourine.

JELLY ROLL MORTON

Ragtime and early jazz pianist and composer Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was born in New Orleans on October 20, 1890 (though some say 1885). He was a pivotal figure in early jazz. He was the first arranger in this genre rooted in improvisation, proving that jazz could retain its essential characteristics and spirit even though notated. Morton learned to play piano at age 10, and within a few years he was playing in the red-light district bordellos, where he earned the nickname "Jelly Roll." Blending the styles of ragtime and minstrelsy with dance rhythms, he was at the forefront of a movement that would soon be known as "jazz." His composition "Jelly Roll Blues", published in 1915, was the first published jazz composition. Jelly Roll Morton passed away on July 10, 1941, in Los Angeles, California. Whether or not Morton invented jazz, as he had claimed, he is regarded as one of its great innovators. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 1998, and he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

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ART NEVILLE

Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Arthur Lanon Neville was born in New Orleans on December 17, 1937, and was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. Neville started on piano and performed with his brothers at an early age, and in high school he joined and later led The Hawketts. In 1954, the band recorded "Mardi Gras Mambo" with Neville on vocals, and it gained popularity and became a New Orleans carnival anthem. Neville performed regularly in New Orleans, joined the U.S. Navy in 1958, and returned to music in 1962. In early 1960s Neville formed the Neville Sounds with Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, George Porter, Leo Nocentelli, and Ziggy Modeliste. Shortly after, Aaron and Cyril left the group to form their own band, so the remaining four members continued playing and band backed many notable artists. In the late 1960s the band changed its name to The Meters and released three instrumental albums. Early on, compositions were through live improvisation, however this changed in the early 1970s. The group released five more albums and disbanded in late 1970s due to financial, managerial and artistic factors. The band's musical style emphasized rhythm over melody and had a lasting impact on upcoming musical styles such as hip-hop as well as jam bands including Phish, Galactic and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In 1978 Neville and his brothers Cyril, Aaron and Charles formed The Neville Brothers, and their debut album, titled The Neville Brothers, was released in 1978. The group released several albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Fiyo on the Bayou and Yellow Moon, and an album in 2004. During this period, Neville performed several shows with the original Meters bandmates including a 1989 reunion at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Following that performance, Neville, Porter, Nocentelli and Russell Batiste formed The Funky Meters. The lineup changed in 1994 with Brian Stoltz replacing Nocentelli on guitar. Neville performed concurrently with both The Neville Brothers and The Funky Meters.

Neville received a Grammy in 1989 with The Neville Brothers for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. He received a Grammy in 1996 with various artists for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in "SRV Shuffle", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 in category Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 as a member of The Meters. Neville retired from music in December 2018, and sadly, he died in New Orleans at the age of 81 on July 22, 2019, after years of declining health.

CHARLES NEVILLE

R&B and jazz Saxophonist and vocalist Charles Neville was born in New Orleans on December 27, 1938, and was part of the Grammy Award winning Neville Brothers band. Known as “Charlie the horn man”, he was the second oldest of the four Neville brothers, including Art, Aaron and Cyril, he left home when he was 15 to play saxophone with the Rabbit’s Foot Minstrel Show. After serving in the Navy, he toured with B.B. King and Bobby (Blue) Bland, later joining the band of fellow New Orleanian Larry Williams. Struggles with addiction resulted in trouble with the law, landing him in jail and later in Louisiana State Prison for three and a half years for possession of marijuana. After his release in the mid-1960s, he moved to New York City and explored modern jazz. In 1976, he returned to New Orleans to record with his brothers and their uncle George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry’s Mardi Gras Indian group, blending traditional and funk music on the iconic “The Wild Tchoupitoulas” album.  

Shortly afterward, the four brothers formed The Neville Brothers and recorded over a dozen albums and built a following all over the world. Charles's saxophone playing was especially notable on the title track of their best-selling album, Yellow Moon. He moved to rural Massachusetts in the 1990s with his wife, Kristin, and children and continued to perform and record with family members and a wide variety of musicians for the rest of his life. Sadly, he passed away from pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018.

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KING OLIVER

Jazz cornet player and bandleader Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver was born on May 11, 1885, in Aben, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans in his youth.  He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz to alter the sound of his horn. Also a notable composer, he wrote many tunes still played today, including "Dippermouth Blues", "Sweet Like This", "Canal Street Blues", and "Doctor Jazz". He was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong, who said his influence was such that "if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today." Sadly, Oliver suffered from ill health and financial troubles before his death at age 52 on April 8, 1938, but his significant influence on the music of New Orleans and of the world lives on. 

Lagniappe: To mute his horn, Oliver used a rubber plumber's plunger, derby hat, bottles and cups.

KID ORY

Influential early jazz trombonist, bandleader and composer Edward "Kid" Ory was born on December 25, 1886, on Woodland Plantation, near LaPlace, Louisiana. Ory started playing music with homemade instruments in his childhood, was leading a band by his teens, and moved his band to New Orleans when he was twenty-one.  Ory played banjo in his youth, which helped him develop a particular style of trombone playing called “tailgate”, with a rhythmic line underneath the cornets and trumpets. Ory was discovered by Buddy Bolden, and by the 1910s had one of New Orleans’ most well-known bands. He hired many of the City’s greatest jazz musicians including Joe “King” Oliver and Louis Armstrong. 

In 1919, he moved to Los Angeles, and in 1921 his band recorded a number of songs, including two instrumentals, “Ory’s Creole Trombone” and “Society Blues”, which were the first jazz recordings made on the West Coast by an African-American band from New Orleans. Ory paid the recording company Nordskog for the pressings and then sold them at Spikes Brothers Music Store in Los Angeles with his own label, "Kid Ory's Sunshine Orchestra". Ory moved to Chicago in 1925 where he worked and recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Bessie Smith, and many others. He also mentored Benny Goodman and, later, Charles Mingus. Ory retired from music during the Great Depression, running a chicken farm in California during that period. But he returned to music in 1944, leading one of the premier New Orleans-style bands of the time. 

The Ory band helped to revive interest in New Orleans jazz, appearing on popular 1940s radio broadcasts, and in 1944–45 the group made a series of recordings for Crescent Records. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ory and his group appeared in Los Angeles, and in 1958 he played at 'On the levee' on the San Francisco waterfront. Ory retired from music in 1966 and spent his last years in Hawaii, where he passed away

CHRIS OWENS

Performer, club owner and entrepreneur Chris Owens was born Christine Joetta Shaw in rural Texas on October 5, 1932, studied to be a nurse, and later married car dealer Sol Owens in 1956, and opened a nightclub on St. Louis Street in the French Quarter. Originally intended to be low-key, Owens' performance numbers became so popular that the "Chris Owens Review" became a must-see act in town and they purchased the building on the corner of St. Louis and Bourbon in 1977. Tourists visiting Bourbon Street could not miss huge posters of her wearing costumes as they walked by her nightclub. Chris hosted a yearly Easter Parade that rolls throughout the French Quarter. And, in 2006, she was inducted into the New Orleans Musical Legends Park with a statue created in her likeness. Sadly, Chris passed away on April 5, 2022, in her French Quarter home. Chris Owens was a French Quarter fixture and celebrity, fondly referred to as the “Queen of the Vieux Carré.”

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LOUIS PRIMA

Trumpeter, singer, songwriter, actor, bandleader and composer Louis Prima was born in New Orleans on December 7, 1910. In the late 1920s Prima formed a New Orleans-style jazz band, then he led a swing band in the 1930s, and a big band group in the 1940s. By the 1950s, he had helped popularize jump blues and was a featured act in Las Vegas. From the 1940s through the 1960s he played early R&B, rock’n’roll, boogie woogie and Italian folk music. Despite that musicians of his era were discouraged from displaying their ethnic roots, Prima embraced his Italian heritage and helped pave the way for other musicians to display their ethnic roots in their music. Some of his most popular songs include, “Just A Gigolo”, “I Wanna Be Like You”, “Jump, Jive an’ Wail”, “Pennies from Heaven”, and “When You’re Smiling”. Sadly, Prima passed away on August 24, 1978, after a lengthy illness. 

Lagniappe: On July 25, 2010, Prima received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  

PROFESSOR LONGHAIR

Pianist and singer Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, or “Fess” for short, was born on December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Learning to play on a piano that was missing some keys influenced his distinctive and instantly recognizable playing style. He began his career in New Orleans in 1948, the heyday of early rhythm and blues. The first version of his signature song, “Mardi Gras in New Orleans”, was recorded in 1949, and his only national commercial hit came in 1950 with “Bald Head”. During the 1950s, he recorded his favorites, “Tipitina” and “Go to the Mardi Gras”, and in 1964 he first recorded “Big Chief” with Earl King, the song’s composer. While he may not have achieved wide success during this time, he influenced many other New Orleans musicians, including Fats Domino, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint. 

In the 1960s, Professor Longhair disappeared from the music scene, and he supported himself as a janitor. But, in 1971, he performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and his career received a well-deserved renaissance. He performed at the Newport and Montreux Jazz Festivals, toured the United Kingdom, and recorded a live album in 1975. His albums became available across America by the 1980s.  Sadly, Professor Longhair died in his sleep on January 30, 1980, while filming the documentary Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together which costarred Allen Toussaint and Tuts Washington. In recognition of his great talent and contribution to music, in 1981 Longhair was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 1987, he was awarded a posthumous Grammy Award for his early recordings released as House Party New Orleans Style, and in 1992, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

Lagniappe: New Orleans’ Caldonia Club owner Mike Tessitore is said to have given Longhair his stage name. The name of one of New Orleans’ most famous music clubs, Tipitina’s, was inspired by Professor Longair’s song “Tipitina”, and he was a regular performer there until his death in 1980.

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COCO ROBICHEAUX

Blues musician and artist Curtis John Arceneaux, better known as Coco Robicheaux, was born on October 25, 1947, in Merced, California, but his family hailed from Ascension Parish, Louisiana. He spent three years of his youth in France where his Air Force father was stationed. Robicheaux fronted his own band when he was just 13 years old, playing Bourbon Street at 15, and getting a record contract in 1965 at about 18 years of age. He did not record again until the mid-'90s, when he put out Spiritland which was well received. He took his stage name from a Louisiana legend, in which a naughty child called Coco Robicheaux is abducted by a werewolf (Loup Garou or Rougarou). In 1998, Robicheaux recorded Louisiana Medicine Man, followed up by Hoodoo Party, for which he received Offbeat Magazine’s Best Blues Album by a Louisiana Artist award. Robicheaux released three additional albums: Yeah, U Rite! (2005), Like I Said, Yeah, U Rite! (2008), and Revelator (2010). In addition to his New Orleans gigs, he performed in Colorado, New York, South Carolina, Australia, and Paris, also playing festivals in Canada and France. Starting in 1994, he appeared for eight consecutive years at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and also played annually at the French Quarter Festival starting in 1995.

Robicheaux had the tragic experience of being struck by a vehicle and suffering a broken back. Lacking health insurance, he had to wait over 24 hours in severe pain in the emergency room of a charity hospital. The experience revealed to him what many people without affordable health insurance go through, strengthening his resolve to do something to help. Robicheaux was a featured volunteer contributor, along with Maria Muldaur, the Funky Meters, Luther Kent, and Dr. John, among others, on the CD Get You a Healin' a fundraising project for the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic. Each track of the recording centered on a part of the body or a health condition, and Robicheaux contributed "Louisiana Medicine Man."

Robicheaux appeared in an episode of The Big Easy, a USA Network series, which also featured two of his songs. He also appeared as himself in four episodes of HBO’s Treme, and was a featured musician in Chasing the Groove: A New Orleans Funkumentary, a 2006 documentary.

Robicheaux died quietly on November 25, 2011, in his usual spot at the Apple Barrel, his favorite bar in New Orleans. Two second-line parades were held in his honor shortly after his death, both of which passed by the Apple Barrel bar. More formal musical tributes were held at the French Quarter Festival in March 2012, at the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo in May 2012, and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May 2013. In addition, the official 2012 French Quarter Festival poster featured Robicheaux, replacing the figure of Andrew Jackson on horseback in Jackson Square.

Lagniappe: The bust of Professor Longhair that, greets patrons at world renowned music club Tipitina's was sculpted by Coco Robicheaux.

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HUEY “PIANO” SMITH

R&B pianist and singer Huey Pierce Smith, known as Huey "Piano" Smith, was born in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans on January 26, 1934. He wrote his first song on the piano at age eight, and began working in clubs and recording at 15 years old, signing a recording contract at 18. Influenced by the innovative work of Professor Longhair, Smith also incorporated boogie, jazz and rhythm-and-blues styles in his piano playing, and his sound was ultimately influential in the development of rock and roll.

Smith became the piano player with Little Richard's first band in 1955, and he also played piano on several studio sessions that resulted in hits for Earl King ("Those Lonely Lonely Nights") and Smiley Lewis ("I Hear You Knocking"). In 1957, he formed Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns, which hit the Billboard charts with several singles, including "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", which sold over one million copies, achieving gold disc status. The Clowns' most famous single, "Don't You Just Know It", released in 1958, hit number 9 on the Billboard Pop chart and number 4 on the Rhythm and Blues chart. It was their second million seller.

In 1959, Ace Records erased Smith's vocal track from "Sea Cruise", the now-classic single Smith had composed, arranged and performed, and replaced it with a vocal track by the white singer Frankie Ford, which was a hit for Ford. Smith left Ace Records for Imperial Records, to record with noted producer Dave Bartholomew, but the hits did not follow, and Ace Records again overdubbed new vocals on another of Smith's unreleased tracks, to produce "Pop-Eye", the last hit single credited to Smith.

In the years following, Smith made several comebacks, and in 2000, he was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Smith became known for his shuffling right-handed break on the piano, and at the peak of his game, Smith epitomized New Orleans R&B at its most infectious and rollicking. Sadly, Smith died at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on February 13, 2023, aged 89. Huey “Piano” Smith is a New Orleans original and innovator whose many contributions to music deserve to be celebrated.

Lagniappe: Smith’s first song, written at age eight, was named "Robertson Street Boogie" after the street where he lived.

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WILLIE TEE

Keyboardist, songwriter, singer, and producer Wilson Turbinton, professionally known as Willie Tee, was born in New Orleans on February 6, 1944. An early architect of New Orleans funk and soul, he helped shape the sound of New Orleans for more than four decades. Tee grew up in the Calliope Projects in New Orleans. Early influences ranged from Professor Longhair’s rhythm and blues, to John Coltrane’s jazz. He made his first recordings in 1962 while still a teenager. In the late 1960s, Willie Tee & the Souls played venues from the Apollo Theater in Harlem to the Ivanhoe on Bourbon Street. Tee arranged, co-wrote and led the band on the Wild Magnolias' self-titled 1974 debut album. The popularity of that recording, and the subsequent They Call Us Wild, introduced the Mardi Gras Indians' brand of funk to the world.

Tee's early recordings have been used as source material for numerous rappers, includingNew Orleans’ own Lil Wayne, who sampled "Moment of Truth", a song from Turbinton's 1976 album, Anticipation for 2005’s "Tha Mobb", the opening track on Tha Carter II. Tee remained active in his career as a producer, songwriter, performer and session musician. He contributed to Dr. John's 2004 album, N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or D'Udda, and appeared briefly in the Oscar-winning Jamie Foxx film about Ray Charles, Ray. In April 2007, Tee was honored with an induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to Louisiana music. Sadly, Tee died on September 11, 2007, aged 63, four weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He may be gone, but his contribution to New Orleans music is immeasurable and will always be remembered.

Lagniappe: After hearing Tee’s band in 1968, jazz musician Cannonball Adderley encouraged Tee to record an instrumental album. The album was never released, but the master tapes were rediscovered in the vaults of Capitol Records.

ALLEN TOUSSAINT

Pianist, songwriter, arranger and record producer Allen Toussaint was born in Gert Town in New Orleans on January 14, 1938. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, described as "one of popular music's great backroom figures". Many musicians recorded Toussaint's compositions, including “Whipped Cream”, "Java", "Mother-in-Law", "I Like It Like That", "Fortune Teller", "Ride Your Pony", "Get Out of My Life, Woman", "Working in the Coal Mine", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", "Here Come the Girls", "Yes We Can Can", "Play Something Sweet", and "Southern Nights". He was a producer for hundreds of recordings, among the best known of which are "Right Place, Wrong Time", by his longtime friend Dr. John ("Mac" Rebennack), and "Lady Marmalade", by Labelle. Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2013 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama In 2016, he posthumously won the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player title at the Blues Music Awards.Sadly, Toussaint passed away on November 10, 2015, while on tour in Madrid, Spain. But, his legacy lives on in musicians in New Orleans and around the world.

TUBA FATS

Jazz tubist and bandleader Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen was born in New Orleans on September 15, 1950, and was the Crescent City’s most famous tuba player and played traditional New Orleans jazz and blues for over 40 years. While he was born and spent most of his life in New Orleans, his music took him on a number of tours of Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.

He was known for many years to lead a band playing for tips in Jackson Square in the French Quarter, where he gave much encouragement to younger musicians. He played professionally with brass bands such as the Young Tuxedo, E. Gibson, Doc Paulin, Onward, Algiers, Treme, and Olympia Brass Bands, and with his own band, Tuba Fats & the Chosen Few Brass Band. Tuba Fats made many important jazz recordings; notably those under his own name on the Jazz Crusade label. Tuba Fats was married to the late blues shouter Linda Young with whom he often toured in Europe.

Sadly, he passed away on January 11, 2004, and was buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 one week later, after a jazz funeral. While he may be gone, his music lives on!

Lagniappe: The green space at the corner of St Philip and North Robertson was named Tuba Fats Square in honor of the late tuba player and bandleader. Besides being an admired musician, he supported young traditional jazz and brass band musicians. To perpetuate this kind of cultural transmission, this space was set aside for musicians to interact with the community and with each other.

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WALTER “WOLFMAN” WASHINGTON

Guitarist and singer Walter "Wolfman" Washington was born in New Orleans on December 21, 1943, and played in Lee Dorsey’s band when he was in his teens. In the mid 1960s, Washington played clubs in New Orleans with his All Fools Band, and in the 1970s he joined Johnny Adams' band. He played with Adams for 20 years, both performing live and also appearing on his records. During this time he continued to work as a solo artist, and in the late 1970s formed his own band, the Roadmasters, and toured Europe with them. While his roots are in blues music, he blends in the essence of funk and R&B to create his own unique sound.

Washington released his first solo album Rainin' In My Life in 1981, and landed a contract with Rounder Records in the mid 1980s, releasing three albums with them. He also released an album from Virgin subsidiary Point Blank Records. In 2008, he released Doin' the Funky Thing, his first album in many years. Washington started playing regularly at the Maple Leaf Bar with two New Orleans musicians, pianist Joe Krown and drummer Russell Batiste, and in 2008 the trio released Live at the Maple Leaf, a live recording. In 2018 he released My Future Is My Past to much acclaim, proving that he continues to be a creative force in the New Orleans music scene. Sadly, Washington died of cancer in New Orleans, on December 22, 2022, two days after his 79th birthday.

MARVA WRIGHT

Vocalist Marva Wright was born in New Orleans on March 20, 1948, and started singing in church at age 9, with her gospel singer, piano player mother accompanying her. Wright turned professional in 1987, at nearly 40 years old, after she was discovered while working as a secretary. She began singing as a second job to support her family. While Wright sang traditional jazz and gospel, she was better known for sultry, sometimes bawdy blues songs. During a live set at Tipitina's in 1989, Wright made her first recording, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean., and in 1991, she made her national television debut and met the late CBS news anchorman Ed Bradley, who encouraged her career and introduced her at every JazzFest. Wright's first full-length release, Heartbreakin' Woman, appeared later that year, and was named blues album of the year by the Louisiana Music Critics Association. Her album Born With The Blues was released in France in 1993, and worldwide in 1996. Her 2007 effort, After The Levees Broke, addressed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed her house and all her belongings. In August 2008, she performed with the Louisiana Wetlands All Stars at both the Democratic National Convention in Colorado and the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. Wright also sang backup for such artists as Allen Toussaint, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Cyril Neville, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Fats Domino, Lou Rawls, and Marcia Ball. Sadly, Wright passed away on March 23, 2010, but she will forever be the Blues Queen of New Orleans.

Lagniappe: Mahalia Jackson, the world-renowned “Queen of Gospel”, was an early friend of the family.

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