Allen Toussaint

As a producer, songwriter and artist, Allen Toussaint was among the most significant musicians to come out of New Orleans, and his songs defined the city's R&B sound in the '60s and beyond. Born in the Gert Town neighborhood Toussaint initially worked as a pianist; at age 19 he subbed in the studio for an ailing Fats Domino. He made his first album in 1958, recording piano instrumentals under the name Al Tousan. Though this album (The Wild Sounds of New Orleans) went unnoticed, Al Hirt had a hit with one of the tracks, "Java" six years later. His career began in earnest when the small Minit label hired him as an A&R man in 1960; allowing Toussaint to produce different artists on songs he'd written and arranged. His first Minit single was Aaron Neville's debut "Over You"-- only a minor hit due to its subject matter, swearing revenge on his girl if she ever leaves. A lighter sense of humor would become Toussaint's trademark: Inspired by comedians making mother-in-law jokes, he wrote "Mother in Law" for Ernie K-Doe, who took it Top Ten nationwide. This kicked off a string of hits for Lee Dorsey ("Ya Ya," "Working in the Coalmine"), Chris Kenner ("I Like It Like That"), Benny Spellman ("Fortune Teller"), and Irma Thomas ("Ruler of My Heart," "It's Raining"), all classics of the New Orleans songbook. (For contractual reasons, many of these were credited to Naomi Neville, his mother's maiden name, not a member of the musical Neville family). In the early '70s Toussaint began a string of solo albums while still producing Dorsey, Aaron Neville and others; his songs from this era ("Freedom for the Stallion," "Hercules") evince a stronger social conscience. The '70s also brought some of his greatest commercial success as he produced and played on (but didn't write) Dr. John's "Right Place Wrong Time" and Labelle's "Lady Marmalade." Both records featured the Meters, Toussaint's regular studio group who were now making seminal funk albums of their own. He also provided horn charts for Paul McCartney on Venus & Mars and The Band on Rock of Ages. Glen Campbell's 1977 cover of "Southern Nights" became one of the most successful Toussaint songs, hitting Number One on both pop and country charts. Toussaint remained prolific if less visible in later decades, working with a range of mostly-New Orleans artists. In 1999 he launched his short-lived NYNO label, writing and producing nearly everything on its dozen-plus releases. He found another wave of recognition after Hurricane Katrina, when his song "Yes We Can Can" became one of the city's recovery anthems. He collaborated with Elvis Costello on The River in Reverse and recorded his first jazz album, The Bright Mississippi; and was a fixture at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He died of a heart attack in Madrid, Spain on November 10, 2015, just hours after a concert.