Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Toussaint in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 14, 1938 Gert Town, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 2015 (aged 77) Madrid, Spain |
| Genres | R&B, soul, southern soul, funk, blues, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1958–2015 |
| Labels | RCA Victor, Scepter, Minit, Instant, Reprise, Warner Bros., Nonesuch, Elektra, Rounder |
Allen Toussaint (/ˈtuːsɑːnt/; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter-composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.
Many of Toussaint's songs became familiar through cover versions by other musicians, including "Working in the Coal Mine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet", "Southern Nights", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", "I'll Take a Melody", "Get Out of My Life, Woman" and "Mother-in-Law".
Early life
[change | change source]Toussaint was born in Gert Town, New Orleans. He was raised in Gert Town and in New Orleans. His mother was Naomi Neville.
Career
[change | change source]In 1960, Toussaint was hired as a record producer by a label in New Orleans. He was also looking for new talent to sign to the label, named Minit Records. Toussaint played piano, wrote, and produced many hit records in the early and mid 1960s for New Orleans R&B artists.[1] Some examples are:
- Jessie Hill's "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"
- Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-in-Law", written by Toussaint
- Chris Kenner's "I Like It Like That"
- "Ruler of My Heart", recorded by Irma Thomas. This song was later recorded again by Otis Redding (with the title "Pain in My Heart"), and by The Rolling Stones on their second album.
- In 1964, "A Certain Girl" (originally by Ernie K-Doe) was the B-side of the first single by The Yardbirds; the song was released again in 1980 by Warren Zevon.
Honors
[change | change source]In 1998, Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2009 into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. On May 9, 2011, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
In 2013 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.[2]
Death
[change | change source]Toussaint died while touring in Madrid, Spain after suffering a heart attack at his hotel, aged 77.[3][4]
Toussaint’s two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his two children, son Clarence (better known as Reginald) and daughter Alison, and by several grandchildren. His children had managed his career in recent years.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Biography by Steve Huey, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 November 2015
- ↑ Allen Toussaint, National Medal of Arts, 2013 Retrieved November 14, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Dominic Massa, "Influential songwriter, producer Allen Toussaint has died", WWL-TV, 10 November 2015". Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ↑ "Allen Toussaint, New Orleans Mainstay, Dies at 77". New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
Other websites
[change | change source]
- Allen Toussaint on IMDb
- Audio interview with Allen Toussaint on the Sodajerker On Songwriting podcast
- Allen Toussaint profile, NPR.org; accessed October 5, 2014.
- Allen Toussaint profile, discogs.com; accessed October 5, 2014.
- Allen Toussaint profile, allmusic.com; accessed October 5, 2014.
- Allen Toussaint NYNO Records profile Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine, nynorecords.com; accessed October 5, 2014.
- List of chart records written by Toussaint, MusicVF.com, accessed November 11, 2015
- Allen Toussaint profile Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, preshallben.tumblr.com, October 5, 2014.