If there was anyone who embodied the spirit, love, and warmth of New Orleans, it was Snooks.
I have many memories of Snooks Eaglin, dating back to the very first time I set foot in the great city of New Orleans, as well as some great NYC memories, too. Snooks played here a lot, but I was told that after 9/11, he was afraid to fly. Normally, I'd give an earful to someone with that mentality, but coming from Snooks, I found it endearing. I think I would have just said, "I know, man. I know." He had done enough.
Barring some miracle, it doesn't look like I'm getting to New Orleans for this year's Jazz Fest. First time I'm missing it in 10 years. I guess I'll just have to listen to some Snooks and miss them both.
Here's a quick mix of some of my favorite Snooks Eaglin tunes. The mix opens with a (very short) story from Herman Ernst and then a live version of "Josephine" from a WWOZ tribute to Snooks from last March, with Ernst, David Torkanowsky, and George Porter Jr. The rest is all Snooks.
1. Snooks Story 2. Josephine 3. Profidia 4. By The Water 5. My Love Is Strong 6. (Mama) Talk To Your Daughter 7. Would You 8. I Get The Blues When It Rains 9. Red Beans 10. Young Boy Blues 11. Guess Who 12. Tomorrow Night
Bobby Charles (Born Robert Guidry) February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010
Songwriter Bobby Charles passed away this morning; the cause has yet to be determined. The writer of “Walking to New Orleans” and “See You Later Alligator” had struggled with ill-health for years, including back problems and a bout with cancer that was in remission. Those problems led him to miss a scheduled appearance at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2004 and Jazz Fest in 2007. Evidently he fell recently and was bedridden as a result. It was after that fall that he died.
He also wrote “(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do” which was recorded by Clarance “Gatemouth” Brown and received prominent placement in the Forrest Gump.
Charles had completed work on a new album, which is due out next month.
Smiley Lewis (Born Overton Lemons) July 5, 1913 – October 7, 1966
Smiley Lewis was a New Orleans R&B artist who got his start in the clubs throughout the French Quarter during the late ’30s. He released his first album, Here Comes Smiley Lewis on DeLuxe Records in 1947. In 1950, producer Dave Bartholomew recorded Lewis for Imperial Records. The sessions resulted in his biggest hits, “Tee Nah Nah,” “The Bells Are Ringing,” and the first recorded version of the R&B standard, “I Hear You Knocking” which would later be recorded by the likes of Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dave Edmunds, and Canned Heat. His “Blue Monday” became a hit for Domino while his “One Nigh,t” as covered by Elvis Presley, reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart in 1958. Smiley Lewis was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1965 and died from it on October 7, 1966. He was 53 years old.
An extravagant tribute concert to honor Fats Domino doubles as a fundraising boon for the Brees Dream Foundation — and the final push to fulfill a two-year-old promise.
The Domino Effect: May 30 at New Orleans Arena New Orleans Benefit Concert to feature B.B. King, Chuck Berry Little Richard, Wyclef Jean, Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal & Junior Brown
B.B. KING For more than half a century, Riley "B.B." King has defined the blues for audiences the world over. In that time, King has developed one of the world's most identifiable guitar sounds with the aid of his beloved guitar, Lucille and entranced millions with his deep and expressive voice.
CHUCK BERRY Chuck Berry's music, lyrics, and devil-may-care spirit have made an indelible impression on millions of people, including such legends as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. He celebrated the birth of rock and roll in 1955 and remains, to this day, one of its most electrifying performers.
LITTLE RICHARD Little Richard is the originator, the emancipator, and the architect of rock and roll. Exploding into the American consciousness in the mid-'50s...awop-bop-a-loo-mop-alop-bam-boom.... he helped lay the foundation and establish the rules for a new musical form that would come to be known as rock and roll.
OZOMATLI The music of culture-mashers, Ozomatli is a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican reggae and Indian raga. Ozomatli has the unique ability to take you around the world without leaving your seat.
WYCLEF JEAN Haitian-born Wyclef Jean is a Grammy Award-winning musician/producer, social activist, Goodwill Ambassador, and diplomat for positive cultural evolution. Wyclef is a founding member of hip-hop sensation the Fugees as well as a prolific solo artist.
JUNIOR BROWN Junior Brown is an American country guitarist and singer whose work is a mix of traditional and alternative country with accents of blues and Hawaiian steel with surf-style instrumentation. He is well known for his stringed creations, such as his "guit-steel," a double-necked guitar that marries a traditional six-string on top with a full lap steel on the bottom.
TAJ MAHAL Taj Mahal is an internationally recognized blues musician who folds the worldly sounds of the Caribbean, Africa, and the South Pacific into his personal style. He is a self-taught singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose mediums include the guitar, banjo, harmonica and more.
KEB' MO' Keb' Mo' is an American musician known for his songwriting and vocal stylings as well as his proficiency with the guitar, banjo, and keyboard. Though primarily a blues artist, his wide-ranging talents have lead him to venture into genres as varied as gospel and calypso in his long and rich career.
About The Domino Effect
The Domino Effect is a star-studded tribute concert celebrating the life and influence of rock and roll legend Fats Domino. Musical legends from far and wide are gathering in New Orleans for one historic night to pay tribute to Fats and his feats throughout his lifetime. A portion of the proceeds from this music extravaganza will benefit the Brees Dream Foundation bettering local playgrounds and outdoor recreation sites for the children of New Orleans.
About The Brees Dream Foundation
Since 2007, The Brees Dream Foundation has contributed more than $1.65 million to the New Orleans community as part of its partnership with Operation Kids. Drew and Brittany Brees are committed philanthropists to the city of New Orleans and are a vital part of the rebirth and revitalization of the city's youth.
About The Producers
Illuminated Entertainment LLC (IEG) and its partner Rozone Productions LLC (RPI) managed by David E. Rosen promotes elite music events at a wide range of venues across the country. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, "The Live Music Capital of the World", the company is firmly positioned within the epicenter of cutting edge, traditional and talented live musicians and artists.
Often partnering with 501(c)(3) philanthropic organizations, IEG and RPI work to create awareness of a community's needs, whether in a city, a region, or an entire country, IEG and RPI support these 501(c)(3) by donating portions of the proceeds from their scheduled events.
One of the primary missions of IEG / RPI is to provide the patrons, business colleagues, and artists it collaborates with an experience that is substantially more rewarding than that of our competitors. This uncompromising approach is the bedrock and soul of our success.
Bill Malchow and myself will be doing my tunes as we open the show for Tab Benoit at Sullivan Hall March 20th. Sullivan Hall is located at 214 Sullivan St. in the Village.
Saturday March 21 I'll be joining Bill with his Band at the Rodeo Bar at 375 3rd Ave, doing a New Orleans R&B thing.
Snooks Eaglin, the idiosyncratic New Orleans rhythm & blues guitarist with fleet-fingered dexterity and a boundless repertoire, died Wednesday afternoon. He was 72.
"He was the most New Orleans of all the New Orleans acts that are still living," said Mid-City Lanes owner John Blancher.
Even in a city and musical community known for eccentric characters, Mr. Eaglin stood out. Extremely private, he lived with his family in St. Rose. For many years, he refused to perform on Friday nights, reportedly because of religious reasons.
The digits on Mr. Eaglin's right hand flailed at seemingly impossible angles as he finger-picked and strummed a guitar's strings. A set by the so-called "Human Jukebox" could range from Beethoven's "Fur Elise" to Bad Company's "Ready for Love."
He thrived on feedback from onlookers, gleefully took requests and challenged his musicians to keep up. Utterly unselfconscious, he would render fellow guitarists slack-jawed with a blistering run, then announce from the stage that he needed to use the bathroom.
Mr. Eaglin was born Fird Eaglin Jr. in 1937. As an infant, glaucoma robbed him of his sight. He earned his "Snooks" nickname after his mischievous behavior recalled a radio character named Baby Snooks.
As a toddler, he received his first instrument, a hand-carved ukulele strung with rubber bands. As a boy, he learned to pick a guitar to songs on the radio. He attended the Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge. By 14, he had dropped out to work full-time as a musician.
His first steady job was with the Flamingos, a popular seven-piece rhythm & blues band that also included a young Allen Toussaint on piano. Post-Flamingos, Mr. Eaglin briefly billed himself as Lil' Ray Charles. In the late 1950s, he performed on street corners and recorded two acoustic albums for a folk label. His studio work included the guitar parts on Sugarboy Crawford's "Jockamo."
In the early 1960s, Mr. Eaglin released a handful of singles for Imperial Records under the name "Ford" Eaglin. He logged three years in the house band at the Playboy Club off Bourbon Street.
After the British Invasion decimated the market for New Orleans rhythm & blues, he semi-retired. The launch of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970 brought with it fresh opportunity.
Mr. Eaglin performed with Professor Longhair during the pianist's "comeback" gigs. He also contributed to Longhair's landmark "New Orleans House Party" album and the Wild Magnolias' early recordings.
In 1987, Mr. Eaglin released "Baby, You Can Get Your Gun!," his first album on Black Top Records. Several more well-received albums on Black Top further heightened his profile.
His annual appearances at Jazz Fest were hugely popular. In addition to legions of local fans, Mr. Eaglin's admirers included prominent musicians from around the globe.
It was Robert Plant, in fact, who first made Blancher aware of Mr. Eaglin.
In 1990, not long after he took over the Mid-City Lanes, Blancher received a call from Plant, who wanted to throw an after-party at the bowling alley. He asked Blancher to book Mr. Eaglin, whom he met years earlier when the guitarist performed at a party in New Orleans for Plant's former band, Led Zeppelin.
The after-party didn't happen, but the Mid-City Lanes became Mr. Eaglin's preferred venue. He played as frequently as once a month.
"He's an irreplaceable guy," Blancher said. "More celebrities came to see Snooks than anyone. His reputation was as big as anyone's in New Orleans. And he wouldn't travel, so if you wanted to see Snooks you had to come to Rock 'n Bowl."
During the 2000 Jazz Fest, Bonnie Raitt showed up at the Mid-City Lanes to hear Mr. Eaglin. He exclaimed from the stage, "Listen to this, Bonnie! You gonna learn something tonight, girl!" She later lent a hand by replacing a broken string on his guitar.
Photo courtesy of John BlancherBonnie Raitt swaps out a broken string on Snooks Eaglin's guitar at the Mid-City Lanes Rock 'n Bowl in 2000.
Blancher would often pick up Mr. Eaglin in St. Rose and drive him to and from shows at the Rock 'n Bowl. Along the way Mr. Eaglin regaled him with stories.
Among the most infamous is the time Mr. Eaglin drove the Flamingos home following a Saturday night gig in Donaldsonville. The musicians were so intoxicated that they decided their blind guitarist was the most qualified driver.
Mr. Eaglin claimed he navigated the curves of the road from memory. The crunch of gravel under the tires warned him when the '49 Studebaker strayed onto the shoulder. The story concludes with Mr. Eaglin pulling up to his house early Sunday morning and his mother suggesting the musicians proceed directly to church.
Mr. Eaglin met his future wife, Dorethea "Dee" Eaglin, at a Flamingos gig during Mardi Gras 1958. They married in 1961 and she became his constant companion and confidant. Dee would sit nearby as her husband performed.
Blancher was among the few music industry figures that Mr. Eaglin allowed to visit his house. But even he was unaware of the guitarist's deteriorating health. Blancher learned in January that Mr. Eaglin had been battling prostate cancer.
Mr. Eaglin last performed at the Mid-City Lanes in July. Blancher spoke to him recently about booking a show in March. "He said, 'I'm going to wait until Jazz Fest. I'm not going to do any gigs until then,'" Blancher said. "I was surprised by that."
Mr. Eaglin checked into Ochsner Medical Center last week. With regret, he told his step-daughter, Carolyn Gioustover, "I've got to call Quint Davis and tell him I won't make it to Jazz Fest."
He went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday.
Mr. Eaglin often said his mother took care of him until Dee took over. He died on his mother's birthday.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Stacey Eaglin Hunter; a step-son, Allen Ancar III; and two step-daughters, Carolyn Gioustover and Deborah Ancar Randolph.
Lee Dorsey epitomized the loose, easygoing charm of New Orleans R&B perhaps more than any other artist of the ’60s. Working with legendary Crescent City producer/writer Allen Toussaint, Dorsey typically offered good-time party tunes with a playful sense of humor and a loping, funky backbeat. Even if he’s remembered chiefly for the signature hit “Working in a Coalmine,” it was a remarkably consistent and winning combination for the vast majority of his recording career. Dorsey was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1924 (although some sources list 1926), and moved to Portland, OR, at age ten. After serving in the Navy during WWII, Dorsey returned to Portland and became a successful light heavyweight boxer, fighting under the name “Kid Chocolate.” He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to his birthplace, where he eventually opened a successful auto-body shop. He pursued a singing career by night, and wound up recording singles for several different labels, most of which made little noise (although “Lottie Mo” sold respectably). In 1961, he signed with Bobby Robinson’s Fury label, where he entered the studio with producer Allen Toussaint for the first time. Dorsey’s nonsense ditty “Ya Ya” — reportedly inspired by a children’s rhyme — became his first national hit that year, reaching the pop Top Ten and hitting number one on the R&B charts. Despite its popularity, following it up turned out to be difficult, and with a large family to support, Dorsey returned to his auto repair business after a few more singles flopped. Still, Allen Toussaint loved Dorsey’s voice, and kept him in mind for future sessions. Toussaint’s hunch paid off in 1965 when, signed to the Amy label, Dorsey turned “Ride Your Pony” into a Top Ten R&B hit. The accompanying album of the same name sold respectably as well, and Dorsey began cutting a multitude of Toussaint compositions, often with the legendary New Orleans funk ensemble the Meters as his studio backing band. The New Lee Dorsey was released later in 1966, and supplied Dorsey’s best-known song, the irresistible “Working in a Coalmine” (which he co-wrote with Toussaint). With its clanking sound effects and Dorsey’s comic exclamations, “Working in a Coalmine” became his second Top Ten pop hit and signature song, and Dorsey toured internationally with the Meters backing him up. A few follow-ups, particularly “Holy Cow” and “Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On),” met with some success, but Dorsey was once again hard pressed to duplicate his big hit, and once again left music for the practical concern of running his business. 1970’s Yes We Can (on Polydor) was his last album for some time, with the title track becoming his last chart single.
An eight-time W.C. Handy “Best Blues Instrumentalist - Piano” award nominee, Henry Butler knows no limitations. Although blinded by glaucoma since birth, Butler is also a world class photographer with his work displayed at exhibitions throughout the United States. Playing piano since the age of six, Butler is a master of musical diversity. Combining the percussive jazz piano playing of McCoy Tyner and the New Orleans style playing of Professor Longhair through his classically trained wizardry, Butler continues to craft a sound uniquely his own. A rich amalgam of jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues and R&B influences, his music is as excitingly eclectic as that of his New Orleans birthplace.
Mastering baritone horn, valve trombone and drums, in addition to the piano, at the Louisiana State School for the Blind in Baton Rouge, as a youngster, Butler began formal vocal training in the eleventh grade. He went on to sing German lieder, French and Italian art songs and operatic arias at Southern and Michigan State Universities, earning a Masters degree in vocal music. He has taught music workshops throughout the country and initiated a number of different educational projects, including a residential jazz camp at Missouri State School for the Blind and a program for blind and visually impaired students at the University of New Orleans.
Mentored by influential jazz clarinetist and Michigan State University teacher Alvin Batiste, Butler was encouraged to explore Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and other Caribbean music. With Batiste’s help, he successfully applied for National Endowment for the Arts grants to study with keyboard players George Duke, then with Cannonball Adderley’s Quintet, and the late Sir Roland Hanna. He studied with Harold Mabern, pianist for the late Lee Morgan, for a summer and spent a long afternoon studying with Professor Longhair. While his early albums were jazz trio recordings featuring such top-notch instrumentalists as Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, on “Fivin’ Around” in 1986, and Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, on “The Village” two years later, Butler has increasingly turned to New Orleans music and the blues. His 1990 album, “Orleans Inspiration,” recorded with Leo Nocentelli of the Meters, was followed by “Blues And More” in 1992. Although he briefly returned to jazz with “For All Seasons” in 1996, he’s remained immersed in the blues since releasing “Blues After Sunset” in 1998. Collaborating with Corey Harris on a duo album, “Vu-du Menz,” in 2000, Butler spent the next three years touring with the Delta blues-influenced guitarist/vocalist. That fascination with the blues has continued to be reflected in his solo work. After releasing a power-packed, all electric, blues-rock album, “The Game Has Just Begun,” in 2002 on the New Orleans-based indie label Basin Street Records, Butler takes things even deeper with his latest outing on that label, “Homeland,” released in April 2004. “This album is a real turning point,” he said. “It was the first time that I’ve brought a blues and R&B band into the studio with me. On this record, I’m feeling closer to my roots.”
