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New Orleans is the city that lives in you, no matter where you live. And this website is for all of us who don’t live in New Orleans to stay connected with the Big Easy. Welcome to Church of New Orleans!
Filtering by Category: Louisiana musician
Our Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, established in 2006, continues New Orleans’ historic role in making the blues and R&B among the most influential sounds in the world. The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival presents many of the top performers from southern Louisiana and Mississippi, plus delicious food and unique visual art. Remember, without the blues, there would be no jazz or R&B.
Singer songwriter and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. Known by his nickname, The Killer, Lewis has been described as "rock & roll's first great wild man.” His 1957 rock n roll hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" achieved worldwide fame for Lewis. Hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential" followed, but his career faltered in the years after his 1958 marriage to his third wife, Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old cousin. Lewis’ live performances became increasingly wild and energetic, and his 1964 live album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, is regarded by many as one of the wildest and greatest live rock albums. In 1968, Lewis transitioned to country music, reigniting his career and resulting in chart-topping country-western hits. Lewis continues to release albums and tour worldwide. He has a dozen gold records in both rock and country, and has won several Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Happy birthday, Killer!
By By photographer:Maurice Seymour, Chicago. (eBay item photo front photo back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons - File:Jerry Lee Lewis 1950s.JPG, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47369105
Zydeco musician, vocalist and songwriter Terrance Simien was born September 3, 1965, in Mallet, Louisiana, and is an eighth generation Creole from one of the earliest Creole families that settled in St. Landry Parish. He was introduced to music via the piano at home, the Catholic Church choir, and playing trumpet in school band programs. He taught himself to play accordion in his teens and formed his first band Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys, playing regionally.
In the early 1980s, Simien was one of only two emerging zydeco artists performing and continuing the traditions of zydeco roots music. Simien and his group have toured internationally, presenting over 9000 live performances in more than 45 countries, and released dozens of solo recordings and collaborations. He has shared studio and stage with the likes of Paul Simon, Dr. John, The Meters, Marcia Ball, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Robert Palmer and Los Lobos. In 2008, Simien and his group won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, and in 2013, he and several of his other band mates won their second Grammy for Best Regional Roots Record.
Simien has appeared on screen and contributed to the soundtracks of multiple movies, television films and commercials. He contributed to the soundtracks of the films, The Princess and the Frog, The Big Easy, Exit To Eden and A Murder Of Crows. Simien and his business partner/wife, Cynthia, are active in Creole music education and advocacy, having created the "Creole for Kidz & The History of Zydeco" performing arts program, and MusicMatters, Inc., a non-profit for education and advocacy.
Simien is one of the most accomplished and respected artists in American roots music. Today we celebrate and wish Terrance a very happy birthday!
Photo: Carl Lender
Branford Marsalis was born on August 26, 1960, in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, to one of the premier musical families in the world. Branford is an saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque. He is the son of Dolores, a jazz singer and substitute teacher, and Ellis Louis Marsalis, Jr., an acclaimed pianist and music professor. His brothers Jason Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Delfeayo Marsalis are also world famous jazz musicians.
Photo by: darlene susco - https://www.flickr.com/people/63102512@N06
Photo by: ETownHall
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 since he was left-handed, he learned to play it upside down. He 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. Today we celebrate the birthday of this gifted musician and appreciate his musical legacy!
