Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaintwas an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer, who was an influential figure in New Orleans R&B 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 "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",...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth14 January 1938
CityNew Orleans, LA
CountryUnited States of America
It was the real thing ... When we were recording, sometimes we'd make a 'human fade' - we would just play softer and softer. We didnt have any overdubbing. When one guy took a solo, the other guys would stand up and snap their fingers and dance around the studio. We were having a wonderful time.
My whole zone is dead. No electricity, no gas, no stores open nearby, but the spirit is there.
Wow. Good heavens. I'm getting drenched just looking at these pictures. The water is whipping my body.
To get to New Orleans you don't pass through anywhere else. That geographical location, being aloof, lets it hold onto the ritual of its own pace more than other places that have to keep up with the progress.
I never planned on being a live performer. My whole forte was about being in the studio, producing, playing the piano on recording sessions. I was all about the studio.