Toussaint, Allen

views updated

Allen Toussaint

1938—

Musician, music producer

Allen Toussaint made a name for himself in the music industry with such diverse talents as songwriter, singer, pianist, arranger, composer, producer, studio head, and talent scout. In a career spanning four decades, the New Orleans native has penned classics such as "Working in the Coal Mine" and "Southern Nights" and produced chart-toppers including funk's "Right Place Wrong Time" and disco's "Lady Marmalade." He has worked with artists from Fats Domino to Paul Simon to Elvis Costello and recorded several albums showcasing his funky vocals and fiery piano playing. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Those who know him—fellow musicians, music junkies, musicologists—hail him as a musical treasure not only for his ability to mine the riches of R&B, blues, country, pop, and jazz to create soul-stirring, toe-tapping, feel-good music, but also for never forgetting his roots. Since the 1960s, Toussaint has a been a major force in creating, producing, and bringing the New Orleans sound to the national stage.

Found Early Calling as Piano Player

Allen Toussaint was born on January 14, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He first laid his eyes on a piano about six years later when an aunt sent an old upright to Toussaint's home for his sister. At that time, playing the piano was considered essential training for a young lady. Though his sister ended up in piano lessons, it was Toussaint who fell in love with the instrument. He told Keyboard. "For some reason, days [after the piano arrived], I understood the black keys and the white keys, and saw the structure." He learned to play by listening to records and picking out the melodies he heard. Nothing was off-limits and he avidly played anyone from Ray Charles to Liberace. However, he soon found his true inspiration in Professor Longhair, a New Orleans piano legend famous for his funky, unfettered style. "That just shocked me, to hear the piano go like that," Toussaint told Keyboard. "Of course, many of the old blues guitar players did that, but I was listening to piano players, and they usually stuck pretty straight to it. Professor Longhair had another reason and rhyme for everything. His language, his speed of operation, his mobility—everything was just totally different."

In 1955, after playing around town with local groups, 17-year-old Toussaint got his big break when he was asked to fill in for Huey "Piano" Smith in Earl King's band for a show in Alabama. Back in New Orleans, more high-profile appearances followed including several gigs at the legendary Dew Drop Inn. This led to a stint playing piano on several recording sessions for Fats Domino. In 1958, Toussaint recorded his first solo album, The Wild Sound of New Orleans, under the alias "Tousan" for RCA Records. The instrumental song "Java" was later re-released by Dixieland trumpeter Al Hirt who took the song to number one on the Billboard charts. Another early Toussaint instrumental, "Whipped Cream" became a Herb Alpert hit and then the theme music for the 1960s television show The Dating Game.

Toussaint moved behind the scenes in 1960 when he was hired to handle A&R (artist and repertoire) for New Orleans' Minit record label. Toussaint produced, wrote, arranged, and played piano on dozens of tracks released by a stable of top New Orleans talent including Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Jessie Hill, and Lee Dorsey. In 1961, Ernie K-Doe took Toussaint's "Mother-in-Law" to the top of the charts. In 1963, Toussaint's producing career was briefly interrupted when he was drafted into the Army. He served two years and by 1966 was back in New Orleans making music. He and buddy Marshall Sehorn formed the production company Sansu Enterprises and oversaw a string of hits for R&B singer Dorsey, including 1966's "Working in the Coal Mine," which Toussaint wrote, and which went to Billboard's number five spot, and which has been recorded over the years by groups as diverse as Devo and The Judds.

Became Synonymous with New Orleans Music

At Sansu, Toussaint began one of the most prolific partnerships of his career when he signed The Meters as the label's house band. The quartet has since become synonymous with the distinctive, bass-driven sound of New Orleans-style funk. Under Toussaint's production, they released a string of early hits including "Sophisticated Cissy," "Cissy Strut," and "Ease Back." On working with them, Toussaint told Keyboard, "With The Meters, you'd open the door and let them in, and close the door… the stuff that they were writing and putting together was so good, you didn't want to touch it." Though the group followed Toussaint when he and Sehorn opened the state-of-the-art Sea Saint Studios in 1973, a few years later amid rumors of creative clashing, Toussaint and the group went their separate ways. Meanwhile, Toussaint hit music gold when the song he produced for Dr. John, "Right Place Wrong Time," exploded onto the 1973 charts, instantly becoming a funk classic. Two years later, the Toussaint touch struck again with "Lady Marmalade," a mega hit for disco group Labelle. The spectacular success of these and other Toussaint hits made the studio a Mecca for top musicians from Paul Simon to Paul McCartney.

Toussaint's work as a producer kept him from pursuing his own musical career. "With so many other great New Orleans artists around," he explained on the NYNO Records Web site, "I've felt obliged to put my own projects on the back burner." Nonetheless, he found time to release a string of critically acclaimed albums including From a Whisper to a Scream, Love, Life and Faith, and Motion. The title track of his 1975 release, Southern Nights, later became a chart-topping country hit for Glen Campbell and was ranked as the "The Most Performed Song of the Year" in 1977. Despite appearing on dozens of compilations and concerts, it was not until 1996 that Toussaint released his next album, Connected. A funky cocktail of New Orleans piano and R&B, the album was the first for Toussaint's new label NYNO Records. Two years later, Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was honored as a non-performer which prompted musician Elvis Costello to tell Esquire, "I'd argue with that definition. If you listen to the records that Allen's produced…he's all over them. His piano is really, really dominant on most of those records. And as an arranger and songwriter, he's someone who knocks me out every time."

At a Glance …

Born on January 14, 1938, in New Orleans, LA; children: Alison and Clarence "Reggie". Military Service: U.S. Army, 1963-65.

Career:

Minit Records, A&R, New Orleans, LA, musician, songwriter, producer, 1960-63; Sansu Enterprises, New Orleans, LA, producer and co-founder, 1965-73; Sea Saint Recording Studios, New Orleans, LA, co-founder and producer, 1973-; NYNO Records, New Orleans, LA, and New York, NY, founder and producer, 1996-.

Memberships:

New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness, co-founder.

Awards:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inductee, 1998; Louisiana Lifetime Achievement Award, State of Louisiana; Louisiana Legend Award, Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting; Entertainer of the Year, Big Easy Awards; Walk of Fame, Tipitina's New Orleans.

Addresses:

Office—NYNO Records, 1230 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY 10020; Web—www.nynorecords.com.

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Toussaint had stayed home to ride out the storm, but after seeing the destruction the storm left in its wake, he walked through knee-high water, hopped a bus to Baton Rouge, and caught a plane to New York. His house and studio had been destroyed. Long a supporter of community causes in his hometown, Toussaint wasted no time participating in several concerts to benefit the hurricane victims. At one, he and Costello bonded and the result was 2007's The River in Reverse. The pair had worked together before, but the album marked a highpoint for both of their careers. A collection of 13 songs, ranging from poignant to bluesy to R&B, the album rings with an undercurrent of protest for the wrongs New Orleans has suffered and a shimmering hope that they can be made right. The album received a 2007 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Though it didn't win, The River in Reverse has proven that Toussaint, who has often been described as the embodiment of New Orleans music, is like the city and the music he loves so much, unforgettable and unstoppable.