You can always tell when the world loses an artist who has really touched our lives by the outpouring of love and memories from fans and fellow musicians. When New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint passed away last week at the age of 77, the admirers who shared their thoughts and feelings ranged from The Rolling Stones and Paul Simon to Questlove and Elvis Costello.
That speaks volumes about what made Allen so special — he was a musicians’ musician: a producer, songwriter, arranger, session pianist, and solo artist of enormous talent and influence. He helped shape R&B, soul, and funk in the ’60s and ‘70s, while preserving the classic New Orleans style, penning classic songs that were recorded by dozens of artists, from Lee Dorsey and Patti LaBelle to The Band and Little Feat. Allen was a musical icon and a mentor to countless performers. And to all who had the good fortune to know him, he was a man of unsurpassed dignity.
Toussaint made a series of acclaimed albums for Warner Bros. in the 1970s, and returned to the WMG fold just a few years ago when he signed to Nonesuch Records. In 2005, he generously contributed to Our New Orleans, the benefit album Nonesuch assembled to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, the label was proud to release Allen’s solo album, The Bright Mississippi. And in October, Allen completed recording a new album with producer Joe Henry, to be released next year. It was an honor to be associated with him. He will be greatly missed.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Allen, his family, and his countless friends.
We encourage you to celebrate Toussaint’s career by listening to some of his incredible music, courtesy of our colleagues at Rhino. Here’s a playlist.
