Allen Toussaint: Singer/Songwriter/Producer
Allen Toussaint has been nominated as an inductee into the Song Writer Hall of Fame for 2011. He is among a group of esteemed songwriters, to be officially inducted June 16, 2011 in NYC. This is a well deserved reward for a man that may be one of the greatest song writers of the 20th century. He has 600+ songs cataloged to his credit.
Allen is a composer, producer, arranger and singer, who plays the piano and guitar impeccably. He has written music for Pop, R and B, Jazz and Broadway, but is typically classified as R and B Soul. He is most notably recognized as one of the primary creators of the legendary New Orleans R&B sound, the soul of New Orleans music.
The 73 year old New Orleans native still tours and performs for fund raisers to help rebuild his city as well as tour throughout Europe and the U.S. and appears regularly at The Heritage Jazz Festival every year in New Orleans. This year he is scheduled to appear on Saturday May 7th, 2011.
His first solo album in the last decade, THE BRIGHT MISSISSIPPI was nominated for the 2010 Grammy’s as the Best Jazz Instrumental Album. The majority of his recognition has been for his performance in the background as producer, arranger and writer. The nomination for this album was well deserved because it is creative, yet brings the entertaining New Orleans sound to our attention, and still remains funky, and uplifting. An excellent rendition of the sound he helped make famous.
In the 60’s when Allen began publishing his songs he used the pseudonym of Naomi Neville. Neville was his mother’s maiden name, no relation to the Neville brothers. Here are some you may recognize:
Fortune Teller – A Certain Girl – Pain In My Heart – Work Work Work – Ride Your Pony – Lover of Love – It’s Raining – Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) – How Could I Help But Love You – Waiting At The Station. His songs have been recorded by numerous artists from various genres.
Allen’s songs crossed over before that phrase was coined. Here are few you may know published under his own name:
Working In The Coal Mine, Ruler of My Heart, I Like It Like That, Mother-In-Law, Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley, Yes We Can Can( The Pointer Sisters), Southern Nights (Glen Campbell), Java (Al Hirt) Whipped Cream (Herb Alpert, the Dating Game Theme), All These Things, and many more.
Artists that have recorded his songs: The Pointer Sisters, Boz Scaggs, The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Manhattan Transfer, Ringo Star, Gladys Knight and The Pips, B.J. Thomas, Little Feat, Three Dog Night, Jose’ Feliciano, Robert Palmer, Johnny Winter, The Judd’s, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Nora Jones, Christina Agularia, Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton and a copious array of collaborations with so many recognizable artists of today and yesterday.
He is truly one of the greats and a man to be remembered for his contributions to music, as a composer, a producer, arranger, and particularly the spirit of New Orleans sound which will never die.
http://www.allentoussaint.com/
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