He wrote a lot of great songs: Fortune Teller, Working In A Coal Mine, Lipstick Traces On A Cigarette, and my favorite, Yes We Can Can.
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by DougJ| 26 Comments
This post is in: Music
He wrote a lot of great songs: Fortune Teller, Working In A Coal Mine, Lipstick Traces On A Cigarette, and my favorite, Yes We Can Can.
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bystander
They’re won’t be a lot more Allen Toussaints on this Earth. RIP, Allen.
Between the OBC recording of Hamilton and Chris Stapleton’s newest recording, I’m a busy guy.
Laura
What a man! So many memorable songs that connected so many other artists and listeners around the world.
A good man, died on the job, delivering pleasure.
jacel
Amazing songwriter. I loved his Riverboat, especially as recorded by Van Dyke Parks on “Discover America”. I don’t think anything before quite sounded like “Yes We Can Can”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIvawNmFBE
Steeplejack (phone)
@Doug!:
Misspelled “Toussaint” in the title.
SarahT
Had the pleasure of meeting him once – he was as lovely a guy as he was talented.
Tommy
RIP. Watching the above video, as a white dude that can’t dance I would have so liked to be on the set for Soul Train. Those folks look like they are having a really, really good time.
dp
A giant of music, not just of New Orleans but of the world. He’s going to be missed badly; we’re fortunate he left so much good work behind.
satby
My favorite Allen Touissant is the one raven posted this morning, but this clip shows him playing it.
MomSense
RIP Allen Toussaint.
I think “On Your Way Down” is my favorite.
I love Yes We Can Can and the video at the top of the page. My mom had dresses like that and I used to love dressing up in them and wearing her heels. I so wish we had saved her wardrobe and shoes. Did anyone else dance along at home with Soul Train and American Bandstand?
Punchy
His Madame has a hell of a wax museum business.
Wally Ballou
Don’t forget “Southern Nights”. And the great horn arrangements on the Band’s Rock of Ages.
MomSense
Ok, now I’ve got the Toussaint youtube channel going and Etta James, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint are singing “Groove Me”. That was an awesome and funky song.
ET
I love this song but his version of Tomato a and Me on the Katrina relief album Our New Orleans is fabulous.
MomSense
Here’s a live concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4frYZXc9tQ
Germy Shoemangler
He did so much great session work (as well as his own releases) that even if a person never heard of him, they heard his music, and his songs.
In other news, I just learned this:
Days after being granted his wish to see an early cut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fan Daniel Fleetwood has died at 32. Fleetwood was diagnosed with spindle-cell sarcoma two years ago, and this summer was reportedly given only months to live. Fearing he would not last until Force Awakens’ December release, the lifelong Star Wars fan and his wife Ashley started a social media campaign, #ForceForDaniel, to ask Lucasfilm for an advance screening of the film. (The couple also set up a GoFundMe page for Daniel’s medical bills.) Their message soon went viral, with many of the film’s stars signing on, and on November 5, Fleetwood was able to see an unfinished cut of the film in his Texas home. “I want to thank ALL the amazing people who helped make this happen,” Ashley wrote on Facebook after the screening. “May the force be with you all.”
gogol's wife
@MomSense:
Bystander and I may have tripped the light fantastic a time or two.
Chat Noir
Sad to hear of his passing. Saw him last year at City Winery in Chicago and at New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2011 — both shows were great. Such a genuine southern gentleman who wrote great music and was a great musician and artist.
ET
@ET: I hate spell check it was Tipatina and Me…..
Steeplejack
Classic New Orleans funk: Dr. John, “Right Place, Wrong Time.” The Meters in back and Allen Toussaint as producer and arranger.
Bubblegum Tate
“Get Out Of My Life Woman” = stone-cold classic material
Thoughtcrime
RIP, and a big thank you to Allen Toussaint for all the great music.
I had the good fortune to see him perform at Mountain Winery with Elvis Costello in 2006. Great show.
Brachiator
RIP, a very talented man. I guess that I have been listening to songs he was a part of all my life.
John Revolta
There’s a certain girl I’ve been in love with a long long time………………………………. :(
J R in WV
What a master of his chosen instruments! I’ve always dreamed of being able to play anything as well as Allen plays his pianos. New Orleans is so full of great music, even the crummy bars are likely to have great tunes being played, and Mr Toussaints was on top of that pile of wonderful talent.
I’ve seen Dr John, and nameless NOLA bar bands who were great – but Allen Toussaints was a master.
I can’t imagine that he ever thought as a youngster learning to play in his home town that he would one day be touring Europe, for the Nth time, to both critical and popular acclaim…
I’m glad he went out at the top of his game! if you gotta go, be at the top of your game, right?
There won’t ever be ano
J R in WV
@J R in WV:
There won’t ever be another Allen Toussaints, ever. One of a kind genius, they broke the mold after he was born.
FYWP for a) posting the comment before I was finished with it and b) crashing ever time I tried to edit that comment. Now I’m done.
Peter
I’m a huge fan of his; I spent this evening playing some of his tunes in homage, particularly “Victims of the Darkness” and “Out of the City” from the Complete Warner Brother compilation of his funky 70s stuff. Those two riffs are highly addictive to play, especially the relentless I-IV of the latter. Such a great, underrated talent. RIP.