Allen Toussaint
5:00–6:30PM, Chase Main Stage
In an illustrious career of over 40 years, musician, songwriter and record producer Allen Toussaint has crossed many paths. He has worked with a wide array of music giants, including The Judds, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Patti LaBelle, Dr. John, Aaron and Art Neville, The Rolling Stones, Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis and countless others, firmly establishing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in New Orleans R&B.
Over the years, Toussaint has been responsible for an amazing string of hits. Two of his earliest tunes, “Java,” which became a mega-hit for trumpeter Al Hirt, and “Whipped Cream,” the Herb Alpert hit, became instrumental standards. He went on to team up with Lee Dorsey, who was often backed by the funky rhythm section known as The Meters, turning out a string of hits that included “Working in the Coalmine,” “Holy Cow,” “Ride Your Pony” and many others. Toussaint penned “Yes We Can,” which became a smash hit by The Pointer Sisters and “Sneaking Sally thru the Alley,” recorded by Robert Palmer and Ringo Starr. He also provided the arrangements for Labelle’s hit single “Lady Marmalade” and continued working with Patti through the early stages of her solo career.
Toussaint has also recorded more than 15 albums of his own, including Going Places (2005); his post-Katrina duet with Elvis Costello, The River in Reverse (2006); and his latest, The Bright Mississippi (2009).
