Still Singing the Blues

A radio documentary about New Orleans and South Louisiana Blues

Get down to Bo’Cat’s

Singleton singing at Margaritaville

If we were going to be in New Orleans this weekend, we would definitely spend Saturday night at Bo’Cat’s Lounge, at the musical fundraiser for R&B vocalist Tommy Singleton.

Singleton, the former lead singer for Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes, is one of the many New Orleans musicians who have always relied on  day jobs: in his case, driving an oyster truck for P&J Oysters in the French Quarter. The BP oil spill took a direct hit on Singleton’s job: With oysters off the menu at most New Orleans restaurants, the 67-year-old musician has found himself out of work and struggling to pay even for essentials. Around the same time, his weekly gigs at Young at Heart Club in Pigeontown came to an end, leaving him with less income from his music. He does still sing each Sunday afternoon (2-5 p.m.) with Irving Banister’s All Stars at Margaritaville in the French Quarter.

Ben Sandmel, a drummer, writer, and folklorist, chronicles Singleton’s dire straits in this article from Politics Daily.

New Orleans musicians take care of their own. Saturday night the 24th, several musicians will turn up for a benefit to help Singleton and his wife Trina pay their bills. The musicians include gospel singer Jo “Cool” Davis, Roy Joseph and Sound Agenda,  and R&B vocalist Rico Watts. Singleton will sing too, which is always a treat. There will be free food, a cash bar, and an open mike. Admission is free, but please tip generously.

The bar is at 1739 North Claiborne Ave. , at the corner of St. Anthony. The show starts at 9 p.m.

Island Aid

Thanks to our friends at WWOZ for calling this to our attention:

Island Aid Concert

July 24, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in Grand Isle, LA
 Island Aid will replace the Tarpon Rodeo (cancelled because of the BP oil disaster) this year in Grand Isle. The all-day concert will take place on the beach across LA Highway 1 from the Grand Isle Community Center. Admission is $10, and proceeds benefit the Grand Isle Alive Promotion Fund to help rebuild the fishing and tourism industries of Grand Isle, which have been devastated by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to food, crafts, clothing and festival merchandise, there will be two stages of live music featuring Three Dog Night, Amanda Shaw, Little River Band, Doug Kershaw, Lorrie Morgan, Top Cats and the Wise Guys.

For information, visit www.tarponrodeo.org.

Happy birthday, Freddie

Little Freddie King, Musicians' Village

Before the night ends, we would like to wish Little Freddie King a happy 70th birthday. We have featured Freddie in two documentaries:  Still Singing the Blues and Truckin’ My Blues Away. He is a remarkable storyteller (and musician) whose redemptive narrative never fails to move us.

More photos from Sunday

More photos from the Mother-in-Law benefit on Sunday, July 11:

Big Chief Alfred Doucette (center), a Mardi Gras Indian with the the Flaming Arrows tribe. All photos by Barry Yeoman. Click on any photo to see it enlarged.

Bone Man dancing to Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.

Al "Carnival Time" Johnson at the keyboards. Playing bass is Richard "Tricky Dick" Dixon and playing sax is Curtis Johnson (Al's brother).

Outside the Mother-in-Law.

Tee Eva Perry (left), who sang and danced with Ernie and Antoinette K-Doe; and Gerri Hall, who sang with the R&B group Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns.

Blues fans of various species.

Keiko Komaki plays keyboards with Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes.

James Martin, the saxophonist for Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes, flanked by trumpet player Mike Kobrin and guitarist/vocalist Ernie Vincent.

J.D. Hill, playing rubboard, sits in with Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes.

Customers enjoying Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes.

Owen Bocage carries on the musical tradition of his father, singer and pianist Eddie Bo, who died last year.

Coming to the rescue

Last weekend, we flew down to New Orleans to witness an outpouring of love, as hundreds of residents turned out to help save the Mother-in-Law Lounge. And we learned this: When a community mobilizes to save a cultural institution, the results can hearten and inspire.

Owner Betty Fox (in black T-shirt) greets new arrivals at the Mother-in-Law. All photos by Barry Yeoman. Click any photo to enlarge.

Ernie Vincent with saxophonist James Martin.

The Mother-in-Law has been a veritable living room for many of New Orleans’ blues and R&B musicians and their fans. Opened in the 1990s by R&B singer Ernie K-Doe (and named after his 1961 hit “Mother-in-Law”) and his wife Antoinette K-Doe, it has survived the deaths of both founders, as well as Hurricane Katrina. Part of its appeal is the K-Doe memorabilia that covers practically every inch of wall space, including a life-size mannequin of Ernie on his throne and a June 1961 poster from the Dew Drop Inn advertising a night of music-making that featured Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Art Neville, and Earl King. Much of the appeal, though, comes from the place’s warmth. Everyone is made to feel welcome by owner Betty Fox, Antoinette’s daughter, and if you show up at the right time, you’re likely to be fed a free bowl of Betty’s red beans, rice, and cornbread.

Guitarist John T. Lewis. Playing bass is Richard "Tricky Dick" Dixon and playing keyboards is Ruddley Thibodeaux.

Alton "Big Al" Carson.

This year has been especially rough. Not only has the recession hurt all New Orleans bars, but Mother-in-Law was cursed by a car that crashed into its front door one morning last March (the sixth such collision). Betty hasn’t had the money to fix the damage, as her lease requires her to. (Her landlord received the insurance proceeds, she says.) As a result, the bar has a boarded-up look, which in turn has driven business down. Despite her day job selling auto parts, Betty has fallen thousands of dollars behind in the rent.

Last month, Betty announced she was giving up. “I’m losing weight,” she told the Times-Picayune. “I’ve been living upstairs with no plumbing or electricity, and mold in the room for a year and a half.”

The announcement brought such an outpouring of grief, love, and support that Betty had a change of heart. Last Sunday night, both the musicians’ community and Mother-in-Law’s customers turned out in full force for a musical tour de force that lasted from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. Admission was a way-too-low five dollars, and there were separate tip jars for the musicians, the door fund, and the bartenders.

Outside the Mother-in-Law Lounge.

And what a night of music! The evening opened with John T. Lewis, a charismatic R&B and blues guitarist and singer who played with Ernie K-Doe back in the ’90s, and who Sunday night served as emcee. There was an unannounced appearance by pianist and vocalist Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, whose nickname comes from one of the most anthemic Mardi Gras tunes. Big Chief Alfred Doucette, a Mardi Gras Indian with the the Flaming Arrows tribe, sang some tunes with John T. Lewis. And Alton “Big Al” Carson, a powerful blues vocalist who got his musical start playing tuba for New Orleans’ brass bands, performed a long and joyful set. So did Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, a native of the Lower Ninth Ward who long ago traveled from New Orleans to Chicago to learn electrified Delta blues directly from the master, Jimmy Reed, and who and has played with such greats as Fats Domino.

Mother-in-Law Lounge, including the Ernie K-Doe mannequin. Standing in the brown shirt is Mike Kobrin, who plays trumpet for Ernie Vincent.

One highlight for us was the scorching set played by Ernie Vincent and The Top Notes. Back when Ernie K-Doe was alive, the Top Notes was the warm-up band at the Mother-in-Law Lounge. Over his career, Vincent has performed R&B, funk and pure blues, always with a band of young, talented musicians. When Mike Kobrin blew his trumpet or James Martin took a sax solo, the room shook; we also delighted in the appearances of such veterans as Robert “BJ” Harvey, the bass guitarist for Soul Queen Irma Thomas.

The night felt like a party. People spilled outside, into the Mother-in-Law’s side yard, where tiki torches and clawfoot-bathtubs-cum-planters provided the ambiance and people caught up with old friends. When we caught up with Betty Fox the next day, she felt heartened by the turnout. It’s too early to say the Mother-in-Law has been saved. But there is surely reason for hope.

Tomorrow: Stay tuned for more photos.

Robert "BJ" Harvey, the bass guitarist for Soul Queen Irma Thomas. He played with Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes.

Ms. Big Stuff


News from the Louisiana State Museum: “On Friday, July 9, New Orleans native and Stax Records star Jean Knight will be joining us for Cocktails & Conversation. Her 1971 hit ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ went double-platinum and received a Grammy nomination for best R&B vocal performance. She was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.”

The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the Cabildo, Jackson Square, New Orleans. Admission is free. And we know from her 2008 performance at Ponderosa Stomp that Knight hasn’t lost a bit of her fire.

Gulf benefits coast-to-coast

Do you live in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Quebec, Texas, or Washington state? Tonight you can hear music and benefit the Gulf. Check this out:

“On July 1st, 2010, in the spirit of Independence Day, music venues nationwide will unite to benefit those directly impacted by the Gulf Coast Oil Spill. Proceeds from all participating venues will be donated to The Gulf Restoration Network, who is committed to uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf Region for future generations.”

Click here for details.

Change of heart

Just as we couldn’t imagine New Orleans without the Mother-in-Law Lounge, so couldn’t many New Orleanians. As the Times-Picayune reports:

Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge owner
decides to try and keep it open, after all

By Alison Fensterstock

Just about a week after deciding that she would close the landmark tavern she took over after her mother’s death last year, Betty Fox has announced that she will try to keep the Mother-In-Law Lounge open after all. The outpouring of support that came after her announcement on June 20 prompted a change of heart, she said.

In a mass text sent out Tuesday afternoon, Fox wrote, “After heartfelt pleas and being reminded why I accepted this task of preserving my parents’ legacy, I’ve decided to try and keep the Lounge open — but I need the help and support of everyone in the community.”

Fox will host a benefit show at the Lounge on July 11, beginning at 5 p.m. Guitar Lightnin’ Lee. Ernie Vincent, Big Al Carson and Big Chief Alfred Doucette will perform.

No question: July 11 will be an evening to remember.

End of the Mother-in-Law

From New Orleans’ Times-Picayune (as well as local musician friends) comes this sad news:

Mother-in-Law Lounge, January 2010

Betty Fox closing Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge
By Alison Fensterstock

The Mother-in-Law Lounge, a Treme landmark opened by New Orleans rhythm-and-blues icon Ernie K-Doe and his wife, Antoinette, in the mid-’90s, will close its bar operation next month but might reopen as a museum dedicated to the K-Doe legend.

Betty Fox, Antoinette K-Doe’s daughter, is set to close Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-In-Law Lounge July 10.

Betty Fox, Antoinette K-Doe’s daughter, announced Monday on her Facebook page that the bar will officially close July 10 after a sale of memorabilia and some of the bar’s fixtures.

Antoinette K-Doe, an experienced bar manager, opened the business as part of a campaign to revitalize her husband’s fading career. With the lounge as his stage and his wife as his cheerleader, K-Doe cemented his legend by the time he died in 2001.

Antoinette K-Doe continued to run the bar, which was rebuilt after the 2005 flood, until her death in the early hours of Mardi Gras 2009.

Shortly after her mother’s death, Fox moved to New Orleans from Memphis to take over the bar. Now, she says, a poor economy, the pressure of taking over a New Orleans institution and a string of bad luck (a car smashed the bar’s front door on March 1 while Fox stood near it) forced her decision to cease regular hours.

Click here for the full article.

We were honored when a group of musicians, spearheaded by guitarist John T. Lewis and drummer/humanities scholar Ben Sandmel, organized an evening of great music at the Mother-in-Law in honor of Still Singing The Blues last January. It was a memorable night, and we can’t quite imagine life in New Orleans without this institution.

Blues clubs and the spill

Tommy Singleton at Young at Heart Club

Ben Sandmel, one of our humanities consultants, has written an article for Politics Daily that links the BP oil spill to the blues clubs of New Orleans. Ben writes about Tommy Singleton, an R&B singer whose name has appeared often in his blog. Sandmel writes:

At first glance, Louisiana’s oil-fouled coast may seem worlds away from the small, neighborhood blues bars of New Orleans’ African-American community. But as toxic tendrils of crude reach ever farther inland, the connections become increasingly apparent. For nearly half a century, Tommy Singleton, 67, has been expertly singing blues, soul and R&B in little joints around New Orleans. While Singleton sounds every bit as good as many big-name artists, he has yet to enjoy a big-name career.

Accordingly, Singleton must supplement his income with what musicians call a “day gig.” For the past dozen years, that day gig was at P&J Oysters, where Singleton drove a truck and worked in the processing room, preparing the mollusks for market. “I would go to towns like Grand Isle, Pointe a la Hache, Port Sulphur, and pick up the oysters at the dock. Then I’d bring them to the French Quarter and we’d wash, sort and pack them.”

But the continued existence of P&J, which has been in business since 1876, is now threatened by the BP spill. Oil has tainted many of Louisiana’s best oyster beds, and at present there’s little product left for the company to sell. With grim prospects and limited income as the leak keeps gushing, P&J has been forced to lay off many employees, Singleton included.

“It’s terrible,” Singleton said between sets at Margaritaville, a French Quarter tourist joint owned by the singer Jimmy Buffett of  “Wasting Away In Margaritaville” fame. “It’s going to make things very difficult for a lot of people who really depend on this for a living. About 20 people were laid off. Hopefully it’s temporary. I believe that when they clean up certain areas of the gulf, then people can go back and fish for oysters. But it could take a lot of PR work to convince people to buy them again.”

What’s more, Singleton’s most regular gig, Sunday evenings at the Young at Heart Club, has come to an end. This is a poor omen for those musicians who live by the tip jar, Sandmel writes: “If the oil spill cuts deeply into New Orleans tourism, as many fear, that jar may catch fewer and fewer tips all the time.”

Click here for the full article.