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The incredibly influential songwriter and performer Allen Toussaint, who was responsible for iconic songs like ‘St James Infirmary', ‘Last Train’ and ‘The Bright Mississipi' has passed away at the age of 77.
Toussaint was on tour across Europe and set to play London’s Barbican this Sunday.
Described by The Grammy’s, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and musicians across the world as one of the most important figures in New Orleans music, Toussaint was on tour in Spain and died after his performance on Monday. Having played a number of shows in his hometown over the past few weeks, Toussaint left last Thursday on a tour that would have seen him performing in Madrid, Belgium and London, according to his website's schedule.
Throughout his lengthy music career where he took on the roles of songwriter, peformer, composer, arranger and every other conceivable duty in the world of sound, Toussaint released twenty solo albums of his own, as well as collaborating with the likes of The Meters and Paul McCartney, as well as a sea of other talented artists.
Toussaint was known as being humble and always happy to remain behind the scenes to mould and countless number of musicians. The list of those who benefited from Toussaint's influence as a producer and arranger is pretty phenomenal.
It spans from the 1950s to the present day: from Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Art Neville, Dr. John, the Meters, Paul McCartney, Joe Cocker and Glen Campbell to the late Ernie K-Doe, Chris Kenner, Jessie Hill, Lee Dorsey Benny Spellman and Al Hirt, and that's barely scratching the surface.
The Quietus interviewed the New Orleans 'music royalty' last year about his incredible career and the choice to perform live more consistently after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his New Orleans home and studio.
"I never planned on being a live performer," he said. "My whole forte was about being in the studio, producing, playing the piano on recording sessions. I was all about the studio. That’s where I spent my whole life and I thought it would always be that way. This [touring] is something that came about in the aftermath of Katrina. And I have done some mini-tours since but I’ve always thought of myself as one in the background."
He was a wildly talented musician who will be dearly missed by many fans across the globe.
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