The Big Easy Top Ten: It’s a New Orleans Thing (#9)

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Wow, what a great day with the weather! Sunny, comfortable. Perfect Fair weather! I’m not going until Tuesday, though. I will go for a walk to enjoy this. But first, it’s a musical trip to the Crescent City with one of its favorite sons. #9: It’s a New Orleans Thing - Allen Toussaint You may not recognize the name (although if you’ve read my discussions through the years you do ), but you’ll dang sure recognize some of the songs he wrote: “Workin’ in a Coal Mine,” “I Like It Like That,” “Mother-in-Law,” and “Southern Nights” are among the countless hits that came from this great singer/songwriter’s pen and piano. And, let me tell you, if you haven’t heard his version of “Southern Nights” (especially live), you haven’t really heard the song. Here he celebrated the music of the city, including the famed venue Tipitina’s. Oh, let’s go back to the recurring brothel theme for a moment: Tipitina’s, named after a Professor Longhair song, is in a building that was constructed in 1912 at 501 Napoleon Avenue. Before it became the “501 Club,” the predecessor to Tipitina’s, it served as a number of different businesses…yes, including a brothel. (At this point I’m starting to wonder if any older building in or near the French Quarter didn’t serve as a brothel! ) Tipitina’s is one of the legendary venues in New Orleans, and acts from Jane’s Addiction to Phish, and Dr. John to the Blind Boys of Alabama, have recorded live albums there. The venue is part of the musical heritage of the city, just as the music of Allen Toussaint is. It’s a New Orleans Thing Written by Allen Toussaint Recorded by Allen Toussaint From Songbook, 2013 NEW ORLEANS LYRICS: title It don’t leave you just because you leave town: