 |
 |
  |
Allen Toussaint
|
| A cornerstone of New Orleans' rhythm & blues, singer-pianist-songwriter-producer Allen Toussaint warrants his own section in any rock 'n' roll Hall Of Fame. EMI publishes the majority of his classic songs ranging from four Lee Dorsey hits namely GET OUT OF MY LIFE WOMAN, HOLY COW, RIDE YOUR PONY and WORKING IN THE COALMINE (the latter memorably revived by Devo), his tongue-in-cheek MOTHER-IN-LAW which gave Ernie K-Doe a #1 record to unforgettable ballads such as IT'S RAINING (successfully recorded by Irma Thomas) and the timeless question, WHAT DO YOU WANT THE GIRL TO DO, posed so poignantly by Boz Scaggs and (with a gender-altered lyric) by Bonnie Raitt.
Toussaint the performer is also a force to be reckoned with and his own vocal interpretations of MOTHER-IN-LAW and WHAT DO YOU WANT THE GIRL TO DO underline this. Naturally, his own original versions have often been overshadowed when a song is turned into a hit by another artist; another perfect example of this is Allen's debut take of SOUTHERN NIGHTS on his 1975 Reprise album of the same name; coming some two years before Glen Campbell's chart-topping cover record, the Toussaint version is taken at a more relaxed pace, with his vocal layed over colorful piano figures. Allen often chooses riffs which just refuse to let the listener's attention wander as with the rhythmic SHOORAH SHOORAH which he jauntily sings regularly in concert along with YES WE CAN CAN that began life on a Lee Dorsey session and ended up providing The Pointer Sisters with their first-ever chart record.
The first influential wave of Toussaint songs that we publish was felt in the very early 1960's when Allen was hired to produce sessions for a local label called Minit. A group of young artists gathered around Allen's piano in his parents' front room and music began to flow; most of the songs recorded were Toussaint compositions and as the Minit 45's were issued, a number of favorites emerged which are still being performed today. For instance, at the 2005 Madison Square Garden Big Easy benefit concert, Jimmy Buffett delivered a playful rendition of FORTUNE TELLER, a song that Allen originally wrote for Benny Spellman and which The Rolling Stones covered on one of their early UK Decca sessions.
Indeed, the Toussaint songs caught the attention of various other British beat groups and artists in the early 60's when The Yardbirds cut A CERTAIN GIRL as did another EMI band of the time, The (pre-Procol Harum) Paramounts, as well as Downliners Sect, The Who, The Hollies and The Merseybeats. Episode Six all also weighed in with FORTUNE TELLER, Chris Farlowe cut LIPSTICK TRACES, both Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders covered I CRIED MY LAST TEAR, Herman's Hermits cut MOTHER-IN-LAW and Georgie Fame chose RIDE YOUR PONY.
The very latest artist to borrow from the Toussaint legacy is Jamie Cullum whose recent UK chart single GET YOUR WAY utilizes a sample from Allen's GET OUT OF MY LIFE WOMAN. That same song was also sampled on the Kanye West-produced track I CHANGED MY MIND by Keyshia Cole on her debut album "The Way It Is".
With Allen's own appearances at two 2005 New York benefits for the Crescent City, there were some remarkable performances of his compositions such as Elvis Costello's heartfelt emotional version of FREEDOM FOR THE STALLION plus Lenny Kravitz's hypnotic groove on HERCULES.
The songs listed below, some of which were credited in Allen's early career to his mother's maiden name Naomi Neville, show the titles which achieved chart success.
ALL THESE THINGS (Neville)
by The Uniques featuring Joe Stampley (Paula: 1966) US #97 Pop
by Joe Stampley (ABC/Dot/Uni: 1976) US #1 Country
by Joe Stampley (Epic/Sony: 1981) US #62 Country
Other versions include: Harry Connick Jr. (Columbia), Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley (Smith Music Group), The Meters (Reprise/Warners), Art Neville (Instant/Charly)
A CERTAIN GIRL (Neville)
by Ernie K-Doe (Minit/Capitol: 1961) US #71 Pop
by Warren Zevon (Asylum/Warners: 1980) US #57 Pop
Other versions include: Clarence 'Frogman' Henry (Crazy Cajun)
CONFUSION (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/UK Stateside/Sony: 1966) UK #38
EVERYTHING I DO GOHN BE FUNKY (FROM NOW ON) (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1969) US #33 R&B, #95 Pop
by Lou Donaldson (Blue Note: 1970)
FORTUNE TELLER (Neville)
by Benny Spellman (Minit/Capitol: 1962)
by The Rolling Stones
FREEDOM FOR THE STALLION (Toussaint)
by The Hues Corporation (RCA: 1973) US #63 Pop
GET OUT OF MY LIFE, WOMAN (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1966) US #5 R&B, #44 Pop, UK #22
Other versions include: Solomon Burke (Atlantic), The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (Elektra), Roy Head (Crazy Cajun), Jimi Hendrix (Jungle), Iron Butterfly (Atco), Albert King (Tomato), Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, Joe Tex (Dial)
GO-GO GIRL (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1967) US #31 R&B, #62 Pop
HAPPINESS (Toussaint)
by The Pointer Sisters (Planet: 1979) US #20 R&B, #30 Pop
HOLY COW (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1966) US #10 R&B, #23 Pop, UK #6
by Jamey Ryan (Show Biz: 1970) US #75 Country
Other versions include: The Band (Capitol)
I CRIED MY LAST TEAR(Neville)
by Ernie K-Doe (Minit/Capitol: 1961) US #69 Pop
IT'S RAINING (Neville)
by Irma Thomas (Minit/Capitol: 1961)
by Shakin' Stevens (Epic: 1981) UK #10
KEEP IT TOGETHER (DECLARATION OF LOVE) (Toussaint)
by Rufus (ABC/Uni: 1979) US #16 R&B
LIPSTICK TRACES (ON A CIGARETTE) (Neville)
by Benny Spellman (Minit/Capitol: 1962) US #28 R&B
by The O'Jays (Imperial/Capitol: 1965) US #48 Pop
by Jimmie Peters (Mercury/Uni: 1977) US #73 Country
by The Amazing Rhythm Aces (ABC/Uni: 1979) US #88 Country
Other versions include: Delbert McClinton (Alligator)
MOTHER-IN-LAW (Toussaint)
by Ernie K-Doe (Minit/Capitol: 1961) US #1 R&B, #1 Pop, UK #29
by Jim Nesbitt (Chart: 1964) US #20 Country
by Clarence Carter (Fame/Capitol: 1973) US #24 R&B
MY OLD CAR (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1967) US #97 Pop
NEARER TO YOU (Toussaint)
by Betty Harris (Sansu: 1967) US #16 R&B, #85 Pop
NIGHT PEOPLE (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (ABC/Uni: 1978) US #93 R&B
OVER YOU (Toussaint/Orange)
by Aaron Neville (Minit/Capitol: 1960) US #21 R&B
PLAY SOMETHING SWEET (BRICKYARD BLUES) (Toussaint)
by Three Dog Night (Dunhill/Uni: 1974) US #33 Pop
Other versions include: Little Feat (Warner Bros), Maria Muldaur (Reprise)
RIDE YOUR PONY (Neville)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1965) US #7 R&B, #28 Pop
Other versions include: The Fleshtones (A&M), The Meters (Josie/Warners), Paul Revere & The Raiders (Sony)
SHOORAH SHOORAH (Toussaint)
by Betty Wright (Alston/Warners: 1975) US #28 R&B, UK #27
SOUTHERN NIGHTS (Toussaint)
Original version by Allen Toussaint (Reprise/Warners)
by Glen Campbell (Capitol: 1977) US #1 Pop, #1 Country, UK #28
WHIPPED CREAM (Neville)
by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass (A&M/Uni: 1965) US #68 Pop
WORKING IN THE COALMINE (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Amy/Sony: 1966) US #5 R&B, #8 Pop, UK #8
by Devo (Full Moon/Warners: 1981) US #43 Pop
Other versions include: The Judds (RCA), Pure Prairie League (RCA)
YES WE CAN CAN (Toussaint)
by Lee Dorsey (Polydor/Uni: 1970) US #46 R&B
by The Pointer Sisters (Blue Thumb: 1973) US #11 Pop
We also publish a number of other outstanding Toussaint compositions such as:
FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM recorded by Robert Palmer, Esther Phillips
FUN TIME by Joe Cocker, Bruce Willis
HERCULES by Boz Scaggs, Aaron Neville
HIGH LIFE by Frankie Miller
I'M GONE by The Meters
PERFORMANCE by Joe Cocker, Johnny Adams, Dobie Gray, Aaron Neville
ON YOUR WAY DOWN by Lee Dorsey, Little Feat
RIVER BOAT by Lee Dorsey, Allen Toussaint
SNEAKIN' SALLY THROUGH THE ALLEY
by Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Robert Parker, Ringo Starr
WHAT DO YOU WANT THE GIRL TO DO by Boz Scaggs, Lowell George
WHAT IS SUCCESS by Bonnie Raitt
WRONG NUMBER by Aaron Neville
Many of the songs listed above were also recorded by Allen Toussaint himself. His own albums include "From A Whisper To A Scream" (Scepter: 1970), "Southern Nights" (Reprise: 1975), "Motion" (Warner Bros: 1978) and "Connected" (NYNO: 1996). And the fall of 2005 saw the release of Joe Henry's multi-artist production "I Believe To My Soul" (Work Song/Rhino/Hear Music) on which Allen performs three of his latest compositions: MI AMOUR, TURVALON and WE ARE ONE.
In 2006, Verve Forecast released "The River In Reverse": an album
featuring the combined talents of Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint.
Included are the following new songs co-published by EMI:
ASCENSION DAY (Toussaint/Costello/Byrd)
BROKEN PROMISE LAND (Toussaint/Costello)
INTERNATIONAL ECHO (Toussaint/Costello)
THE SHARPEST THORN (Toussaint/Costello)
SIX-FINGERED MAN (Toussaint Costello)
Biography courtesy of Alan Warner |
|
|
| Fortune Teller |
|
| It's Raining |
|
| Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) |
|
| Mother-In-Law |
|
| Southern Nights |
|
| What Do You Want The Girl To Do |
|
| Working In The Coalmine |
|
| Yes We Can Can |
|
|
emi musicResources
