Biografía
Allen Toussaint, an R&B singer and songwriter from New Orleans, was born on January 14, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of Naomi and Clarence Toussaint, he was raised in a shotgun house in the Gert Town neighborhood. Toussaint began learning piano at seven and launched his music career as a teenager, playing piano for artists like Fats Domino and Earl King. Early on, he wrote songs under the stage name Tousan. By the early 1960s, Toussaint had established himself as a producer, composer, and arranger for record labels such as Minit and Instant. He penned numerous hits including "Ya Ya," "Fortune Teller," "Ride Your Pony," "Mother in Law," "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)," "Working in a Coalmine," "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)," "Get Out of My Life, Woman," and "Ruler of My Heart," which Otis Redding later retitled "Pain in My Heart." His composition "Java" earned jazz trumpeter Al Hirt a Grammy Award in 1964.
After serving in the US Army from 1963 to 1965, Toussaint returned to New Orleans and founded Sansu Enterprises, along with the renowned Sea-Saint Studio. During this period, he produced Dr. John's Top 10 hit "Right Time, Wrong Place" and Patti LaBelle's disco hit "Lady Marmalade," collaborated with Paul Simon, Joe Cocker, and Paul McCartney, and wrote Glen Campbell's #1 country hit "Southern Nights." He launched the NYNO label in 1996 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 in the non-performer category. Toussaint was later inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011. Following Hurricane Katrina, he moved to New York City and became a champion of New Orleans' musical heritage. Eventually returning to New Orleans, Toussaint received the National Medal of Arts in 2013 and was honored with a bronze statue on Bourbon Street that same year. He passed away from a heart attack at age 77 while touring in Madrid, Spain, on November 10, 2015.
