RIP: Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace: Gert Town Native Tami Lynn aka Gloria Brown

Publicity photo of Gert Town Native Tami Lynn aka Gloria Brown

New Orleans native Tami Lynn née Gloria Brown is dead at 78 years of age. I wrote a feature on her recently for my New Orleans Album of the Week series.

“Do you remember your first love affair?”

Tami Lynn née Gloria Brown whispers on Introduction To A Love Affair, the first cut off her debut LP Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone.

It’s heart-wrenching.

Tami Lynn grew up in the hard-scrabble Gert Town section of New Orleans 16th Ward. To this day there are parts of the neighborhood that have dirt streets and houses without indoor plumbing. more

RIP: Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace: Rhumba Congas Drummer Uganda Roberts

Rest In Peace: Uganda Roberts

Uganda Roberts didn’t become friends with Professor Longhair til 1972. By that time the not-yet 30 year old drummer had already carved out a nice niche for himself in the New Orleans jazz community. You could see him around town at places like Lu & Charlie’s on Rampart Street where a pitcher of cold draft beer would run you $3 or Holly’s a few blocks away on Basin Street. Continue Reading

RIP: Rest In Peace, Second Line Culture In New Orleans

The Death of Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club King Larry Hammond

The Death of Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club King Larry Hammond

I know it’s fashionable to hate Daily Mail but our local papers did not provide anywhere near this level of coverage on the death of Zulu King Larry Hammond.

I’m writing an article about the massive backlog of second lines that is stacking up due to the city of New Orleans isolation mandate, and I’ll publish it soon.

RIP: Rest In Peace

The Former Schwegmann’s Grocery in New Orleans 9th Ward Has Burned To The Ground

Schwegmann’s Grocery has burned to the ground

The building that housed Schwegmann’s Grocery has burned to the ground.

Originally opened in 1869, it served as a launching pad for the birth of the modern supermarket in USA. John Gerald Schwegmann was born on Aug. 14, 1911 in the apartments above the old store that his grandfather, a German émigré had founded nearly a half century prior. Continue Reading

RIP: Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace: Ronald Lewis Of Big 9 Social Aid and Pleasure Club

Rest In Peace Ronald Lewis of Big 9 Social Aid and Pleasure Club

Ronald Lewis has passed away.

Mr Lewis along with Artie Anderson, Edgar Jacobs Jr, Peter Alexander, Robert Starks and Ricky Gettridge created the Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Club in 1995.

Lewis was also founder, owner and operator of House of Dance and Feathers, one of the finest museums in a New Orleans that has hundreds of them.

WWOZ has a full eulogy here.

RIP: Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace: 5th Ward Weebie aka Jerome Cosey

Rest In Peace 5th Ward Weebie

New Orleans bounce legend and hip hop mogul 5th Ward Weebie aka Jerome Cosey has passed. He was just 42 years old. In 2014 the Amistad Research Center sat down with Weebie for nearly an hour and the New Orleans native was feeling particulary loquacious. Cosey had been in poor health of late dealing with medical issues brought on by high blood pressure.

Interview