Here's my chance to show my hometown pride, y'all. N.O. soul legend Ernie K-Doe once said that all music comes from New Orleans. (Or something like that.) Well, it's true. Not only are we a, let's say, "fertile crescent" for jazz, r&b and rock 'n roll, but we are the home of the funk and all things funky.
Funky music is in our blood thanks to lasting traditions like the Mardi Gras Indians, second lines, and Brass Bands. While everyone else in the country is trying to learn to rap or DJ, our young people learn to play horns. It is not uncommon to hear a young boy playing "Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock on his trumpet while he walks down the street. Not to mention all the funk and soul artists who were inspired by the New Orleans sound like Joe Tex, James Brown, the Fatback Band, and George Clinton to name a few.
New Orleans boasts 2 big funk acts -- the Meters and Chocolate Milk. But there was so much going on here in the late 60s and 70s that has not been heard -- until now. Enjoy this glimpse into New Orleans rare groove. You won't hear this anywhere else! (Don't worry. I'll be working on a second installment of this section, so you'll get to hear more Meters, Choc. Milk, Eddie Bo, Wild Mags, and some rarer stuff there!)
(This section is dedicated to Nita Ketner, host of Tuesday's New Orleans music show on WWOZ. She was the original host of "the Soul Show" before I came to the station. She was the first person I'd ever heard spin "rare grooves" on the radio and I looked forward to listening to her every weekend.)
