A
rhythm and blues pianist,
songwriter, and producer in
New Orleans for many years; member of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not especially successful with recordings under his own name, but his songs and productions are numerous, and famous. He owns a piece of
soul music (and
funk) history via, et al, Lee Dorsey (e.g. "Workin' in a Coal Mine", later covered by
Devo), for whom he wrote "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley" (done better as part of
Robert Palmer's collaborations with Toussaint and Lowell George), and "Yes We Can Can" (made famous as
the Pointer Sisters'
70s classic, before they went irretrievably
pop).
Founder of Sea-Saint Studios, where Paul McCartney did some Wings stuff, and where LaBelle recorded his "Lady Marmalade". An honorary Neville Brother; his "Tell it Like it Is" first put Aaron Neville on the map in the 60s, and The Meters were once the house band at Sea-Saint.