# RIP Allen Touissant **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180 "2015-11-10T12:38:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/1 "2015-11-10T12:38:07Z")
Story here…[http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/2015/11/10/allen-toussaint/75500982/](http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/2015/11/10/allen-toussaint/75500982/) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/2 "2015-11-10T13:17:04Z")
Oh, wow. New Orleans will be in mourning for a year, as we all should be. What an amazing pianist, composer, producer and talent. Thank you for the music, sir. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/3 "2015-11-10T13:21:55Z")
Minor nit, given the sentiment of this thread which I support fully: it is “Toussaint” - I will see if the Mods can correct. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/4 "2015-11-10T13:30:38Z")
Toussaint, meaning “All Saints” – quite appropriate for a NOLA figure. And what a fine body of work. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/5 "2015-11-10T13:57:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Minor nit, given the sentiment of this thread which I support fully: it is “Toussaint” - I will see if the Mods can correct. Thanks…I should know better than to trust my instincts when trying to get a post out before the morning rush - good catch. May I suggest that anyone interested post links to their favorite Toussaint-penned tunes here? After all, the man was all about the music, and I’m sure we’ll all find new tunes - it’s a vast catalog with multiple great versions. I’ll start with one of my faves: [Lee Dorsey - Holy Cow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeTW9m2BSvw) ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/6 "2015-11-10T14:23:39Z")
I was really sad to read about his passing this morning. I’ve only become more familiar with his work in the last year or so because of a Pandora station. His cover of [“Chokin’ Kind”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc29NnIXbqc) is one of those “where have you been all of my life” songs that are so rewarding to “discover” later in life. As for covers of songs that Toussaint wrote, here’s [“Fortune Teller”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5DeIcYD6xE) from the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss album “Raising Sand.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/7 "2015-11-10T15:32:58Z")
Another terrible day for music. He gave a concert in Portland last year. Unfortunately, I had a planned trip to the Midwest. My wife had a ticket, but it was one of those 100+ degree days that were common this past summer, and she decided not to attend. She’s very distraught about that this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/8 "2015-11-10T18:59:19Z")
Truly sad news. ♫ ♬ ♪ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/9 "2015-11-10T20:52:26Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Thanks…I should know better than to trust my instincts when trying to get a post out before the morning rush - good catch. > > May I suggest that anyone interested post links to their favorite Toussaint-penned tunes here? After all, the man was all about the music, and I’m sure we’ll all find new tunes - it’s a vast catalog with multiple great versions. > > I’ll start with one of my faves: > > [Lee Dorsey - Holy Cow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeTW9m2BSvw) That video is. . .regrettable. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/10 "2015-11-11T00:00:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Another terrible day for music. He gave a concert in Portland last year. Unfortunately, I had a planned trip to the Midwest. My wife had a ticket, but it was one of those 100+ degree days that were common this past summer, and she decided not to attend. She’s very distraught about that this morning. I saw his solo concert last year and it was amazing, including hits like “Working in a Coalmine”, and he was the friendliest entertainer I’ve seen. He played a medley including a syncopated version of a Chopin polonaise. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/11 "2015-11-11T02:35:01Z")
I never saw him perform live, but got to meet him at The Blues Foundation’s 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees Awards dinner in Memphis, TN. He was a very well-spoken & gracious man. N’awlins and the blues world will sorely miss him. I wish I could go to his funeral. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/12 "2015-11-11T03:49:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > That video is. . .regrettable. 🙂 Ok, well howzabout [Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On) - Claudia Lennear](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjQUblWNy6E) ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/13 "2015-11-11T06:33:24Z")
That sucks. Got to see him in concert almost exactly this time last year. He’ll be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/14 "2015-11-11T20:29:06Z")
One of my favorite moments in the great show “Treme” was when Antoine was asked to sit in on a session being conducted by Toussaint. And the song they were working up: Lloyd Price singing “Stagger Lee!” Pure gold! RIP ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/15 "2015-11-12T03:56:22Z")
I love “Mother-in-Law” and its identical twin “Lipstick Traces.” ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-allen-touissant/737180/16 "2015-11-12T15:58:15Z")
I saw him on Austin City Limits a few years ago when I didn’t really understand the depth of who he was. At first, I thought I might gloss over it, but got entranced by the talent. I liked it so much I watched (and appreciated) it 2 or 3 more times before it got erased from the DVR. One night I even called the kids in, telling them “Now you guys pay attention… this is one of the masters”. I remember being surprised as he started playing “Southern Nights” to close the show. I thought it interesting that he was covering a Glen Campbell song. Then I promptly asked myself, “Well, just who DID write that song, anyway?” A quick trip to the Google brought my chagrin.