NEW ORLEANS — Legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint, who racked up hits like “Working in the Coal Mine” and “Lady Marmalade” as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer before he gained fame as a performer, died Tuesday, not long after a performance in Madrid.
He was 77.
“He was a legend in the music world,” said Quint Davis, who produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Toussaint performed there so often — starting in 1973 — that Davis said Toussaint referred to the festival as his “annual concert.”
Born in New Orleans’ working-class Gert Town neighborhood, Toussaint went on to become one of the city’s most legendary and celebrated performers and personalities.
In the beginning Toussaint was known mostly as an R&B songwriter and producer. He worked with such luminaries as Lee Dorsey, Art and Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, the Meters, Joe Cocker and Ernie K-Doe.
In 1973, with fellow songwriter Marshall Sehorn, he established his own recording studio and worked with a succession of musicians including Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Patti LaBelle, Cocker and Elvis Costello.
Toussaint is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. In 2013 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama.
