Another week of people passing away.
Last Sunday Allan Toussaint passed away in his hotel room in Spain. He was a major talent, who mostly flew under the radar. But for anyone who ever saw him perform (or met him), he was a wonderful guy and an amazing producer and songwriter.
Among the many hits he wrote were:
Mother In Law
I Like It Like That
Fortune Teller
Working In a Coal Mine
Yes We Can Can
Play Something Sweet
Southern Nights
A Certain Girl
Sneaking Sally Through The Alley
That in itself is a “Greatest Hits” of soul music!!
As a producer, he wrote and produced “Right Place, Wrong Time” for Dr. John and “Lady Marmalade” for Labelle, among many others.
During his concerts he would play all of the above, always with a big smile on his face. He will be greatly missed.
On another note, Randy Rhoads mother Delores passed away this week at the age of 95. She was a tireless promoter of her son, and kept his name and vision alive after his death. I always appreciated the classy way she protected his legacy, and always tried to follow her lead with the licensing of my pictures of her son.
And one more sad story:
Phil “The Animal” Taylor, longtime drummer of the band Motorhead, also passed away this week. I will never forget picking up the band at their hotel, and taking them, (for reasons I still can’t remember) to McDonalds for lunch. Hilarity then ensued, and some of my best pictures were taken!!!
