“Here in Louisiana, we make music. When I say we make music, I mean that we don’t just play music—we invent it, too. We take the raw materials of music—of sound—and make something new with it.”
—From the introduction
Music writer and cultural historian Roger Hahn provides an intimate glimpse into a music genesis and legacy that has spread across the globe. From creating new categories of music like jazz and zydeco to adding new sounds to older genres like rhythm and blues, rock ’n’ roll, funk, and hip-hop, Louisiana has put her stamp on them all. With an introduction that includes an impressive overview of the state’s contribution to America’s music history, Hahn launches into biographies of twenty musicians and musical groups who have shaped—and are shaping—the face of our musical landscape. Included are well-known figures like Louis Armstrong, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, The Boswell Sisters, Mahalia Jackson, Harry Connick, Jr., Lil Wayne, and Hunter Hayes. Right beside them are lesser-known but no less significant or influential figures including Jelly Roll Morton, Clifton Chenier, Steve Riley & The Mamou Players, Trombone Shorty, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Buddy Guy. The biographies present a small capsule of the artists’ cultural inheritances, influences, and accomplishments. A full-color portrait by artist Chris Osborne accompanies each profile in this testament to Louisiana’s musical legacy.
About the Author
Roger Hahn is an accomplished, versatile, and respected New Orleans journalist. For more than four decades his work has been featured by such organizations as NPR Jazz Online, Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine, Songlines, and KnowLA. Born in New York City, he studied and worked across the country before settling in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, he used his skills as a writer and photographer to help organizations apply for post-disaster grants and documented the recovery efforts.
About the Illustrator
Chris Osborne received a BA in art from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and an MFA in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While living in New York, she managed the Jazz & Blues department at Tower Records Lincoln Center, which put her in the middle of the music world and significantly influenced her art. Osborne’s paintings are in the collections of many musicians, including Tony Bennett’s, and her works have received many fine-art awards.
THE SOUNDS OF LOUISIANA
Twenty Essential Music Makers
By Roger Hahn
Illustrated by Chris Osborne
MUSIC / General
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Composers & Musicians
128 pp. 8 x 10 20 color illus. Biblio.
ISBN: 9781455621026 pb