From the Big Apple to the Big Easy

Jimmy Buffett said egos were checked at the door.

Allen Toussaint said he's lost everything in his New Orleans home to floodwaters but that he's eager to go back and start over.

John Fogerty said sending money for hurricane relief would not have been enough for him.

All three were among the galaxy of stars playing sold-out Katrina relief benefits Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in New York. The concert was called "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, New York City's Concert for the Gulf Coast." If you want to read more here is a link to a good article:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001178561

It was a great night...and a great pay per view....there were so many great performances it is hard to pick my favorites. But one cool shot was Jimmy watching Simon and Garfunkel with Aaron Neville singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from the side of the stage. And I just can't forget Frogman Henry singing on stage. What a great performance...he looks so good for his age. I just wished him a Happy Birthday on the phone this year. As I called he talked to me sitting on his front porch in Algiers, LA which is across the river from New Orleans....He told me a few stories and made my day. Forgerty....wow what a great performance....Finally the coolest shirt I saw in the audience was some nice looking ladies with black t-shirts and red and white lettering saying "renew orleans" That's what I am talking about. I am ready to go down there right now. New Orleans will rise again and it will be better than ever. Rock n Roll and Zydeco Baybee.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Grammy winner Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown died September 11, 2005 in his hometown of Orange, Texas. He had just evacuated from his home in Slidell, LA which was totally destroyed by hurricane Katrina. "He was completely devastated," Rick Cady (his booking agent) said. "I'm sure he was heartbroken, both literally and figuratively. He evacuated successfully before the hurricane hit, but I'm sure it weighed heavily on his soul."

Although his career first took off in the 1940s with blues hits "Okie Dokie Stomp" and "Ain't That Dandy," Brown bristled when he was labeled a bluesman.

In the second half of his career, he became known as a musical jack-of-all-trades who played a half-dozen instruments and culled from jazz, country, Texas blues, and the zydeco and Cajun music of his native Louisiana.

By the end of his career, Brown had more than 30 recordings and won a Grammy award in 1982. Gatemouth had suffered from cancer lately but rather than accept treatment he had been playing gigs as hard as he could. Sail on Clarence.

Canal Street after Katrina.

Canal Street after Hurricane Katrina. I knew this storm would be bad but I never thought I would see destruction like this. I am hearing from all my friends on the gulf coast and things sound really bad. I do have some good things to report from second and third-hand sources via the internet. I am not sure about the accuracy of this information but from what I can tell most of the musicians are starting to show up in one rescue or another.

From Cathy Ponton King ( http://www.zptduda.com/cpk ) I played with Marcia Ball last night at the State Theatre, great show. She did Randy Newman's Louisiana, which will make you cry. It was awesome show, yet somber in the wake of the News. She said Irma Thomas is fine, she's in Austin. She did a show with Irma this past Tuesday.

Information is coming in from many sources and in this day and age it is hard to believe with all our cell phones and wi-fi that communication can be so slow in a disaster. Maybe we need some new leaders who know how to spend our money in a more effective manner.

I have been very concerned about many of my Musical friends in New Orleans. Before I get to that topic, I hear all our friends at Margaritaville in New Orleans are OK. Not sure about damage to their homes but they are all OK and that is a good thing.

My pal Ms. Charley has passed information to me that our friend Joe Bennett ( http://www.headpirate.com/) is in Birmingham with family and OK.

From Tom Cullen, Bucks County Blues Society
( http://www.bucksbluessociety.com/html/home.html. ) and Bruce Flett
( http://www.thebluebirds.net )

As Katrina was bearing down on the Gulf Coast, I was just getting home (to Austin) after a long summer of touring. Been glued to the TV...tears, anxiety, fear, disbelief and unbearable sadness...

First: my immediate family members - daughters Megan and Susanna, son Justin, his wife Whitney and my grandson Harris all are OK and were safely out of town when Katrina hit. Like everyone else they lost everything: houses cars, etc....my Aunt Martha and Uncle Billy got trapped for a few days in a 3rd floor hotel room without food, water or power, but they are OK and recovering in Shreveport with my mom.

Irma and her band are here in Austin, as is Cyril Neville ( who reports that all Neville family members are safe and accounted for. He also spoke with Dr.John yesterday, who is OK but may have lost a nephew).

With the help of Cyril, Gibson Guitars, The National Folklife Resource and others we are organizing relief benefits in Austin and elsewhere. I spent part of the day with Cyril and his family yesterday...they are holding up well, but it was like being in the presence of a king who has lost his country...nevertheless he is grateful that his loved ones, his brothers, children, are not stuck in NOLA.

George Porter Jr, and his family are in Tuscaloosa, Alabama...he reports that Russell Battiste and Brian Stoltz (Funky Meters) were both gone when Katrina hit and are safe...

I have heard from a reliable source that it was Allen Toussaint who was ( incredibly!?!) amongst those at the nightmarish superdome and only yesterday was allowed to board a bus to the astrodome, proving that it could've happened to anyone. But ( I am guessing ) he is OK. Sure hope so.

Fats was reportedly found on a privately owned boat.

Other NOLA musicians who've checked in to say they are OK: Anders Osborne, all of the Radiators and their crew, Kirk Joseph (sousaphone/founding former member of the Dirty Dozen), Chris Mule, Kevin O'Day, Tim Green, Eric Lindell and band, Henry Butler, Theresa Anderson, all the Galactic band members and crew, Donald Harrison, Bill Summers (Los Hombes Calientes), Jon Cleary and his AMG. I played a show in Indiana w/the Dirty Dozen on saturday, so I am assuming they are OK...but if anyone knows for sure...

Still haven't heard from: Walter Wolfman, Eddie Bo, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux ( last seen paddling a boat towards downtown), Big Chief Bo Dollis, Doug Belotes, Antoinette K-Doe, Rockin Dopsie Jr...