Wardell Quezerque RIP

On the eve on my US trip, it's sad to hear of the death of New Orleans record producer and arranger Wardell Quezerque at the age of 81. Wardell played a key role in the New Orleans music scene over five decades. After playing with Dave Bartholomew's band in the late 1940s, he became a bandleader in his own right in the mid-1950s with his Royal Dukes of Rhythm and worked as an arranger with Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. In 1964 he formed Nola Records and had a smash hit with Robert Parker's Barefootin’, plus records by Eddie Bo and Willie Tee. Later he recorded the Dixie Cups' Iko Iko and Chapel of Love, Mr Big Stuff with Jean Knight, and other classics including Misty Blue by Dorothy Moore and King Floyd's Groove Me. He helped to put Malaco Records on the map, resulting in big names such as Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and B B King recording there. He also produced the Grammy award-winning album Goin' To New Orleans for Dr John in 1992.
I saw Wardell at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2007 where he led a band backing some of the acts, including former carriage driver Tony Owens. My photo shows Wardell (left) with Tony. Here's the report of his death on Nola.com http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2011/09/wardell_quezergue_legendary_ne.html