Wardell Quezergue: The Creole Beethoven

February 23, 2008 9:10 AM

Regarding the 'Creole Beethoven' Wardell Quezergue, composer, arranger, big band leader, master of Second Line funk, who brought us Earl King's Trick Bag, the Dixie Cups' Iko Iko and Chapel of Love, King FLoyd's Groove Me, Baby, Jean Knight's Mr. Big Stuff to name but a few--not to mention A Creole Mass--and who, later in life, survived Katrina, to become, among other things of late, according to Home of the Groove's Quezergue Onstage and Behind The Scenes, a street performer in the French Quarter. His is a name that ought not be forgotten.

See also The Birth Of A Platinum Seller and Recording: Interviews » King Floyd's "Groove Me"

And now a lagniappe of Quezergue arranged and conducted YouTubers:
The Dixie Cups - Chapel Of Love
Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff Live 1972
Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
King Floyd - Groove Me
The Clarence Gatemouth Brown Big Band - One O'Clock Jump
The Clarence Gatemouth Brown Big Band - Caldonia
The Clarence Gatemouth Brown Big Band - Take Me Back Baby
The Clarence Gatemouth Brown Big Band - Jumpin The Blues

posted by y2karl (5 comments total)

There's Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" and Robert Parker's "Barefootin'" too. For more edification, meanwhile, here's a recent interview in Offbeat, the Louisiana and New Orleans music magazine.
posted by raysmj at 1:54 PM on February 23

Sweet post!
posted by SaintCynr at 2:39 PM on February 23

That's one helluva musical resume.
*considers changing his name to Wardell*
posted by wendell at 2:53 PM on February 23

*cough* That there was the first link...

That said, yeah, Barefootin'--high in the pantheon of Beach music, one of the most wonderful songs in the world and yet it sounds little like Mr. Big Stuff and Groove Me, Baby, the songs that put Malaco on the map. Not only the Creole Beethoven but the chameleon of funk, jazz and what all. And he has one of the coolest names ever.
posted by y2karl at 2:53 PM on February 23

Mr. Big Stuff, Groove Me, and Big Chief are three of the most sonically rich funk songs ever. I can't believe I didn't know they were arranged by the same dude.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:00 PM on February 23