It’s good to be loved
September 24, 2008 6:37 PM
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In the French Quarters of New Orleans you are very likely to come across various street entertainers.
Grampa Elliott is
one such performer.
Elliott Small has had a smattering of recordings over the years like the 1976 Malaco record discussed here
Since that time no record lables have produced any of his work that I can find. He spent his time performing on street corners in the Quarter until Katrina, some people feared the worse, but he
turned up on Royal street in 2005 no worse for wear.
Here is a story by Rick Bragg of the NYT
Grandpa Elliot & Stoney B.
Born in New Orleans, Grandpa Elliot began his career over 50 years ago, tap dancing on Bourbon Street, and now plays harp and sings harmony on Royal and Toulouse. He joins Chicago “Blues Man” Michael Stone (a.k.a. Stoney B.) and is oftentimes accompanied by Oscar Castro on guitar. Together and singularly, they form formidable singers and musicians, playing everything, as Grandpa puts it, “From A to Z.”
It was Stoney who gave Grandpa his nickname (“He’ll give you a nickname too”) and adopted the role of “a nervous, oblivious, snatched off the Nervous Ward and set right down here” bumbler who, with Stoney’s virtuosity on standard blues renditions, is transformed into a perfect savant.
Elliot has “done some recordin’ in (his) younger years” with “I’m A Devil and Girls Are Made For Lovin”. He loves the French Quarter and is saddened by the changes that he’s seen. But he maintains his mantra: “To keep me out you’d have to chain me to the outside.”
posted by nola (6 comments total)
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posted by Heretic at 6:51 PM on September 24, 2008