On Sunday, May 16, 2010 a beautiful, spring day, a car pulls away from the City Park Peristyle in New Orleans carrying precious cargo:  Marilyn Barbarin, Big Chief Alfred Doucette, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Don “The Blue Max” Landry, Deacon John Moore, Coco Robicheaux, three guitars, and a tambourine.  From cities as far away as Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York, Louisiana musicians and fans alike are traveling to attend the first annual “Louisiana Music Homecoming” showcase event to benefit The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF), and the Louisiana Songwriters Association (LSA) at RaXX Sports Bar and Grill in Port Allen.

The “Louisiana Music Homecoming” is the first of a series of annual events celebrating the return of artists to Louisiana, the restoration of the Louisiana Music Industry, and the resiliency of our musical culture.  The event honors the State’s best musical artists, songwriters, and record producers to raise funds in order to “preserve Louisiana’s greatest renewable natural resource”.

It is no secret that since the Seventies, many of Louisiana’s artists have left the State because of financial hardship, or because of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.  Over the years, they have relocated, as they discovered, one after another, just how very difficult it can be to survive here with so much talent, and so few lasting opportunities.  Now these displaced musicians are being invited annually by The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame to come home and actively participate in the rebuilding of the Louisiana Music Industry.

Along the way, a conversation ensues in the car among the distinguished passengers.  They discuss their various experiences in the music business, as well as the current condition of the industry as a whole.  The tone is generally positive.

“If the musicians would get some sense of solidarity and abide by the code of ethics as put forth by the union of musicians, then the situation can improve,” says Deacon John.  “In many cases, economics forces musicians to live in survival mode instead of being ethical because there are two maxims that destroy us, and they are:  ‘A little something is better than nothing’, and ‘If I don’t do it, somebody else will.’  As long as musicians continue to live by these principles, and the ‘dog-eat-dog’ mentality, we will never make progress as a group because it’s self-defeating.”

“Pay me; don’t play me!” says Big Chief Alfred, (singing,) “When you’re going through hell, keep on rolling...  Do not slow down; if you are scared, do not show it...  You might get out before the sucker even knows you’re there.”

“Nobody in here has had it easy,” adds Coco, “And we have more fun than ten others put together, each one of us.”

Al Carnival Time says, “Everybody’s having fun!”

The group in the car from New Orleans is greeted by a packed house filled with Louisiana music fans and musicians.  Over 75 musicians are present, many of whom grace the stage, and some for the first time in a very long while.  For example, The Inn Crowd has not played together in over 40 years, and all of the founding members of the Boogie Kings performed together 1955.

“It’s the way it used to be before the era of ‘mega’ shows,” says Mike Shepherd, who is the Founder and Director of The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.  “We are putting the artists together with the fans, and we’re doing it in a comfortable and more intimate setting.  A lot of them have not seen the fans in a long time, and many of the fans have not seen the artists.  A lot of the artists haven’t seen each other in a long time either, so it’s quite a nice opportunity for so many of them to enjoy this opportunity to share some quality time together with those who appreciate the ways in which their music has shaped American music, and music around the world.  To paraphrase Allen Toussaint, ‘This is Louisiana!’”

“We have brought together Louisiana musicians with careers spanning more than 50 years, and they have come here not only to be honored, but also to support the Hall of Fame and its efforts to restore our music industry.  Strong fan support is important for our mission, but having the musicians themselves recognize to the fans the importance of the work of The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is for me, the greatest honor.”













Inductees included:

• LMHOF - Lillian Axe, Bobby Kimball, Frankie Ford, Tab Benoit, The Playboy Band (of John Fred), Casey Kelly (Songwriters Annex), Tony Haselden (Songwriters Annex) 
• LMHOF BR Region - The Inn Crowd, Debbie Traylor, C’Vello 
• LMHOF NOLA Region - Randy Jackson 
• LMHOF Acadiana Region - The Boogie Kings, G G Shinn 
• Louisiana Songwriters Hall Of Fame Hall Of Fame - Randy Jackson, Leon Medica, Tony Haselden, Tab Benoit, Bobby Kimball, Andrew Bernard, Lenny Capello, Casey Kelly, Jay Chevalier, Coco Robicheaux, Jo El Sonnier

“It was like Jazzfest, says photographer Matt Schlenker, only better because I was so close to the action, and the artists were accessible to everyone for handshakes and autographs.  It felt like one big family reunion.  And, the people at RaXX were just incredibly friendly and the atmosphere totally relaxed!”

To date, over 60 legendary hit makers and music industry pioneers have been inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and over 40 into the Louisiana Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame.  The programs are structured to provide special recognition to the many international and regional favorites, and to luminaries in songwriting, producing and recording of Louisiana.

The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame program is a certified nonprofit 501(c) (3), La Musique de Louisianne, Inc.  For more information, please visit www.LMHOF.org.

The Louisiana Songwriters Association, Inc. is a certified nonprofit 501(c) (3).  For more information, please visit www.LASONGS.org.

Written by  Steven P. Reed