Allen Toussaint
The quiet architect of the New Orleans sound, whose piano rhythms and sly songwriting crafted an entire genre's soul and swagger.
1938–2015 (age 77)·American musician, songwriter and record producer·Birthday: January 14·The Silent Generation
Biography
Allen Toussaint was the gentleman professor in the laboratory of New Orleans funk and R&B, a soft-spoken genius whose fingerprints are on hundreds of songs you can't help but move to. From his early days as a session pianist at Cosimo Matassa's legendary studio, he developed a sound that was both impeccably polished and deeply funky. He didn't just write songs; he built records, arranging horns, crafting grooves, and producing tracks for artists like Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, and The Meters from behind the scenes. His own voice was modest, but his compositions—'Mother-in-Law,' 'Working in the Coal Mine,' 'Southern Nights'—became anthems. After Hurricane Katrina, he became an eloquent ambassador for his city's cultural resilience, proving that the pulse he helped create was unbreakable.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Allen was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Allen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2015Died at 77
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 for his lifetime of musical contributions.
- Produced and arranged Labelle's smash hit 'Lady Marmalade,' which became a cultural phenomenon.
- His songwriting catalog includes classics recorded by artists as diverse as Glen Campbell ('Southern Nights'), The Band, and Devo.
- Received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2012 for his influence on American music.
Did You Know?
He performed at the famous 1971 concert by The Band, 'The Last Waltz,' though his segment was not included in the original film release.
Toussaint was notoriously shy about performing live in his early career, preferring studio work.
After Katrina destroyed his home and studio, he relocated to New York and experienced a late-career surge as a live performer.
He wrote the horn arrangement for The Band's song 'Life Is a Carnival.'
“New Orleans, it's in everything I do. It's in the way I walk, the way I talk, and certainly the way I play.”
