Wardell Quezergue
| Wardell Quezergue, Sr. | |
|---|---|
 Quezergue greets Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown at Tower Records, New Orleans | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wardell Joseph Quezergue[1] |
| Born | March 12, 1930[1] |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died |
September 6, 2011 (aged 81) Metairie, Louisiana[1][2] |
| Genres | Jazz, Rhythm and blues, Blues |
| Occupation(s) | producer, arranger, conductor, band leader |
| Years active | 1940s–2011 |
| Labels | NOLA, etc. |
Wardell Quezergue (March 12, 1930 – September 6, 2011) was an American music arranger, producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the “Creole Beethoven”. Wardell was born into a musical family with his father, Sidney Quezergue Sr., being a guitar player. Wardell was the second youngest of three brothers: Sidney Quezergue Jr., Leo Quezergue, and Arlen Quezergue. His oldest two brothers, Sidney (Trumpet) and Leo (Drums), were jazz musicians as well.
Career
After playing with Dave Bartholomew’s band from the late 1940s and serving as an army musician in Korea, he emerged as a bandleader in his own right in the mid-1950s with his Royal Dukes of Rhythm. He also worked as an arranger with the cream of New Orleans musicians, including Professor Longhair and Fats Domino.
In 1964, he formed Nola Records, and Robert Parker’s “Barefootin’” from the label reached number 2 on the R&B chart. Other artists on the label include Eddie Bo, Willie Tee and Smokey Johnson. Later, he signed a production deal with Malaco Records of Jackson, Mississippi and recorded King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” in a single week. When major labels including Stax and Atlantic initially rejected them as uncommercial, Malaco released the King Floyd record on its own label, Chimneyville Records. "Groove Me" became a huge hit (King Floyd's biggest), and was covered by artists as diverse as Etta James and Tom Petty. Stax eventually released "Mr Big Stuff", and it became the biggest selling, most successful release on the Stax label (currently over 3 million copies), outselling Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and the other Stax acts. Quezergue was also the keyboardist on both hits. Quezergue arranged Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue", which "crossed over" and also became one of the label's (Malaco) biggest sellers.
At the same time, Wardell was charting, at Berry Gordy's request, stage arrangement for Stevie Wonder and other Motown acts.
As a result of these successes, Quezergue’s skills as an arranger, and Malaco’s studios, became in demand in the 1970s, and were used by artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and B. B. King. He also worked with G.C. Cameron, former lead singer of The Spinners ("It's A Shame") and The Temptations, the Pointer Sisters, and many more.
Quezergue also produced and arranged the Grammy Award-winning Dr. John album Goin' Back to New Orleans in 1992. Already an award winning classical composer and conductor, in 2000 he created an extended composition entitled "A Creole Mass", drawing on his experiences in the Korean War.[3]
In 2005, Wardell was awarded "Best Produced CD of the Year"(by the NY Blues and Jazz society) for his first sessions with singer-songwriter Will Porter. Also a Blues Foundation nominee, the sessions featured Billy Preston, Leo Nocentelli, The Louisiana Philharmonic Strings, and Nola's best musicians. The CD was awarded 4 stars by AMG, and received what Quezergue called "the best reviews of my career".
In 2005, by now legally blind, he lost most of his belongings as a result of Hurricane Katrina.[4] The following year, benefit concerts were held in his behalf, led by Dr. John, with support from other leading musicians, including REM’s Mike Mills.[5]
In May 2009, Wardell Quezergue received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans for his selfless dedication to enhancing the careers of others, while remaining in the background; for his dedication to teaching others, especially the young aspiring musicians of the city, leading many great New Orleans musicians to refer to him as "my teacher;" and for his contributions to the sounds of the city, particularly the driving horn sounds of the 60s and 70s, for which New Orleans music became known.
On July 19, 2009, a tribute was mounted to Wardell Quezergue at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. By all standards, the show was a triumph, its concept begat from Dr. Ike and the Ponderosa Stomp crew. A nine-piece band was assembled and imported from New Orleans to back up singers like Dr. John, Robert Parker, Jean Knight, and The Dixie Cups, just to name a few. Veteran writer/arranger/bandleader/producer Quezergue showed everyone that he still had it, as he conducted the whole concert.
In 2011 Quezergue finished work on what he called his "two most important works"; his classical religious work "The Passion" and the sophomore recording for Will Porter. On August 25, 2011, Quezergue approved final mixes of 15 tracks of the Will Porter project, featuring duets with Dr. John, Bettye Lavette, Barbara Lewis, jazz bassist Jimmy Haslip, Leo Nocentelli (all multiple Grammy nominees/awardees,) with, once again, the best of New Orleans, including the 12 last recordings of the late drummer Bernard "Bunchy" Johnson, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Strings. His next planned project, a duet CD with Will Porter and Dr John will continue without him, as he died September 6, 2011, age 81.
References
External links
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