Louisiana Loses Another Musical Icon

Sadly, Louisiana lost another one of its icons. Art "Poppa Funk" Neville has died at the age of 81. Neville, along with his brothers, helped craft and create the "New Orleans sound". This is the latest blow to the Louisiana Music community; Dr. John and Dave Bartholomew both passed away earlier this summer.

On top of just generally creating great music with both the Neville Brothers and the Meters, "Poppa Funk" voiced one of the most beloved and enduring Carnival Season anthems, "Mardi Gras Mambo".

Now, to me, this is why Louisiana's music history is so, so important. Especially right now. Legendary folks like the Neville Brothers, like Dr. John, like James Burton, like DJ Fontana are getting up in age. Eventually, that generation will all be gone. And once they are gone, their music may live on forever, but their stories will be gone forever too.

That's why it is important, critical really, to glean as much as possible from these guys and gals. They have literally helped create the culture we know and love in Louisiana. We should honor them. Love them. Respect them. But, most importantly, get every story out of them we can, so that we can pass them on to the next generation. So, we can keep this thing we love, this community we call a state, moving forward without forgetting what came before.