Louisiana Music Hall of Fame - News Musique October 2009

LSU Tiger Band Induction: No Holding This Tiger

It was no surprise to us that virtually every news resource in Louisiana reported that the LSU Tiger Marching Band had become the first college band to be inducted into a music hall of fame. What surprised us was the significant coverage received around the U.S. “You guys have done a fabulous job,” Associate Director of Bands Dr. Linda Moorhouse told us THE DAY BEFORE the official induction – the AP story had already been picked up by scores of newspapers and online services. “I’ve gotten congratulation messages from people in 7 states who already got the news, including a colleagues in Washington and Michigan.” The response gave ample proof to the validity of bringing a college marching band into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. “Why wouldn’t the most decorated and accomplished college band come from Louisiana?” asks LMHOF Executive Director Mike Shepherd. “Our state originated so much of America's music and led the music industry in the 20^th Century. The Tiger Band’s history is weaved around two governors and was nurtured by our music culture.” Executive Advisory Board member and Tiger Band alum Del Moon added, “The famous four opening notes of “Hold That Tiger” in the Pregame Entrance pays tribute to our Dixieland heritage. Tiger Band should be the first of their genre to be honored in this way.”
There were many great moments in the official induction event at the Lod Cook Alumni Center, including the presentation of the first songwriter inductions to the team of Huey P. Long and Castro Carazo represented by the granddaughters of the duo. The halftime show at the Vanderbilt game the next night was a rain-drenched affair but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Make sure to visit the Galleries Musique Virtual Museum's videos and images from this memorable weekend at the online Virtual Museum at www.LMHOF.org

Long-Awaited Launch of LMHOF Louisiana TicketBegins with LSU Tiger Band Feature On Pelican Network

LMHOF’s plans are multi-faceted and go well beyond the scope of any other Hall of Fame. Yet another example is Louisiana Ticket, our television programming arm that will make its debut on the Pelican Broadcasting Network (KPBN) with our first Inductee documentary feature about the LSU Tiger Marching Band. The 30-minute special debuts Oct. 30th in conjunction with the band’s annual alumni reunion and will be shown repeatedly on Pelican HD channel’s program schedule.   The show features highlights of the official media induction ceremony, the march to Tiger Stadium and visit with TAF boosters in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where Rocky composer/Tiger Band alum/LMHOF member Bill Conti makes a surprise appearance to congratulate the band for its honor. There will also be highlights of the soggy halftime show featuring LMHOF members’ music plus highlights of people and events in Tiger Band history that demonstrate why the Golden Band From Tigerland stands above its peers and deserves Hall of Fame recognition. The program also includes a segment about Band Together, the ongoing fund raising effort to build a new band building for the band department. LMHOF and Pelican Network are proud to help promote the effort to provide the LSU Tiger Band with a new home that befits their status as a leader in their genre. Pelican Network presents an HD channel that now appears in most South Louisiana markets via Cox Cable Channel 713 (New Orleans, Lafayette & Baton Rouge systems), selected Charter Cable systems, and they are currently installing a high power HD "air" transmitter. Watch for Pelican and watch for Louisiana Ticket!

Tiger Band Commemorative Shirt Available



Many Tiger band members and alums have asked us and the band department if there is something they can get to show their pride for “being in the hall of fame” as part of the LSU Tiger Band legacy. We would all love to be in a position to award all current and former band members a memento, but neither organization has a budget that allows that. Our solution is to offer a limited commemorative Tiger Band LMHOF T-Shirt for $20. LMHOF is producing the shirts and taking orders and will split the proceeds equally between our organization and the Tiger Band Hall Fund to help build a long-overdue new home for the Golden Band From Tigerland. A special limited edition print (11x17) will also be available, and is currently shown on our home page. Our thanks to Tom Sylvest for his "Drum Major Mike" artwork. Tom’s LSU theme cartoons are fan favorites – you can find an archive of past and current toons at www.Tigertoons.org. And a very special thanks to LSU for approval and for allowing use of the "Geaux" logo.

Inaugural Acadiana Inductions in Lafayette Honor Four Legends: D.L. Menard, Doug Kershaw, Jimmy C. Newman & Jo-El Sonnier

While a rainy night caused the cancellation of festival activity and drove the induction activities indoors to Randol’s Dance Hall in Lafayette, the beaming smiles would have lit up a stadium as we honored our first four Acadiana artists on Oct. 9^th. D.L. Menard, affectionately known as “The Cajun Hank Williams,” won the prize for having the most family members in attendance as Mike Shepherd brought him, Doug Kershaw, Jimmy C. Newman and Jo-El Sonnier onstage to receive their awards. Afterwards, Kershaw, the original “Ragin’ Cajun,” picked up the accordion and joined in with the band to the delight of the crowd. Sonnier and Menard later joined the band.   The group of new inductees were welcomed by Mike Shepherd and fellow LMHOF member Jay Chevalier who wanted to be there to pay respects to his contemporaries. The following night LMHOF Executive Advisory Board Member Dr. Barry Ancelet took the Festivals Acadiens stage to re-present the induction awards to the artists during their Saturday night sets. Shepherd could not attend because of one more induction that happened to come on the same weekend, namely…

(Louisiana’s) LeRoux BecomesLMHOF’s 50^th Inducted Artist


The Voice of the Wetlands concert on Oct. 10^th had to be moved under a recreation canopy in Houma due to (are we seeing a trend here?) heavy rains, but there was no stopping LeRoux from rocking the house and receiving their induction award from Mike Shepherd onstage. Fergie Ferguson, who replaced Jeff Pollard as LeRoux’s lead singer and who now tours internationally as front man for Toto, got the crowd going with their hit song Carrie’s Gone and several of the band’s rocking songs before they paused for the LMHOF recognition. Festival founder and Louisiana blues great Tab Benoit later joined the group onstage for the rest of the set that included Take a Ride on a Riverboat and shared vocals on the signature New Orleans Ladies. Bassist Leon Medica and drummer David Peters have backed up Benoit on tour for the past few years and LeRoux has done much of the studio work for Benoit’s acclaimed recent albums. The band was also joined by Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall (who also contributed to Benoit’s recordings) for a crowd pleasing, closing jam session. The induction of LeRoux brings the LMHOF list to 50 great artists. That would be enough for most states, but we’re just getting started. As financial resources and time allows, the process will continue to expand, and in ways that you may not expect. Read on…

Who’s Next? How About Al Hirt?

Obviously, we need to continue our Acadiana recognition with Zydeco. Country and Swamp Pop honorees, but those will probably not take place until the first quarter of 2010 as we lay the groundwork in research and finding the right venue and opportunity to make those happen. Be assured they are coming! One induction that has been in the works for some time is for the late, great Al Hirt. There is a literal mountain of videos and images that we have been collecting from family and friends of the iconic trumpeter and showman. On Friday, November 7^th,at Chris Owens Bourbon St. cabaret, Al Hirt will join his friend Pete Fountain as an inductee to the LMHOF. Chris Owens was a longtime friend of Al, who closed his career in her cabaret. Details are being finalized for the induction scheduled for around 7:30 PM. Also in November, we are working with recent honoree Allen Toussaint to make another surprise induction happen at a private small function to be hosted by the prolific songwriter, producer and performer. LMHOF believes in doing our inductions by and for the musicians themselves, so unlike other halls of fame that have organized annual induction ceremonies at black tie dinners, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame will conduct its recognition in a manner consistent with the wishes of the artists and their families as much as possible. If this means not all of our events will be available to the public due to theme, circumstances or limited size of the venue, we will respect those wishes. Suffice to say that the induction Mr. Toussaint wants to orchestrate will be for a very worthy recipient! From convention centers to cabarets, public and private, we're there and getting it done.

Regional Halls, Songwriters, Studio and Performer’s Categories Making Debut in 2009

There are many great La. artists who have turned out amazing music that did not generate mass recognition and success, but achieved a niche following worthy of recognition. That’s why LMHOF has always planned to have Regional Halls. As funding becomes available you will see these become a reality for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Acadiana and North Louisiana.                                                         To establish this concept, we will open the New Orleans Regional Hall by inducting bluesman Coco Robicheaux, rock & roller Lenny Capello and rockabilly Joe Clay on Oct. 24^th at the House Of Blues, in the Parish Room. An announcement will come soon about the first honorees for the Baton Rouge Regional Hall. And there’s more. Last month we inaugurated our Writers' Hall with the induction of Huey Long and Castro Carazo at the time we inducted the LSU Tiger Band. We also plan to provide category recognition for Studio and Business People and Stage Performers who have gained national and international credits that may not be generally appreciated by the public – but should be.   In time, these three categories and the four Regional Halls will augment our central LMHOF Inductees and Writers' Hall to complete our master plan for education, recognition and preservation of our unmatched music legacy.

Milestone: 5o Years Ago…

…a lad named Jay Chevalier attended the LSU – Ole Miss football game with Gov. Earl Long. The young singer/songwriter had already highlighted his illustrious career by recording The Ballad of Earl K. Long earlier that year. Though he was not a big football fan at the time, Jay witnessed the legendary Halloween night punt return and the resulting pandemonium. Jay wrote Billy Cannon that same night and had a record out within days. The rest, as they say, is history. Read about all of Jay’s accomplishments in his Induction bio online.

LMHOF Music Releases: Undiscovered and Buried Gems Coming Out Soon

During our research and discovery some artists, colleagues and (in some cases) surviving family members have brought us a number of amazing old studio recordings to check out – some unfinished, other simply never released for various reasons. We are not talking about “throwaway” tracks, this is world class music that would be greatly enjoyed and appreciated if it found a way to find the light of day. We have also been led to previously released music that did not get the proper distribution or promotion to reach the artists’ intended fans.   The LMHOF business plan includes producing original and re-release music packages that will return a spotlight on some great artists while also supporting the ongoing work of LMHOF.
We are in the final stages of preparing our first releases before the end of the year on our own label. Stay tuned! And, look for LMHOF artists special compilations soon!

Sunday, Nov. 1: Dick Holler’s 10^th Annual Reunion at Eagles Club in Baton Rouge

Many in Baton Rouge have forgotten who Dick Holler is, but Dick Holler has never forgotten the town where he grew up and cut his musical teeth. As stated in his LMHOF induction bio, Holler wrote such diverse songs as the novelty Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron to the memorable tribute to fallen heroes Abraham, Martin and John and has had many others published and recorded by artists in both the US and Europe.Holler, who now splits his time between homes in Switzerland and Marietta, Georgia, makes an annual pilgrimage to the Red Stick to jam and joke it up with ole buddies like Rocky Saxon and Lenny Capello. Dick Holler’s 10^th Annual Reunion will be Sunday Nov. 1 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Club in Baton Rouge.People like famed New Orleans producer Cosimo Matassa and hit maker Johnny Rivers haven’t forgotten Holler either, as both have participated in past informal Baton Rouge get-togethers.It ain’t nothin’ fancy, but you will hear some good music and you never know who might show up,

How Can You Support LMHOF?
Become a Memberand Help Us Top The Charts!

The only way we will grow and succeed with our mission is with the support of the musicians and music lovers like you. With you counted “in that number” of our membership ranks, we can more easily convince larger donors and decision makers with funding resources to properly recognize the important work being done by LMHOF that will take us to the next level.   Please become a supporting member with a tax-deductible donation of $25 or more today that will help us defray the cost of inductions and Web site maintenance for our unique Virtual Museum. For membership information visit the "Krewe Musique" page. You can also simply click the "DONATE" button on our Home Page to go to our secure online payment page. We are actively seeking sponsors and corporate partners for events, Web site banner advertisement and for in-kind donations that reduce expenses for actual budget needs. Special thanks to our newest banner sponsor, Vetter Communications. Thanks, Cyril! To comment or volunteer, please direct your questions and comments to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

THANK YOU! YOUR Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]