Photo by Danny Clinch

To the outside world, the list of great New Orleans musicians includes Louis Armstrong, the Marsalis Family, the Neville Family, a guy named Connick, and perhaps a few others.  To those of us who have actually lived in the city, the is one man that trumps all of the greats listed above, one man who is far and beyond the most influential and important musician in New Orleans.

George Porter, Jr., if not the creator of, has most greatly defined the modern New Orleans rhythm and bass lines.  He has put all of us in the pocket and carried us to places of pure funky joy.

Growing up in New Orleans, one of my first favorite songs on the radio was “They All Ask’d For You” by the Meters, a fun song with a catchy rhythm.  I had no idea at that point who the Meters were or how much I would come to love their music.

It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I really got to know how much I admired George Porter.  One summer my brother took me to Tyler’s Bar (R.I.P.) on the corner of Magazine and Bellecastle St. to hear some guy who was supposed to be a good musician.  There in the bar, with at least one other musician if I remember correctly, was a tall skinny dude jamming out on the bass, politely ordering cranberry juice from the mic between songs.  It was George, and that would be the first of hundreds of times seeing the man play in one group or another.

In the fall of 1988, my freshman year in college, a friend said, “You gotta check out this show at Jimmy’s. George and Leo are getting back together for a gig.” After asking a few questions, and realizing that my friend was talking about George Porter and Leo Nocentelli of the Meters, we set out to Jimmy’s for a night that is locked in my memory.

Through the years I would see George in public at places like Rock ‘n Roll Music (R.I.P)  in Mid-City where I eavesdropped on his conversations with their techs and was impressed by his knowledge about his amps and electronic gear.  Every time I have had a chance to speak with him he has shown himself to be a kind man full of genuine humility.

My friends and I had a regular weekly routine of hearing George and his band at Muddy Waters on Oak Street.  You could walk across the street from the Maple Leaf, the door being at the back left corner of the stage.  We would watch in awe as Russell Batiste and George put down the bottom of the groove.

He has been sought out by and played with many local and international stars.  The list is too long to know where to begin.  My favorite group is when he is leading his band,the Runnin’ Partners, with full horns. Some of us were blessed, the weekend before Hurricane Katrina hit, to see this group play at Tipitina’s.  The memory of that show was one of the things that kept me going for many months after the storm.

George has been in a trio called “Porter, Batiste, and Stolz,” or “PBS” for short.  They are coming out with a new record in September called MOODOO.  You can get a free MP3 of one of the tracks, “I Get High” by clicking here. 

Photo by Danny Clinch