Louisiana's top 40 most-influential artists: From A-Z (and lots of New Orleans), here's our list (2023)

In a place like Louisiana where the creation of music is as much a part of the fiber of how we celebrate as how we mourn, deciding who among the constellation of musical artists has had the most impact is not an easy decision.

After much thought, listening and, yes, argument, here are the 40 most influential musical acts from Louisiana.

Even though they might span multiple genres, decades and tastes, we know they won’t satisfy everyone. Share your thoughts on what we got wrong — and, hopefully, what we got right — in the stream below.

(current ages as of June 2020)

Allen Toussaint

• Born in New Orleans (Gert Town): January 14, 1937
• Died at 77: November 10, 2015

As a songwriter, producer and as a publicly performing musician, Toussaint helped shape New Orleans R&B for decades. And he looked great doing it.

Big Freedia(Freddie Ross)

• Born in New Orleans: January 28, 1978
• Age: 42

A bounce performer and singer, Big Freedia helped put the underground sound of bounce on the national map.

Britney Spears

• Born in McComb, Mississippi: December 2, 1981
• Age:38

FromMouseketeerto aLas Vegas residency, Spears was one of several modern pop stars who have redefined what it meant to be a pop icon in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Buddy Bolden

• Born in New Orleans: September 6, 1877
• Died at age 54: November 4, 1931

Not much is known about this early jazz pioneer, but we do know that his big sound helped shape the musicians who would go on to popularize New Orleans’ most well-known export.

Charles Connor

• Born in New Orleans: January 14, 1935
• Age: 85

A drummer who has worked with the likes of Sam Cooke and Little Richard, James Brown is said to have credited Connor with putting “funk into the rhythm.”

Clifton Chenier

• Born in Opelousas: June 25, 1925
• Died at age 62: December 12, 1987

An Opelousas native, Chenier used his accordion and singing to connect the dots between Cajun music, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The result was form of zydeco that broadly appealed to pop fans and continues to influence its performers.

Danny Barker

• Born in New Orleans: January 13, 1909
• Died at age 85: March 13, 1994

Through his work with the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band, Barker -- a guitar, banjo and ukulele player -- helped ensure a new generation of jazz musicians, including Shannon Powell, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Tuba Fats Lacen, Lucien Barbarin and Dr. Michael White. Some of the band'salumni eventuallyformed the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which again helped reshapeNew Orleans music in the late 20th century.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

• Formed in New Orleans: 1977

Since its inception in the late 1970s, the Dirty Dozenhelped pioneer a new kind of music by mixing funkand bebop into New Orleans' jazz tradition, which they thenpopularized with international tours and the translation of astreet style of music to the stage.

Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.)

• Born in New Orleans: November 20, 1941
• Died at age 77: June 6, 2019

Educated by many of the greats of New Orleans music, Dr. John returned the favor in spades with his distinctive voice and creative piano-playing.

D.L. Menard

• Born in Erath: April 14, 1932
• Died at age 85: July 27, 2017

Sometimes called the “Cajun Hank Williams,” Menard’s “La Port en Arriere” (“The Cajun Back Door”), is considered one of the most popular Cajun songs of all time.

Ed Blackwell

• Born in New Orleans: October 10, 1929
• Died at age 62: October 7, 1992

As a performer and, later, an educator, Blackwell is considered one of the most influential jazz drummers thanks to his work with Ornette Coleman’s quartet and the American Jazz Quintet with Alvin Batiste, Harold Battiste and Ellis Marsalis.

Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew

Fats was one of the most popular figures of early rock and roll, drawing audiences that crossed the racial lines that so divided the country as the genre took hold. But behind him was Dave Bartholomew who, as composer, producer and trumpeter, helped craft more than 60 hits for the piano player.

• Fats Domino was born in New Orleans: February 26, 1928
• Died at age 89: October 24, 2017
• Dave Bartholomew was born in Edgard: December 24, 1918
• Died at age 100: June 23, 2019

Harold Battiste

• Born in New Orleans: October 28, 1931
• Died at age 83: June 19, 2015

Well-known as a sax and piano player, arranger and producer, Battiste also founded the first local label owned by musicians and was responsible for educating a new generation of jazz musicians as a faculty member at UNO.

Irma Thomas

• Born in Ponchatoula: February 18, 1941
• Age: 79

With one of the most evocative voices to come out of the state and having used it tirelessly for decades, Thomas reigns as the Soul Queen of New Orleans.

James Booker

• Born in New Orleans: December 17, 1939
• Died at age 43: November 8, 1983

The eccentric piano player with the star on his eye patch helped shape New Orleans R&B as a performer and as the tutor for people like Dr. John and Harry Connick Jr.

Jelly Roll Morton (Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe)

• Born in New Orleans: October 20, 1890
• Died at age 50: July 10, 1941

An early jazz piano player, Morton’s arrangements helped propel the new New Orleans genre forward for decades, with many of his compositions still in use today.

Jerry Lee Lewis

• Born in Ferriday: September 29, 1935
• Age: 84

The rollicking pianist from Ferriday had a personal life that was as wild as his playing. From the time he first recorded at Sun Records, Lewis’ music and style helped forge a path for rock and roll.

Joseph Nathan 'King' Oliver

• Born in Aben: December 19, 1881
• Died at age 56: April 10, 1938

The cornet player who led Louis Armstrong (both are pictured here) in his first band also penned a number of the jazz standards still heard today.

Huddie William Ledbetter

• Born in Mooringsport: January 23, 1888
• Died at age 61: December 6, 1949

Better known as Lead Belly, this North Louisiana-born multi-instrumentalist wrote country blues songs that have been widely covered by musicians like The White Stripes, Frank Sinatra, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Elvis Presley, Keith Richards and the Beach Boys.

Lil Wayne (Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.)

• Born in New Orleans (Hollygrove): September 27, 1982
• Age: 37

Lil Wayne was one of New Orleans' early rap pioneers as part of The Hot Boys on Cash Money Records. He later became a superstar in his own right and has since nurtured a new generation of artists through Young Money Entertainment, the label he founded. (Note this video does contain adult language.)

Louis Armstrong

• Born in New Orleans: August 4, 1901
• Died at age 69: July 6, 1971

With one of the most distinctive voices — and smiles — to ever come from New Orleans, Satchmo’s charisma, talent and compositions made him one of the first musicians whose influence extended past racial boundaries.

Louis Prima

• Born in New Orleans: December 7, 1910
• Died at age 67: August 24, 1978

The Italian-American crooner, actor and musician helped popularize swing and Dixieland with his trumpet and stage presence.

Lucinda Williams

• Born in Lake Charles: January 26, 1953
• Age: 67

From an area of Louisiana where the sounds of Texas blend with the swamp, Williams took a wide view of what she heard growing up and became an Americana songwriter and performer with her own style.

Mahalia Jackson

• Born in New Orleans: October 26, 1911
• Died at age 60: January 27, 1972

A gospel singer who performed with people like Duke Ellington and Thomas A. Dorsey, Jackson was also influential for what she did when she wasn’t behind a microphone: She was an ardent supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and sang at the 1964 March on Washington, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mannie Fresh

• Born in New Orleans: March 20, 1969
• Age: 51

As a producer in the early years of Cash Money Records, Mannie Fresh shaped the core sounds of rap. You'll find credit for his name on dozens of hits for Juvenile, T.I., Lil Wayne, The Hot Boys, T Pain, B.G. -- and his own music. (Note there is adult language in this video.)

Master P

• Born in New Orleans: April 29, 1970
• Age: 50

Besides his own rap performances, Master P founded No Limit Records, which helped launch artists like Snoop Dogg, Mystikal, C-Murder, Soulja Sli, Mia X and Lil Romeo.

Michael Doucet

• Born in Scott: February 14, 1951
• Age: 69

This Cajun fiddler has helped educate the masses about this distinctly Louisiana music through wide touring with his band, Beausoleil, andhe's educated a new generation of musicians by creating the first Cajun music program at ULL andteaching elementary school students.

Nicholas Payton

• Born in New Orleans: September 26, 1973
• Age: 46

A prolific artist, Payton has explored jazz through collaborations with Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Allen Toussaint, Hill Scott and dozens of others and ingenuity on his own accord.

Pete Fountain

• Born in New Orleans: July 30, 1930
• Died at age 86: August 6, 2016

The much-beloved clarinet player helped popularize the sounds of New Orleans as much for his musicianship as his charm.

Professor Longhair(Henry Roeland 'Roy' Byrd)

• Born in Bogalusa: December 19, 1918
• Died at age 61: January 30, 1980

Although fame eluded him in life, Fess’ distinctive piano style combined Caribbean influences with what he heard in New Orleans and has since influenced generations of players, including Dr. John and Allen Toussaint.

Sidney Bechet

• Born in New Orleans: May 14, 1987
• Died at age 62: May 14, 1959

Known as one of jazz music’s innovators, this sax player was a child prodigy turned band leader whose music has influenced the likes of Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane and Branford Marsalis.

Slim Harpo(James Isaac Moore)

• Born in Lobdell: January 11, 1924
• Died at age 46: January 31, 1970

A purveyor and pioneer of swamp blues, James Isaac Moore, who was better known as Slim Harpo, worked with the renowned Crowley producer JD Miller and, later, had his recordings covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Muddy Waters.

Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural Jr.

• Born in Lafayette: November 14, 1947
• Died at age 68: September 24, 2016

As the frontman and namesake of Buckwheat Zydeco, Dural’s wide touring introduced the world to zydeco — and he made sure people didn’t confuse it with Cajun music.

Terence Blanchard

• Born in New Orleans: March 13, 1962
• Age: 58

As a modern jazz trumpet player and composer, Blanchard has used his distinct style to make statements about inequality and the havoc Hurricane Katrina wreaked on the Gulf Coast.

The Dixie Cups

• Formed in New Orleans: 1964
• Current members: Barbara Ann Hawkins; Rosa Lee Hawkins; Athelgra Neville Gabriel
• Past members: Joan Marie Johnson; Beverly Brown; Dale Mickle

A pop music girl group born in New Orleans, The Dixie Cups created a string of hits in the 1960s, including the wildly popular “Iko Iko,” which was inspired by Mardi Gras Indian chants.

The Meters

• Formed in New Orleans: 1965-1977
• Return: 1989-present
• Members: George Porter Jr; Leo Nocentelli; Zigaboo Modeliste; Brian Stoltz; Terrence Houston
• Deceased: Art Neville (1937-2019)

As pioneers of funk, The Meters’ groove-laden and raw sound has influenced most purveyors of the genre since their inception. Their tracks have also deeply influenced those outside it, as rappers and hip-hop artists have widely sampled their sounds.

The Wild Tchoupitoulas

• Formed in New Orleans: 1976

Although the tradition of Mardi Gras Indians has roots that go back more than a century, it wasn’t until 1976 that their songs and chants were memorialized. Allen Toussaint helped produce the tribe’s eponymous album, which is considered one of the most important pieces of New Orleans’ musical history.

Warren Storm

• Born in Abbeville: February 18, 1937
• Age: 83

A pioneer of swamp pop, Storm’s “Prisoner’s Song” became one of a handful of national hits within the genre, and he’s continued performing it, including with the Lil Band o’ Gold.

Wynton Marsalis

• Born in New Orleans: October 18, 1961
• Age: 58

Coming from a large family of musicians, Marsalis became a renowned trumpet player and composer with more than 60 recordings and a string of Grammy Awards. Today, he’s also the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Zachary Richard

• Born in Scott: September 8, 1950
• Age: 69

With deep dedication to his Cajun roots, Zachary is a singer, songwriter and poet who has worked to preserve his culture in Southwest Louisiana through music, volunteer work and even the creation of a Cajun French textbook.