George Porter Jr. (born December 26, 1947) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and singer of
The Meters. Along with
Art Neville
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...
, Porter formed the group in the mid 1960s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk.
The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989. The original group played the occasional reunion, with the Funky Meters, of which Porter and Neville are members, keeping the spirit alive, until Neville's retirement in 2018 and death the following year.
Porter has his own group the Runnin' Pardners, and also other projects such as The Trio with
Johnny Vidacovich
John Joseph Vidacovich Jr. (born June 27, 1949) is an American jazz drummer and a member of the band Astral Project with James Singleton, Tony Dagradi, and Steve Masakowski.
He has also worked with Bobby McFerrin, Stanton Moore, Charlie H ...
, New Orleans Social Club, Deep Fried, and Porter Batiste Stoltz. He has been performing and recording with wide range of artists including
Soul Rebels Brass Band
The Soul Rebels (also Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soul Rebels or The Rebels) are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework.
...
,
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
,
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
,
Robbie Robertson,
Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created ori ...
,
Robert Palmer,
Patti LaBelle,
Jimmy Buffett,
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
,
Johnny Adams
Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest ...
,
Harry Connick Jr.,
Earl King
Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003),
known as Earl King, was an American singer, guit ...
,
Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as longtime guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a ...
,
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
, and
Snooks Eaglin
Fird Eaglin Jr. (January 21, 1936 or 1937 – February 18, 2009), known as Snooks Eaglin, was an American guitarist and singer based in New Orleans. In his early years he was sometimes credited under other names, including Blind Snooks Eaglin, ...
among many others.
Porter joined
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...
's Piety Street Band in 2008 to tour and to record.
Jon Cleary
Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The ...
and
Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar (born 5 September 1952) is a South African-English multi-instrumentalist of Cape Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in ''The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'', a spoof on ...
are also members of this band. In 2010, he replaced
Reed Mathis
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* R ...
in
Bill Kreutzmann
William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued ...
's renewest band,
7 Walkers
7 Walkers was an American rock band featuring former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, guitarist Papa Mali, multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard, and bassist George Porter Jr.
History
The band formed in 2009 out of informal collaborations ...
. Also in 2010 he performed with Runnin' Pardner at New Orleans'
Voodoo Experience
The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience (formerly The Voodoo Music Experience), commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, is a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Voodoo Experience has hosted more ...
.
Biography
Early life and career with the Meters
Porter's parents were both avid lovers of music. His father frequently listened to
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
and his mother sang in the local church choir. He grew up in New Orleans next to future Meters bandmate,
Joe "Zigaboo" Modeliste, and the two became friends when George was 10 years old. As teenagers, they played jam sessions together with Porter playing a box guitar.
[Berry, Jason; Foose, Jonathon; Jones, Tad. ''Up The Cradle From Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II.'' Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009. Print.] Porter was inspired to play bass guitar by another New Orleans native, Benjamin "Poppi" Francis who also gave Porter some lessons on the instrument.
When Porter was still in his teens, he sat in with
Earl King
Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003),
known as Earl King, was an American singer, guit ...
. After one of the shows,
Art Neville
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...
came up to him saying he was trying to start a band and asked if he would like to join. Porter agreed spawning the beginnings of
The Meters. At first the band was known as Neville Sound and consisted of seven men including Cyril and Aaron Neville as vocalists and Gary Brown on saxophone. After a short time, however, the band was trimmed down to four core members - Art Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste,
Leo Nocentelli
Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Po ...
and Porter Jr. The four were playing six nights a week at a Bourbon Street bar called Ivanhoe when they were approached by
Allen Toussaint
Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...
and asked if they wanted to sign a record deal. After the deal, the label wanted the band to change their name to something that better reflected their sound. They settled on "The Meters." By the early seventies, Porter was touring coast to coast with
The Meters. At the same time,
The Meters were performing as session musicians on numerous hit records, including "
Right Place, Wrong Time," "
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line t ...
," "
Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley
''Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley'' is the debut solo album by Robert Palmer, released in 1974. It was his first effort after three album releases co-fronting the band Vinegar Joe.
Palmer is backed by The Meters and Lowell George of Littl ...
," and "
Southern Nights." In 1975, they were touring as the opening act to the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
.
Porter has said that the best moment in his musical career is when he and the other Meters were opening for the Stones in Paris in 1976. The crowd started to boo them, when
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
and
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
came out in support of The Meters and told the crowd to shut up and listen to the music. He said that moment kept The Meters alive for the time being
By 1977, however, the band broke up due to personal differences. After the breakup, Porter Jr. formed a band called Joyride.
After the Meters
![George Porter Jr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/George_Porter_Jr._at_Bimbo%27s_365.jpg)
Porter played with Joyride and with many other New Orleans musicians in the 1980s. In 1989, Porter reunited with Art Neville and Leo Nocentelli as The Meters, replacing Joe Modeliste on drums with Russell Batiste Jr. In 1990, he started a band called The Runnin' Pardners; a band that is still playing today. Also in the 1990s, Porter became a highly coveted bass player in the studio playing with artists like
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
and
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
. In 1994, Porter and Neville re-collaborated to form the band The Funky Meters to carry on The Meters sound. They were joined by Brian Stoltz on guitar and Russell Batiste Jr. on drums. Stoltz left the band in 2007 but rejoined in 2011 and the band still plays today.
2000 to present
In 2000, the original four Meters reunited for a show at the
Warfield
Warfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire and the borough of Bracknell Forest.
History
Warfield was originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement and is recorded in the Domesday Book as ''Warwelt'' ic The name is beli ...
in San Francisco. Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one but the other members and their management objected. In 2006, however, The Meters performed at the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...
. This was the first Jazz Fest since
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
so the fact that The Meters reunited for it meant a lot to the city. In 2012, Porter, Leo Nocentelli, Joe Modeliste, and
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
keyboardist
Page McConnell
Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish.
In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...
performed two concerts as The Metermen. Limited shows followed in 2013 and 2014 with two more night shows during Jazz Fest.
Porter appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film ''
Make It Funky!'', which presents a history of
New Orleans music and its influence on
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
,
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
.
In the film, he performs with
Snooks Eaglin
Fird Eaglin Jr. (January 21, 1936 or 1937 – February 18, 2009), known as Snooks Eaglin, was an American guitarist and singer based in New Orleans. In his early years he was sometimes credited under other names, including Blind Snooks Eaglin, ...
and house band on "
Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)", and is seen in clips with other musicians, including
Art Neville
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...
.
Since Hurricane Katrina, Porter has done some activist work with other New Orleans musicians informing people of the dangers of eroding wetlands threatening the future of the city. Porter still tours consistently with the Runnin' Pardners, Joyride, and The Funky Meters. He plays sporadically with the four original members of The Meters, now known as The Original Meters and also frequently collaborates with other musicians, many of whom are from New Orleans. On February 24, 2018, Porter sat in with
Dead & Company
Dead & Company is an American rock band consisting of former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir (guitar and vocals), Mickey Hart (drums), and Bill Kreutzmann (drums), along with John Mayer (guitar and vocals), Oteil Burbridge (bass, percussion, and ...
during their New Orleans concert at the Smoothie King Center, playing bass on several songs including "Smokestack Lightning", "Bertha" and taking lead vocals on "Sugaree".
He plays sporadically with
Steve Kimock on various projects including Voodoo Dead.
Personal life
Porter was raised
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and once considered becoming a priest.
Discography
*''Runnin' Partner'' (1990),
Rounder
Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy
* ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...
*''Things Ain't What They Used to Be'' (1994)
*''Count On You'' (1994) - Japan release
*''Funk This'' (1997), Transvideo - EP
*''Funk 'n' Go Nuts'' (2000), Transvideo
*''We Came to Play'' (2003) - as Johnny Vidacovich,
June Yamagishi
June Yamagishi (山岸 潤史, born Junshi Yamagishi, June 6, 1953) is a Japanese guitarist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the guitarist for bands Papa Grows Funk and the Wild Magnolias.
History
Yamagishi was born in Ise City, Mie Pref ...
and George Porter Jr.
*''Searching for a Joyride'' (2005), Night Train
*''Expanding the Funkin Universe'' (2007), OUW Records - as Porter Batiste Stoltz
*''It's Life'' (2007), Transvideo
*''Can't Beat the Funk'' (2011)
Collaborations
* ''
Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley
''Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley'' is the debut solo album by Robert Palmer, released in 1974. It was his first effort after three album releases co-fronting the band Vinegar Joe.
Palmer is backed by The Meters and Lowell George of Littl ...
'' -
Robert Palmer (1974)
* ''
Nightbirds
''Nightbirds'' is an album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on the Epic label. The album features the group's biggest hit, the song "Lady Marmalade," and it became their most successful album to date.
Background
Labe ...
'' -
Labelle (1974)
* ''Keep On Lovin' You'' -
Z. Z. Hill
Arzell J. Hill (September 30, 1935 – April 27, 1984),Dahl, Bill. "Z.Z. Hill" Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2014. known as Z. Z. Hill, was an American blues singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including his 1982 ...
(1975)
* ''
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
'' -
Labelle (1975)
* ''
Patti LaBelle'' -
Patti LaBelle (1977)
* ''New Orleans Heat'' -
Albert King
Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...
(1978)
* ''
Victory Mixture
''Victory Mixture'' is a 1990 album by Willy DeVille. The album consists of cover versions of New Orleans R&B and soul classics by DeVille’s musical idols. Trouser Press said about the album, “A rootsy covers collection, ''Victory Mixture'' ...
'' -
Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created ori ...
(1990)
* ''
Storyville'' -
Robbie Robertson (1991)
* ''
Uh-Oh'' -
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
(1992)
* ''Soul of the Blues'' -
Solomon Burke (1993)
* ''
There's Room for Us All'' -
Terrance Simien
Terrance Simien (born September 3, 1965) is an American zydeco musician, vocalist and songwriter. He and his group The Zydeco Experience won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album in 2008 and for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2 ...
(1993)
* ''
Under the Pink
''Under the Pink'' is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Upon its release in January 1994, the album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart on the back of the hit single "Cornflake Girl", and peaked at number 12 in the US.
The alb ...
'' -
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
(1994)
* ''
Boys for Pele'' - Tori Amos (1996)
* ''
From the Choirgirl Hotel
''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos, released on May 5, 1998. A departure from her previous albums, it was more a heavily produced project featuring elements of electronic music and ...
'' - Tori Amos (1998)
* ''
Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning "master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubiqu ...
'' -
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
(2008)
* ''
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...
'' -
Diane Birch
Diane Birch (born January 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
Birch was born in Michigan. At the age of seven she began studying piano using the Suzuki method. While growing up she listened to opera, classical and church musi ...
(2009)
* ''Good Road to Follow'' -
John Oates (2014)
References
External links
*
*
*Berry, Jason; Foose, Jonathon; Jones, Tad. ''Up The Cradle From Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II.'' Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009. Print.
*Sublette, Ned. ''The Year Before The Flood: A Story of New Orleans.'' Chicago, Illinois: Lawrence Hill Press, 2009. Print.
*Swenson, John. ''New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Limnios, Michael. ''New Orleans' Premier Bassman George Porter Jr. Talks About Meters, Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, and Saints City's Music.'' Transcribed by Denise Sullivan. 2013.Rawls, Alex. ''New Orleans Off Beat Magazine. Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement Award: George Porter Jr.'' January, 2012.George Porter Jr.NAMM Oral History Interview (2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, George
1947 births
African-American guitarists
20th-century African-American male singers
American male singers
American funk bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American rhythm and blues bass guitarists
Living people
Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans
Singers from Louisiana
Guitarists from Louisiana
The Meters members
7 Walkers members
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
African-American Catholics
21st-century African-American people