Harold Raymond Battiste Jr. (October 28, 1931 – June 19, 2015) was an American

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, arranger, performer, and teacher. A native of, and later community leader in,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, he is best known for his work as an arranger on records by Sam Cooke, Joe Jones,

Lee Dorsey Irving Lee Dorsey (December 24, 1924 – December 1, 1986) was an American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s. His biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with in ...

Sonny and Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

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 ...

, and others.

Biography

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States, he grew up in the

Magnolia Projects The Magnolia Projects, officially the C. J. Peete Public Housing Development, was one of the Housing Projects of New Orleans. As part of the ongoing redevelopment, the area has been renamed Harmony Oaks. The project was among the largest, hous ...

. He attended

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...

, earning a B.S. in music in 1953 and becoming a proficient saxophonist, pianist, and arranger. He formed his first group, with Alvin Batiste (clarinet) and

Edward Blackwell Edward Baird Hay Blackwell (21 July 1866 – 22 June 1945) was a Scottish amateur golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and finished in second place in the 1 ...

(drums) while at university. His first success as a studio arranger was with Sam Cooke’s "

You Send Me "You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a massiv ...

" in 1957. In 1961, he initiated the first African American musician-owned record label in the American South, All For One, better known as

AFO Records All for One Records, better known as AFO, was an African American musician-owned record label. AFO was founded in New Orleans in 1961 by Harold Battiste, who was an established composer, arranger, and performer. AFO was established as a musicians ...

. Within a few months, they produced a million-selling hit single,

Barbara George Barbara George (16 August 1942 – 10 August 2006) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Biography Born Barbara Ann Smith at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, she was raised in the 9th ward New Orleans, and began si ...

’s "

I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" is an R&B song written and recorded by American singer Barbara George, released as her debut single in 1961. It became her signature song and her only major hit in United States, reaching number-one on the ''Bi ...

" (AFO#302). The label also released the first album by Ellis Marsalis, ''The Monkey Puzzle''. Battiste's other professional contributions as a producer and arranger for studio, film, stage and television include Joe Jones' "You Talk Too Much",

's "Ya Ya", and

's "

I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album '' Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...

". Battiste introduced audiences to New Orleans artist Mac Rebennack as

, and produced his earliest albums. Battiste spent 30 years in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, including 15 years with Sonny and Cher, earning six gold records, and acting as musical director on their TV series. He also played

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

for

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

's songs "Whistlin' Past The Graveyard" and "A Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun" on '' Blue Valentine'' (1978), and baritone saxophone on Gram Parson's 1973 album, '' GP''. Battiste was also a lecturer at several colleges, and in 1989, he joined Ellis Marsalis Jr. on the Jazz Studies faculty of the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

. He established the AFO Foundation, a non-profit service and educational organization, dedicated to recognizing, perpetuating and documenting the heritage of New Orleans music, and the people who make the music. Battiste remained active in the community, and served as a board member of the Congo Square Cultural Collective, the Louisiana State Music Commission, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, Louisiana Jazz Federation, the African Cultural Endowment and numerous other cultural organizations. He received the Beau Arts Award, the Mayor's Arts Award, the Governor's Arts Lifetime Achievement Award and many others. In 1998, the City of New Orleans proclaimed his birthday as Harold Battiste Day. In 2010 the Historic New Orleans Collection published his autobiography ''Unfinished Blues''. Battiste died on June 19, 2015, aged 83, after a period of declining health.

Bibliography

References

External links

A.F.O. Album Discography
* *
Harold R. Battiste Papers
a
The Historic New Orleans Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battiste, Harold 1931 births 2015 deaths American jazz composers American male jazz composers Jazz musicians from New Orleans Dillard University alumni