Remembering Allen Toussaint, Andy White, Nat Peck

For more than half a century, Allen Toussaint was the embodiment of New Orleans music. He was a superb musician and piano player, and was influenced as a young man by Professor Longhair and Huey “Piano” Smith. He wrote some of the most familiar tunes to come out of the city, and later in his career, he sang as well. His spirit infused New Orleans, and conversely New Orleans infused his spirit. Andy White was a British session drummer who was selected by George Martin to stand in for Ringo Starr on The Beatles’ initial recording of “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You” in 1962. Nat Peck was the trombonist who was the last surviving member of Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Orchestra, the most famous band of World War II.