Songs and Stories

After 42 years in the entertainment industry and more than 15 years interviewing music legends, producer Johnny Palazzotto has put together a TV series showcasing the stories of an impressively diverse group of Louisiana musicians. Featuring Grammy award-winners like zydeco star Terrance Simien, New Orleans’ soul queen Irma Thomas and Baton Rouge-raised rock ‘n’ roll legend Johnny Rivers, Louisiana’s Rhythm Nation gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of artists from a broad array of backgrounds and genres.

Rather than imposing pointed questions, the series employs an understated and open-ended interview style that allows each artist to share insights into career and family life. As Palazzotto explains, “The less time I take up, the more the artist gets presented, and the more the public gets to know about them.”

Interviews—some taped years ago, some new—are often shot in locations important to the artists, from Baton Rouge’s Manship Theatre and Phil Brady’s to an old bank vault in Lafayette, jazz clarinetist Alvin Batiste’s home in Scotlandville and bluesman Gatemouth Brown’s Slidell living room before it washed away in Hurricane Katrina.

Drawing on his extensive list of industry contacts, Palazzotto has compiled a treasury of stories that may not have otherwise been captured. One such gem is a conversation with Lovell Moore, wife of Slim Harpo, the influential Baton Rouge blues artist whose career was cut short by his untimely death in 1970. She remembers following Slim around with a notepad to record his musical ideas and tells about the origin of the song “I’m a King Bee,” later famously covered by the Rolling Stones. She and Slim had gone for a drive, and they kept passing beehives. Slim started humming and making up lyrics, telling Moore, “Baby, put that down.” She recalls fondly, “By the time we got where we were going, he had it all together … I only wish he could have seen the fruits of his labor.”

Louisiana’s Rhythm Nation will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Cox 4 starting this month. For more information, visit louisianasrhythmnation.com.

Editor’s note: This story has been revised to reflect that Johnny Palazzotto is no longer involved with the Baton Rouge Blues Foundation and Baton Rouge Blues Festival.