2018 Instruments A Comin’ a first‐hand account of how Tipitina’s got its start

Acceptance speech given by Sonny Schneidau upon his placement on the Tipitina’s Walk of Fame

I love music. As a kid in the 60s, I listened to everything. My sister Georgia, nine years older than me, was always bringing the best new music into the house while my younger sister Isabelle and I were growing up. Our free‐spirited mother Libby, turned me onto Miles and Coletrane and took me to The Warehouse to see the Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, and dozens of others when I was 11 or 12 years old. I began to understand that music is the language of the world and it connects us all with the heartbeat of life. My dream was to someday surround myself with music and the brilliant artists who create.

In the mid‐70s Georgia and her posse of fun‐loving friends started putting on dances. It was then that I became acquainted with some colorful characters of dubious origin including his highness Poppa Gator da Foteenth, the angelic Chere and the Impolytes, and DoReMi and FaSoLa Teedeaux. These were wild parties called Alligator Balls that featured many New Orleans music legends with names like Ooo Poo Pah Doo, the Bayou Maharajah, and Trick Bag. The parties were not for the inexperienced. The first time I entered the building behind me, I was 16 years old. It was called the 501 Club. My sister snuck me into the side door and put me on a chair next to the bandstand. For the next few hours I watched Professor Longhair tear the roof off the place. Folks were drinking, dancing, sweating, and consuming various types of chemical stimulation. I learned about many new and exciting things that night, and frankly, it was way more fun than my classes at Ben Franklin. Soon thereafter, I saw James Booker play with Cyril Neville in the basement of Georgia’s house on Carrollton Avenue. Life would never be the same.

She and her friends taught me about New Orleans music and included me in the group of fourteen that founded Tipitina‘s. My investment was a whopping sum of $100. I desperately wanted to work at the Club when it opened, but I had one problem . . . I needed to finish high school! My tenure as the sound engineer and talent buyer at Tip’s began a couple of months after we opened and lasted sixteen years. I will forever be grateful to my sis and her powers for paving the way for my life’s work in the music business in New Orleans.

501 Napoleon has been many things throughout its history . . . A horse livery, a boxing gymnasium, a meeting place for the KKK, and a bordello among them. But most importantly, for the last 41 years it has been a home for New Orleans musicians. The reason for opening this music club was simply to give Fess and all the local musicians a place to play where they would be treated with respect and their artistry celebrated. And to have a place where ALL people could come together to dance, to pass a good time, and to leave their troubles on the doorstep. That original mission is still very much alive and well today. Through the years, Tipitina’s has hosted tens of thousands of shows, employed thousands of people, and made lifelong memories for generations of music lovers. It is a national treasure and is recognized around the world as a place with a vibe like no other.

I’d like to thank Roland and Mary von Kurnatowski for their efforts to keep Tipitina’s driving for the last 23 years and for their unwavering support of local musicians through thick and thin. They help make it possible for the future music stars of our community to dream. And I want to thank them for acknowledging my part in all of this. It is just an incredible honor to take a spot on the walk of fame right next to all my heroes, Booker, FESS, Earl King, Jolly, the Meters, the great Charles Neville and so many others. It means the world to me. And I’d like to accept this on behalf of all the Foteen Tipitina’s Founders, some who are here today. For without their vision and passion for New Orleans music, we would not be standing here.

I’d like to thank my wife Echo, who has been my rock all these years. I love you sweetheart!

I have lived my dream, and it all started here. And that dream continues to grow later tonight at Instruments A Comin’ when my band The Fortifiers takes the stage a little before 11 PM. I hope you will support Tipitina‘s Foundation by buying a ticket and come back later to see us and all the great artists on the bill. As Fess used to say, “we gonna Ball the wall!” Thanks so much y’all! Sonny Schneidau, April 30, 2018.