James Booker
American singerWikipedia
25
MENTIONS
15
EPISODES
14
PODCASTS
Search complete. 25 mentions across 15 episodes found for "James Booker".
Oct 29, 2026
Rene ComanHOST
how do you get to New Orleans and meet up, you know, like start meet up with Lee and all that?
John MagnieGUEST
Well, I tell you, when I was up there in Fort Collins, I was just, I got to where I was just... learning piano from James Booker and Professor Longhair and Ray Charles.
John MagnieGUEST
Those were my three teachers.
John MagnieGUEST
Good
Nik CohnGUEST
Yes, it came out, first of all, from a kind of disillusionment with Nurem's music as it is now, because I arrived when it was... just before the death of Professor Longhair, I moved down there.
Nik CohnGUEST
And James Booker was still the ruling Maharaja of New Orleans music.
Nik CohnGUEST
But more and more, it seemed like retreads of older New Orleans music.
Nik CohnGUEST
New things weren't coming out from the music that was sort of overground that tourists listened to.
Cyril NevilleGUEST
Yes.
Cyril NevilleGUEST
You know, and there are people like Kid Jordan, Frederick Kemp, James Booker.
Cyril NevilleGUEST
Man, Booker came to me and Gideon's house three o'clock one morning, tapping on the door with his umbrella.
Cyril NevilleGUEST
Hey, I need to use that piano.
John DevenishHOST
I spoke to Nick Daniels years ago and he told me a story.
John DevenishHOST
Yeah, Nick, he told me this story.
John DevenishHOST
This is probably old news to you, but where James Booker was dressed up like a cop.
John DevenishHOST
And Nick Daniels was in club and they had a joint or something.
Jon ClearySOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
You know what I mean?
Abe BeesonHOST
Cleary felt right at home at the Maple Leaf Bar, studying his musical heroes like the legendary pianist James Booker, learning the foundations of New Orleans music.
Abe BeesonHOST
He was able to see his heroes every night, after a day of clearing banana trees.
Abe BeesonHOST
It took me and my mate six months,
Jon ClearySOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
and I lived in the bar, that was my living room, and James Booker used to, all these great musicians would come in and play, so that was my, all my friends in England were going to university, that was my university.
Jon ClearySOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Well now you've got to be more careful
Abe BeesonHOST
That's got to be more careful from John Cleary.
Joann ButlerHOST
So tell us, tell us about that.
Harry Connick, Jr.GUEST
Well, um, James Booker was an amazing, brilliant musical genius from New Orleans, and my parents knew him, and they, they would take me to see him play, and I kinda developed a little relationship with him and would always ask him if, if I could take lessons from him.
Harry Connick, Jr.GUEST
And he was kind enough to, to stop by the house sometimes and show me things.
Harry Connick, Jr.GUEST
And you know, looking back, I think about the musicians I played with, and it would be like if you're a basketball player and, you know, your parents were friends with Michael Jordan.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
There was no touring income, and Garcia was paying for a film.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
So the new band took his name, and by one historian's account, there are corporate papers listing all four of them as partners, Garcia on guitar, John Kahn on bass, Ron Tutt on drums, and Hopkins, the most famous session pianist in rock and roll.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
Famous is not quite the word.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
A British music paper once called him the world's best-known anonymous pianist.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
He had been a sickly boy, classically trained, too ill to tour in the early English rock scene, so he stayed in London and became the first call for every studio in town, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, John Lennon.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
Ray Davies even wrote a song about him.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
But the band had no piano player.
Rich BonnifaceNARRATOR
Nicky Hopkins was gone after New Year's.
Joann ButlerHOST
But tell us about that.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
Well, um, James Booker was an amazing, brilliant musical genius from New Orleans, and my parents knew him, and they, they would take me to see him play, and I kind of developed a little relationship with him and would always ask him if, if I could take lessons from him, and he was kind enough to, to stop by the house sometimes and show me things.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And you know, looking back, I think about the musicians I played with, and it would be like if you were a basketball player and, you know, your parents were friends with Michael Jordan.
Joann ButlerHOST
[laughs]
Jon ClearyGUEST
And it was surprising to me that there were very few people that were playing traditional New Orleans R&B piano to the extent that that's a traditional thing.
Jon ClearyGUEST
James Booker was the only cat I really had access to.
Jon ClearyGUEST
Alan Tussent was in the studio.
Jon ClearyGUEST
Dr. John had left town and was living in New York.
6 MINS LATER
Mark RomigHOST
If you had to build a Mount Rushmore of New Orleans piano players, what would that look like? If you had to name, say, four...
Mark RomigHOST
piano players that would be oh on a mountain like mountain orishmore
Jon ClearyGUEST
well i i'm gonna have to leave people out which isn't fair yeah but certainly included would be james booker professor long here dr john huey smith okay
Mark RomigHOST
i know but to your point it's like naming your favorite child saying henry
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
I mean, I played with, you know, Buddy Rich as a child and Yubi Blake.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And of course, you know, all the greats in New Orleans, James Booker and Al Hurt.
speaker_2SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
You
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
know, I got a chance to play with Ella Fitzgerald and just a lot, a lot of amazing, a lot of amazing people.
27 MINS LATER
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
All together.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
Yeah, I love that.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And then I'd have to throw in one with me and James Booker because he was my hero.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And I wish I could have known him as an adult.
Hoda KotbHOST
But you got to play with, who else have you played with that we'd go like, oh wow, Harry sat with them.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
I mean, I played with Buddy Rich as a child and Yubi Blake and, of course, all the greats in New Orleans, James Booker and Al
Hoda KotbHOST
Hurt.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
I got a chance to play with Ella Fitzgerald and just a lot of amazing people.
25 MINS LATER
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
All together.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
Yeah, I love that.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And then I'd have to throw in one with me and James Booker because he was my hero.
Harry Connick Jr.GUEST
And I wish I could have known him as an adult.
5 more episodes mention James Booker.
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