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Music Memory from Annie Hardy Calais
Read more: Music Memory from Annie Hardy CalaisAnnie Hardy Calais was born in 1927 in rural Southwest Louisiana. She recently shared many true stories of her childhood growing up in Cajun Country with Confetti Park. Here is a great music memory: “When I was 8 or 9 years old, I loved music….my niece had a radio at her home, but we had…
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Music Memory from organist Louis Mayer
Read more: Music Memory from organist Louis MayerLouis Mayer has been a church organist for over 45 years. From a very young age, Louis had a fascination and love for organs. In this Music Memory for Confetti Park, Louis, who grew up in New Orleans, recalls taking piano lessons at Werlein’s Music Store at 605 Canal St. (today the site of Palace…
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Music Memory from Cynthia Girtley
Read more: Music Memory from Cynthia GirtleyCynthia Girtley is a well-known gospel singer and music minister in New Orleans. Raised in a family with strong spiritual beliefs and church traditions, Cynthia started singing at age three and joined her church’s gospel choir when she was four. In this music memory, Cynthia talks about how it was that she came to be…
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Storytime: Childhood in 1920s Cajun country
Read more: Storytime: Childhood in 1920s Cajun countryStorytime: Childhood in 1920s Cajun Country Vignettes from Annie Hardy Calais “My name is Annie Hardy Calais. I was born on July 26, 1927… The year of the great flood, the same day as St. Ann, that is the day of her feast.” So begins this lovely memoir of Annie Hardy Calais, who shares many…
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Music Memory from Charles Hudson
Read more: Music Memory from Charles HudsonCharles Hudson is a trumpet player who plays mostly zydeco music(!). He is associated with the “royal family” of zydeco, as a regular band member of Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters. Being part of this act, Hudson not only has terrific musical chops, but high energy and dancing skills, too. (Rockin’ Dopsie is…
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Music Memory from Tommy Sancton
Read more: Music Memory from Tommy SanctonIn this episode of Confetti Park, Tommy Sancton shares one of his earliest music memories from Preservation Hall, a musical venue in the French Quarter founded in 1961 to protect, preserve, and perpetuate traditional New Orleans jazz. There, Tommy heard the sound that would guide the course of his life. Tommy Sancton has had an illustrious career…
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Music Memory from Jason Rhein
Read more: Music Memory from Jason RheinJason Rhein is the bassist in New Orleans’ acclaimed rock band Rotary Downs, as well as singer-songwriter in the brother-sister children’s group Jason & Layla. Jason is also the owner of Elephant Quilt production studio and a partner at Marigny Recording Studio. Through these entities, Jason has had a major impact on the contemporary sound…
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Music Memory from Layla Isis Ellison
Read more: Music Memory from Layla Isis EllisonLayla Isis Ellison is half of the brother-sister duo Jason & Layla, who write and perform original children’s music. While Layla lives in New York City, where she is a professional dancer, she regularly returns to her home state of Louisiana to perform onstage at children’s festivals. Here, she shares with us a music memory…
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Music Memory from Alan Dyson
Read more: Music Memory from Alan DysonAlan Dyson is a singer-songwriter, artist, and architect from Shreveport, La. Here is a music memory from his childhood.