“I hope his music and non-profit organization “Voice of the Wetlands” moves enough Americans to use their voices and votes to facilitate the implementation of solutions to save our swamps.”—Jean Bessette, St. John, USVI
20 WHO MATTERED
I was happy to see the late, great Beau Jocque on your list, but sorely missing is the genius of Sonny Landreth. Yes, I noticed he is on the “considered” list, but this man is a Louisiana institution and has been mystifying those in the know for many years. His musicianship, demeanor and humility are something to behold. The King of Slide should have been on the list!
—Marge Purnell, Moline, IL
Even though you mention her in the lead-in to the article, claiming she’s done some of her best work since Katrina, I’m still amazed you didn’t include Irma Thomas in the list of 20 musicians who’ve made a difference during OffBeat‘s 20 years of publication. Not only that, but After the Rain won this year’s Grammy award for best blues album. I’ve had the chance to see her perform live a couple of times, and she’s amazed me both times, not only for her soulful voice but also her high level of professionalism and showmanship, honed over her many years in the business.
—Mark Tarr, Albany, NY
It’s all about lists, naming names and tracing family lines; the Old Testament tells me so. You’re continuing in the tradition of Al Rose and Edmond Souchon’s great New Orleans Jazz: A Family Album. Nice to see Danny Barker as a common link. That’s why N’awlins is so special.
Great magazine and e-zine, a lifeline when I visited last month. Glad to see things back on track—look forward to returning next fall.
—Andy Klein, Columbus, OH
To be included in the 20 [artists who mattered most] was a great honor for me. You have respected and supported me and my strange swamp-tech music for a long time—before anybody cared actually. Thank you.
—Quintron, New Orleans, LA
WETLANDS
I hope in the next 20 years to see Tab Benoit succeed in his efforts in bringing national attention to rebuilding and preserving southern Louisiana’s diminishing wetlands. I hope his music and non-profit organization “Voice of the Wetlands” moves enough Americans to use their voices and votes to facilitate the implementation of solutions to save our swamps. I hope to see OffBeat showcase this issue.
Love the ’06 compilation CD, and that your magazine keeps me in touch between Jazz Fests.
—Jean Bessette, St. John, USVI
20TH ANNIVERSARY
Congratulations on your 20th Anniversary, it seems like yesterday, when I came over to your house for the first issue. Thank you for the mention in this month’s issue, and thank you for the great publicity that OffBeat generated for Jimmy’s. Just like you, I could not have a better life in the music business. What a thrill.
—James Joseph Anselmo, Jr., Jefferson, LA
It is a pleasure to write and congratulate OffBeat on 20 years of publication. I have been a subscriber since Issue No. 1, and I still have every issue.
The photo of Gary Brown on the cover of the first issue was taken by a dear friend of mine, Ms. Syndey Byrd, not Sydney. Syndey (pronounced Cindy) never got a lot of recognition, and sadly never got much money, for some of the finest New Orleans music photography I’ve ever seen. We used her photos extensively in our Sam Leandro’s New Orleans Music Calendars that I published back in the 1980s and 1990s. Syndey never wanted much from us except to spell her name correctly.
—Bear Kamoroff, Bell Springs Publishing, Willits, CA
Thank you for the correction. We regret the error.—ED.
Congratulations on 20 years of OffBeat. It’s an essential magazine chronicling the essential music of an essential place. You are doing it against plenty of odds, but doing it well. Here’s hoping for many more years of OffBeat.
—Jim Beal, San Antonio, TX
