Street musician, harp player and vocalist “Grandpa” Elliott Small was a staple performer on the corner of Royal and Toulouse streets in the French Quarter. He died on March 8 from complications of a skin infection that spread to the bloodstream. He was 77.

Small was born on July 10, 1944, in New Orleans and grew up in the Lafitte Housing Projects. He loved music even as a small boy. Small's uncle, a professional musicia...