Austin City Limits (ACL) closes out Season 46 with one of the most-requested episodes in the ACL archive: a vintage hour with the late New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, performing iconic gems from across his over half-century career. Originally broadcast over a decade ago in 2010, the installment remains one of the most enduring, entertaining hours in ACL’s history. The encore broadcast premieres Saturday, February 13 at 8 p.m. CST, as the final offering for Season 46. The episode will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, February 14 at 9 a.m. CST at pbs.org/austincitylimits. The program airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future Season 47 tapings, broadcast schedules and select live stream updates.
On the eve of Mardi Gras, ACL celebrates the exceptional life and career of Allen Toussaint on the heels of what would have been his 83rd birthday. Born and raised in New Orleans, Mr. Toussaint built a legendary career alongside America’s finest musicians, sustaining his beloved city’s rich tradition of rhythm, blues and jazz, lifting it to the national stage. The songwriting legend/musician/arranger/producer was a fixture of modern New Orleans music since the 1950s, penning or producing hits for Ernie K-Doe (“Mother-In-Law”), Lee Dorsey (“Working in the Coal Mine”), Glen Campbell (“Southern Nights”), the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can Can”) and LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”), among many, many others. Toussaint was a de facto musical ambassador for the Crescent City, playing Nola’s Jazzfest virtually every year since the mid-1970s until his death in 2015. He wrote countless hit songs
In this exuberant hour, Toussaint’s timeless standards live on as he performs a career-spanning set and shares the stories behind many of his best-known songs. Opening appropriately with the funky “There’s A Party Going On,” Toussaint cuts a dapper figure in a canary yellow suit and pocket square. He greets the crowd with a jovial “Tonight we’ll be doing songs that I’ve written for various folk over the years, and a few I wish I’d written.” He performs a thrilling medley of early highlights, including “A Certain Girl” and “Fortune Teller,” made famous in the 1960s by iconic acts such as The Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones. Toussaint dazzles on the piano, performing instrumental numbers from his acclaimed 2009 album The Bright Mississippi, demonstrating his love of jazz and what a gifted left-handed pianist he was. “ Toussaint launches into “St. James Infirmary,” introducing it as “A tune that’s been floating around N’awlins forever, but it’s a wonderful song.” A set high point is the funky anthem “Yes We Can Can,” with unity conscious lyrics that continue to resonate today. He closes the sparkling hour with a vivid, spoken word intro to “Southern Nights,” the title track of his acclaimed 1975 solo album, inspired by childhood memories of the Louisiana countryside where his Creole cousins lived.
Allen Toussaint setlist:
There’s A Party Going On
Medley:
A Certain Girl
Mother-In-Law
Fortune Teller
Working in the Coal Mine
Egyptian Fantasy
St. James Infirmary
Solitude
Yes We Can Can (w/We Are America intro)
Get Out of My Life Woman
Southern Nights
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future Season 47 tapings, live streams and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
