We were devastated to learn that OffBeat contributing editor and writer, longtime friend and New Orleans music lover John Swenson passed away this morning at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer.  Our deepest sympathies to his wife Barbara and his family; many, many friends; and the people John touched with his love and passion for music over the years.

Our John Swenson. Photo: OffBeat/Elsa Hahne

For a full tribute to Swenson, read an obituary published in the digital April 2022 edition of OffBeat. We invite you to read a few of Swenson’s archived features and reviews from past editions of the magazine.

In June 2011, OffBeat published excerpts from Swenson’s book New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans, which examined the role musicians played in the city’s recovery following Hurricane Katrina. In this excerpt, he writes about the violence of 2006 and how it gave two musicians new artistic purpose.

In December 2005, Swenson summed up his sentiments on life in the months following Hurricane Katrina.

In 2001, Swenson wrote a Masters of Louisiana profile of guitar legend Lonnie Johnson (1899–1970). Renowned as the inventor of the single string guitar solo, Swenson claimes Johnson adds credence that New Orleans is the birthplace of all American pop music.

Swenson was a fixture at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Read his recap of one day at the Fair Grounds in 2017, where he attended performances by Stanton Moore, Pat McLaughlin and His New Orleans Outfit and Delfeayo Marsalis.

In 2016, Swenson interviewed Tony Award-winning Broadway actor Michael Cerveris.