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Photo by Diane Russell

01/01/2020

BEST OF 2019 COFFEESHOP CONVERSATIONS: Reggie Houston remembers Dave Bartholomew: Coffeeshop Conversations at Artichoke Music #201

By TOM D'ANTONI // Reggie Houston remembers the great Dave Bartholomew who died in 2019. This was the first Coffeeshop Conversation recorded at Artichoke Music. It is our Best Coffeeshop Conversation of 2019.

Last week we named Lisa Mann and Allen Markel: Marriage is a two-bass hit / VIDEO Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music #213 as best video episode of the year, although it could have been any of the "Musical Couples" episodes. You can find links to all of them in the link above.

This week, we're naming Reggie Houston's emotional telling of his time in Dave Bartholomew's band, aka Fats Domino's band. Reggie played baritone sax in that band for twenty years. Dave passed away in 2019 and w're lucky to have Reggie to give us an oral history of that time. Hell, we're lucky to have Reggie, period. ---- Tom D'Antoni

This is a special edition of Coffeeshop Conversations. First of all because it’s our first one at our new location, Artichoke Music at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard.

I’d like to thank everyone at Catfish Lou’s for their kind hospitality and we wish them the best in their new location next month. Look for more info on OMN when they make the move.

This is also special because Reggie Houston has returned. Last time he was here it was to talk about the life of Fats Domino. Reggie played bari sax in Fat’s band for 20 years.

A couple of weeks ago the man who might be called the father of Rock N Roll died, Dave Bartholomew, who wrote and arranged nearly all the music that came out of New Orleans at the dawn of the Rock n Roll era of the 1950’s, including all of Fats Domino and Little Richard’s work.

That was Dave’s band on all those tunes.

Reggie was very close to Dave, who passed at age 100. When we sat down Reggie pulled out pictures of tours they had made together. He was looking through them when I turned on the recorder.

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