More NOLA: "St. James Infirmary" was mentioned on a friend's blog today.

The only song I know I want at my funeral is the Lomax recording of "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" as done by Ike Caudill and choir. It's my favorite hymn, only this version is African call-and-response Southern Gospel choir and is utterly, totally haunting. It's on iTunes if anyone wants to sample.

Otherwise... I don't know. I just know there will be a lot of music. And alcohol.

Here's an update on some NOLA musicians.

New Orleans musician Charmaine Neville, since Monday, he tried "not to think the worst." His mother and some friends had planned to wait out the storm, then make a run for a school if conditions worsened. "I know my mom," he said yesterday afternoon. "She's a strong woman." Neville's father, Charles, is a member of the Neville Brothers, whose hits include "Fly Like an Eagle," "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Ain't No Sunshine."

I'm glad to see that Charmaine's okay - I saw her at Snug Harbor. But I'm sure Steve Miller, Sam Cooke and Bill Withers would be surprised to see their hits attributed to the Neville Brothers.

wrod...it should say "covered such classics as..." or something. There are lots of great covers...it's not a slam.

There are lots of great covers...it's not a slam.

Indeed, your incoming collection (which I think I can get in the mail today) has Bobby Womack's supercool cover of "California Dreaming."

Though Aaron had a solo hit with a cover of "Everybody Plays the Fool."

(ETA: Which was originally a hit for the Main Ingredient, who admittedly aren't considered in the same league as the others mentioned.)

Can't picture that, Hec, but probably because I've heard the original twenty-seven million times. I'm sure it's a good thing(or maybe thang, so as to sound more soul and less Martha Stewart.) Now wanna see the "Foxy Brown Living" show...I'd tape that shit, too. Soul covers that have surprised me lately: "Never Can Say Goodbye" Isaac Hayes "Just the Way You Are" Barry White Very different reads on songs I didn't know I cared about. And, of course Fred's right...The Main Ingredient, right? Although I confess a preference for the Neville one.

Reading through this NOLA blog, I noticed this:

Family and friends of musician Alex Chilton (lead singer for 1970s powerpop band Big Star and 1960s rock group the Box Tops) have not been able to locate him since late Monday when he was last heard from alive at his house in New Orleans after the initial storm before the phones in the area went down. His sister in Memphis and friends are very worried because people are now dying in New Orleans from exposure and he has still not been able to get to a place to contact his family and friends. It is believed he may possibly be waiting to be evacuated in the French Quarter, which was within walking distance of his home. Please contact spadeandsparrow@aol.com with any information about his condition.

Believe it or not, this is probably the least disturbing post on the page.

If he's in the Quarter he's probably okay. That's where the cops have set up their headquarters at the Royal Hotel, and the Brennen family restaraunteurs are still cooking out of their deep freezers.