Hurricane Katrina

Ellis Marsalis had a firm idea how to bring out the best music in people, even before his famous sons were born.  His understanding of music theory and notation became the cornerstone of his own career as a musician and that of an unofficial music teacher. Just a few years after Hurricane Katrina flooded the 9th Ward neighborhood that Ellis once called his home, he opened a music center to encourage music making!  With the support of his family as well as Harry Connick Jr. and the local government, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music began providing lesson programs, computer class

Owen McPeek always wanted to play music, so he found several day jobs that allowed him to play music at night. He ran Rush’s Music on Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee, for over a decade beginning in the late 1960s. The full line store pioneered in providing pro-audio gear to its customers. After moving south for a jazz performance gig, he established the local chapter of the musician’s union in Mississippi. Our interview with Owen was completed in the spring of 2005, just months before Hurricane Katrina hit Biloxi.  

Alan Peters is a trumpeter and guitarist who was brought up on blues and R&B and formed the group Almost Blues in the 1960s. Alan backed many artists in the famous club, the Cavern, including Junior Walker, Lee Dorsey and Stevie Wonder. While playing on a session with Frank Zappa and the Mothers, he was asked to join the group. Alan later formed 29th & Dearborn who were signed to EMI just before punk hit the UK in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Alan ran SOS Studios in Liverpool City Centre where he recorded many UK chart topping bands including OMD, Flock of Seagulls and Mi

George Porter Jr. has proven himself to be one of the bedrocks that make up the foundation of the New Orleans music scene. While starting out briefly on guitar, George quickly transitioned to bass where he really hit his stride. After some prompting from Art Neville, George became an integral part of the Meters, playing with them from the start until their breakup in 1977. Following the Meters, George remained active on the scene eventually returning to the reformed Meters in 1989. George, with the Meters, were one of the first bands to play New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina

Ray Zigler has a simple but powerful motto that has guided his pioneering career in professional lighting: always say “yes.” He launched his career with the iconic Ice Capades in the 1980s and spent much of the 1990s supporting legendary artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Patti LaBelle, Eric Clapton’s MTV Unplugged, and comedian Andrew Dice Clay. While on tour, Ray identified a critical need for a mobile automated lighting solution—an innovation that revolutionized live event production.