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American Routes Shortcuts: The Stooges Brass Band

The Stooges Brass Band
The Stooges Brass Band

This is American Routes live in the studio with a few friends. The Stooges Brass Band from New Orleans started as teenagers in 1996 after bandleader Walter "Whoadie" Ramsey heard a performance by Rebirth Brass Band. Walter combined members of two rival high school bands, and they later added hip-hop, funk, and R&B into the setup. The Stooges grew up to play local clubs and jazz second line parades. They went global with videos with hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh. Back home they won local Red Bull Street Kings competitions twice since 2010. Kicking it off: The Stooges on American Routes.

Nick Spitzer: So, Walter, maybe you can tell us a little bit about how the band got started when you're, really, a teenager.

Walter Ramsey: So, we started at two rival schools and, we was–in those days, we was very popular. Those two schools, John F. Kennedy High School and St. Augustine High. And so, we picked the best kids from this school, and the ones who went to Kennedy went to NOCCA. And we still got some St. Aug people in the band. We try to weave 'em out, but they still here. And we don't really–all that purple right here, Mr. Virgil Tiller. And matter of fact Virgil, when we was in high school, he had his own band that was at St. Aug called Ace of Spade, and they had some good members, so I decided to take their band members and end their band. True story.

Virgil Tiller: That's not true. What really happened is that I'm older than he is, and when I graduated from St. Augustine High School, I just didn't continue the band. And then he just, you know, this is the fruits of my labor.

NS: So, the rivalry continues is the message.

VT: Yeah, yeah, I mean-

NS: Okay.

VT: We kept that out the book, but it's okay.

NS: So why start a band?

WR: For me when I was in elementary school, I saw the Rebirth come perform out at my school, and I was already playing in an elementary school band, probably like two or three of us, five of us all together in the whole school, and I was amazed by it. Now, I grew up in the culture, and I always see the bands on the street 'cause I'm from the culture, but seeing them on stage performing gave me like, wow, that's what I want to do. So, I was set out to start a band from fourth grade. It ain't happen until I was in eleventh grade, but you know.

NS: Well who’s here from the original band?

WR: Uh me.

VT: Walter.

WR: Me, Errol came in, like, they–we call Errol the "Day Two Person." He come from like the second-generation Stooges. And then him and Virgil were second-generation Stooges. Glenn and Ace, they're third-generation Stooges; we call them Street Kings. And then you got Mike and Roland that's here right now. They is like the last generation Stooges, you know, so...

NS: Did you think you'd still be doing it like you are right now?

WR: Yeah. I feel like I used to tell Ellis, “We gonna do this for the rest of our life.” And he used to get mad at me like, "No, the rest of your life." And but he's still playing the band today, so, it don't matter.

NS: I'm looking at a song called "Where You From."

VT: Whoa, whoa, whoa.

NS: And, and it seems like that was a song that was you were able to get everybody together.

WR: Yeah.

NS: Around the band.

WR: Yeah.

NS: With the words.

WR: Yeah.

NS: You know, could be Ninth Ward, could be Tenth Ward, Seventh, Sixth.

WR: Yeah.

NS: So, we okay to do the song that gets you diplomacy across town?

[music]

To hear the full program, tune in Saturdays at 5 and Sundays at 6 on WWNO, or listen at americanroutes.org.