WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Support local, independent journalism on WWNO with your Member Fest gift now! Click the donate button or Call 844-790-1094.

The Legendary Taj Mahal

Credit Judith Meriwether
Taj Mahal, Karl Fontenot and Gwen Thompkins in the KRVS studio in Lafayette, LA.

Taj Mahal has guts. What else would explain the song title, "You Ain't No Streetwalker Mama, Honey, But I Do Like the Way You Strut Your Stuff?"

In the history of the blues, there's never been anyone as bold, funny, carnal and canny.

Mahal puts those qualities and more into his songs, creating music that appeals to audiences around the planet. He writes for grown ups, children, for movies and plays. He's performed in a dozen languages, including jive. And he's encouraged fans to celebrate scores of blues artists who would otherwise be lost to history.

Mahal is, in a word, great. And after a rousing interview with Gwen Thompkins at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he's great today on Music Inside Out.

TAJ MAHAL & THE MUSIC OF LOUISIANA

When an out-of-town visitor comes to Louisiana once, it's time to break out the guest towels and maybe even iron the sheets. But three times in a single month? Well, that's no visitor -- he's family.

In May, blues man Taj Mahal played the last day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Then, later that month, he came back to perform in Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

Mahal's Cajun French isn't bad, cher. And he's got a good memory for local musicians (with a little help from KRVS chief engineer Karl Fontenot). But Mahal says his love affair with the state began in the 1950s and 60s, when he heard Fats Domino play.

Taj-Music-of-Louisiana.mp3
Taj Mahal discusses the music of Louisiana

PLAYLIST

Only some of the music heard in this hour is available for you to stream, but that hasn’t stopped us from putting together a great playlist of Taj Mahal’s music for you to enjoy on your desktop or on your mobile device. The complete playlistcan be found here, ready for you to print and take with you to your local record store.

For more on Taj Mahal, visit the Music Inside Out website. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  Many thanks to our friends at KRVS/Radio Acadie in Lafayette, LA.

Stay Connected
Gwen Thompkins is a New Orleans native, NPR veteran and host of WWNO's Music Inside Out, where she brings to bear the knowledge and experience she amassed as senior editor of Weekend Edition, an East Africa correspondent, the holder of Nieman and Watson Fellowships, and as a longtime student of music from around the world.