Edwin Harrison – A Childhood Music Memory and a Musical Gift to New Orleans
Confetti Park
Music has a way of finding us early in life and staying with us forever. For New Orleans musician and retired educator Edwin Harrison, the spark was lit before he could even read a music sheet. “My grandfather used to walk around in the living room like he was playing the trombone and I wanted to play music ever since then. I must have been 2 or 3.” That early passion set off an incredible lifelong musical journey through New Orleans schools. Edwin started on the trumpet at St. Peter Claver, moved on to the tuba at Andrew J. Bell Middle School, and became the drum major at Alcée Fortier...
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Deezle - A Childhood Music Memory: The Coolest Bass Player
Confetti Park
What inspires a lifelong love of music? For rapper, musician and music producer Deezle, it all started at just five years old, thanks to his favorite uncle! Deezle is from New Orleans. He raps and sings, plays the bass, creates his own music, and also works with many other musicians like Lil Wayne and Drake. Deezle has won many awards for music, producing, and engineering. He has even won Grammy awards, the highest honor in popular music in America! In this Confetti Park music memory, Deezle looks back on fun days with his cousin Tanya when their uncle would babysit them. They would sit on...
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Interview with Alison Toussaint: The Story Behind the Allen Toussaint Children’s Book
Confetti Park
In a recent episode of Confetti Park, host Katy Hobgood sat down with Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux to discuss her beautiful new children’s book about her dad—New Orleans musical legend Allen Toussaint. It’s called The Prince of New Orleans: The Life of Allen Toussaint. “When my dad first passed, I was just thinking I certainly didn’t want him to be forgotten. And not that I was really afraid of that, but I knew how important the city was to him and how much he poured into the city. And I wanted to find a way to honor that and how he felt about New Orleans. And the best way I could...
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Storytime: The Runaway Beignet by Connie
Confetti Park
If you’ve ever strolled by Jackson Square on a humid morning, you know that smell—the intoxicating, sugary scent of fresh fried dough and powdered sugar mixed wafting on the wind. But what happens when one of those delicious treats decides it’s not quite ready to be eaten? Today on Confetti Park Storytime, we are sprinting through the streets of New Orleans alongside a very fast, very sugary character in "The Runaway Beignet," written by the wonderful Connie Collins Morgan. And --we are beyond thrilled to feature a very special narration of this tale. A huge Confetti Park thank you...
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Stanton Dossett - A Childhood Music Memory
Confetti Park
Stanton Dossett, from Shreveport, Louisiana, grew up surrounded by music that shaped his earliest memories. His grandmother, Mary Lou Davis, was a talented pianist and composer who filled his childhood with original songs and lullabies. Stanton’s mother continued that tradition, playing classical pieces—especially Chopin—which made music a daily presence in their lives. The gentle humming of Hattie Shepherd, the family’s housekeeper, also added warmth to his childhood. At age nine, Stanton’s mother taught him the chords to “St. Louis Blues,” inspiring him to learn guitar and...
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Irma Thomas - A Childhood Music Memory
Confetti Park
Irma Thomas, the "Soul Queen of New Orleans," still remembers her first time singing on stage. It happened at New Star school in Greensburg, Louisiana, during a school play of Cinderella. Her teacher asked her to sing “Tennessee Waltz” for the audience. Irma wasn’t nervous—she was excited. As she sang, she realized how much she loved performing. The applause she received made her feel proud and happy . That first performance sparked Irma’s passion for musical performance. She may not recall every detail, but she’ll never forget how it felt to express herself through song! Her...
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Donald Lewis, Jr. - A Childhood Music Memory
Confetti Park
A professional performer and New Orleans teacher, Donald Lewis, Jr. has shared his stories with scores of Louisiana children over the decades atschools and libraries around the state. He's delighted New Orleans audiences in dozens of theatrical performances over the years. And many have heard his sonorous deep voice over the airwaves on WWOZ and WRBH 88.3 FM, Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped. In this childhood music memory, Donald shares how his love of the stage first began. Donald was living in Texas when he was five or six years old, and he had the lead role in a performance...
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Chris Sheard – A Childhood Music Memory
Confetti Park
In this childhood music memory, New Orleans musician Chris Sheard recalls going on car rides with the family and only having one cassette tape to listen to, over and over again. One side featured Marvin Gaye, and the other featured Sam Cooke. The family would flip the tape over and over, and Chris learned every single word to every song by heart. Chris ponders how children today have infinite options of music to listen to on demand, via Spotify and other internet apps. While there is amazing access to music for today, has something been lost in the overwhelming options? Chris doesn’t...
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Interview with The Chickadees, young songbirds from Shreveport
Confetti Park
Meet the Chickadees, a trio of young musicians from Shreveport, Louisiana! These sensational ten-year-olds – Posy Harper, Evie Desobry and Ellie Spero – are a breath of fresh air to the local music scene with their infectious energy and impressive talent. Guided by their dedicated teacher, Miss Sandra Odom, the Chickadees are singing and strumming their way into the hearts of audiences. [Katy: I first met the Chickadees at the gravesite of Huddie Ledbetter at our annual Lead Belly Graveside Jam in October 2024, and I’ve been following their band since then. !)] The kids met at...
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Louis Michot - A Childhood Music Memory
Confetti Park
The Cajun fiddler and singer for Lost Bayou Ramblers recalls learning to dance with his cousins while the family band played Louis Michot, a talented fiddler and singer with the Grammy award-winning Cajun band , shared a sweet childhood music memory with Confetti Park. Growing up, Louis would often join his father and uncles' band, Les Frères Michot, in the vibrant dance halls and restaurants of Lafayette. (Randalls, Mulates, Prejeans, etc.) It was there, amidst joyous community gatherings, that Louis learned to dance. He was only six or seven! "I remember taking my cousins' arms,...
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In this episode of Confetti Park, Katy Ray interviews Rich Collins of the Imagination Movers. The Imagination Movers are one of the most famous kids’ music bands in the world, and they hail from New Orleans!
From their website: “In 2003, four New Orleans friends – Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche and Scott “Smitty” Smith – had an idea. They thought kids wanted and deserved music that spoke to them, not down to them. So, they started gathering after their kids’ bedtimes to write songs and brainstorm ideas about a children’s television show. Two years later, they had become the latest sensation of their musical city, attracting parents and children alike with an eclectic pop sensibility and lyrical turns about healthy snacks and playing catch and conquering childhood fears of bedtime. Lines to the Movers’ shows stretched for blocks.”
Today, the Imagination Movers are ranked as the No. 1 rated major touring act for families, according to Ticketmaster. They’ve embarked on several world tours, have recorded nine albums, partnered with Disney on an Emmy-winning show, and now, they have another animated show in the works!
Rich is the drummer (and the Scribble Sticks master!) in the television show. In real life, he is a super multi-instrumentalist and a great songwriter. Rich has a recording studio in his house where lots of the group’s brainstorming happens.
Rich is a father of five children, and tells Katy about how the songs he and fellow Movers write are evolving as their kids are growing up. In their newest album just released this year, called Licensed to Move, the songs address such sophisticated topics as line cutters, messy rooms, and fingers coated in snack powder.
Rich points out that this album is also very high energy!
“It is a rowdy record,” he says. “We’ve made probably 190 songs over the last eleven years and I don’t think any collection of music has been this energetic!”
Rich also discusses the animated television show “Super Movers” currently in development with Toronto-based 9 Story Media Group. The series is tentatively scheduled for a 2016 debut.
Listen to the full interview, full of musical treats, on this free podcast.