Allen Toussaint — New Orleans and Sea-Saint Studios

Allen Toussaint co-founded Sea-Saint Studios at 3809 Clematis Avenue in the Gentilly neighbourhood of New Orleans with Marshall Sehorn in 1973, and the facility became the premier recording destination for New Orleans music and a major studio for artists from beyond the city. Paul McCartney recorded Venus and Mars there in 1975; Robert Palmer, Labelle, and many others came to New Orleans specifically to work with Toussaint. The studio was the physical embodiment of Toussaint's vision: a world-class facility that kept New Orleans music-making in New Orleans rather than exporting talent to New York and Los Angeles.

Toussaint was the most important figure in New Orleans music after Professor Longhair — as a songwriter, arranger, producer, and pianist he shaped the sound of the city from the late 1950s onwards. He wrote 'Working in a Coal Mine,' 'Fortune Teller,' 'Ride Your Pony,' 'Mother-in-Law,' 'Yes We Can Can,' and 'Southern Nights' — songs recorded by dozens of artists. His arrangements for the Meters defined New Orleans funk; his production for Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey, and others created the classic New Orleans soul sound.

Sea-Saint Studios was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Toussaint relocated to New York after the storm but eventually returned to New Orleans, where he died in Madrid after a concert in November 2015. The studio building still exists in Gentilly. His work is commemorated at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where he was a fixture for decades.