It’s special to the website.
I always tell people that the sounds of The Meters are so good I can’t help but think of them. The Meters were one of the most influential and overlooked bands in American music history. Whether you can name a tune or not, you’ve been exposed to the influence of The Meters. I want you to mark my words.
The band The Runnin’ Pardners will be playing at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club on September 17 and I was very happy to speak with founding member George Porter Jr. We had a conversation.
I saw you perform at the Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire in June as part of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. I am not sure how smiling you were when you sat down to play a set of Meters tunes. It’s fun to revisit the music you created a long time ago.
Porter Jr. said those were some good jobs. It’s short and sweet.
When you were starting out with The Meters, did you have any idea of how timeless the music of New Orleans would be in the long run? The Meters are the greatest invention of all time.
Porter Jr.: Yeah, that’s right It is wonderful to know that our music is still making people smile. Everyone in the room is singing those songs back to you when you are on the stage. It isn’t just one or two people singing all the lyrics, it’s everyone. Yeah, that is something else. Man, it’s heavy. The songs that were hits are not the only ones that were buried inside of the record. Everyone that bought the records and listened to it deserves an appreciation.
Can you tell us how and why The Meters started? I believe I read it in 1965, Is it possible to recount the how and why? Let us retrace thoseTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia
Art had just finished a tour with a project called “Tell It Like It Is.” Porter Jr. said Art had just finished a tour with a project called “Tell It Like It Is.” He wants to start his own band. Art went to the Nightcap one night and was playing with a band that was led by a B3 player. I’m pretty sure Gary Brown was in that band as well. Art went there and stole Sam Henry’s band.
I was playing with a man named Irving Banister and Art came over to Sidney to see me play bass. I was a guitar player at the time I played with Art. He thought I was the worst guitarist in the world. He said at the end of the night that I was the worst guitarist he had ever seen. I thought I wouldn’t see Art Neville again.
I was playing bass with Irving. He came over from where he and Fats Domino were singing. Fats used to come over to the Sidney Club and sing for us at different times.
Art was following Fats across the street. He heard me play the bass. He told me at the end of the gig that I should be playing that instrument. There’s a question, “Do you want a gig?” That is how I got the job. There was a new drummer. I can’t remember his name, it’s a shame. He had to leave due to a medical problem, and Art was brought in to take his place. I don’t know what his last name was, but he was named Glenn.
He leaned into the doorman and said, “I ain’t never gonna get this gig back.” Yeah, that’s right. I didn’t see him again. The last time was that one.
The Nightcap was done before the club went under. Art said he had a new job in the French Quarter. That is where we ended up. The band began at the Ivan Ho. We were going to play for an hour and a half. We did that for a long time. Allen Toussaint came by and listened to us play and invited us to go to the studio to try out for a recording contract. We were able to pass. Marshall Sehorn, Allen’s partner, came out and said, “Why don’t y’all record something?” Something to make up. We did. Four tracks were recorded by us. “Sophisticated Sissy,” “Here Comes the Meter Man,” and “Sehorn’s Farm” They were originally called “Band 1,” “Band 2,” and “Band 3.”
What made you want to play the bass? When you mentioned that Art said you were the worst guitar player in the world, I was in awe. Was it the desire to play the bass that spurred it? Was there a moment or experience that made you chase the four- string as your life’s work?
At the age of 8 I was playing classical guitar. I was playing bass the entire time. I have always said that I know how to play bass. Art told me that I was a terrible guitarist. I was a rhythm guitarist. At that time, lead was more important. I played no solo. The solo I attempt to play on the guitar is terrifying. It was a normal thing. There weren’t a lot of electric bass players in town when Vietnam started taking off. I think a lot of my bass playing is due to Benjamin Frank. He used to play with his grandpa. I started playing with Ben after his grandpa died. His nickname was “Pap” He was a bassist in the band and also a guitarist. He knew where to go. The same thing was going on with me as he liked to swap between the two instruments. We had a great time exchanging around. I was taught a lot by him.
Why do you like music? What is the reason you seek it? Why do you make something?
The young players that were influenced by The Meters kept me going. I went off the deep end after the band broke up. I used to drink and use cocaine. A guy by the name of Bruce MacDonald came to me and suggested that I keep playing music, and I got back into it with a band called Joyride. I was turned off from it all when he came to me. I used to play jazz music in the French Quarter for a couple of years. There are more traditional things.
Steve Harrington was a stage manager for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and he helped me get work at the World’s Fair. He got me a job as a stage manager at The World’s Fair, which was seven days a week, and he thought I would be a good one. The red team had me on their side. I had four days off after working four days in a row. I was asked if I could handle it all seven days of the week by Steve. I said, “There’s enough cocaine on the planet that I can snort every day, seven days in a row, to keep this thing going” That is what I did. I think I lasted six months. The jazz and gospel tent was run by me.
I’ve been playing music since I was 8. I want to be a good writer. Some of my better writing can be seen in this most recent record. “Crying for Hope” is a project that I am very happy with. This group of musicians makes me very happy. They like to play with me and write music like I do. I was inspired by that.
What would you have done if you hadn’t built a life around music?
Porter Jr. There’s nothing. I tried to become a criminal, but it didn’t work. When I was in jail, I realized that I never wanted to do it again, so I left the back door open. I didn’t look back at being that guy.
I enjoy being the leader of a band and playing as much as I did 60 years ago. Yeah, that’s right.
The Runnin’ Pardners started in 1990 and still tour today. Your latest record, “Crying for Hope” came out about a year into the Pandemic while we were all in a state of lock down. I was really excited to get my hands on it and watch your sessions. Can you tell me about the process of putting this record together? It was different due to the fact that a lot of it was done remotely. Tell us what your goals were for the album and we can get to know you better.
We were all trying to figure out what to do after the swine flu hit. I went upstairs to my studio on the third floor. I found a bunch of tunes from the early 2000s in a folder. I started going through it and thought it was great. We need to revisit it. We did. We had heard a lot about the cloud thing. Updating our software on our computers and Pro Tools gave us the ability to collaborate real time on a session in the cloud. We were excited about mapping out and making music. I was worried about how it would sound, but I am very happy with it. It is the best record I have ever recorded.
The guys are going to perform at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in September. Do you like the show? What are the expectations of the people?
Porter Jr. is still having fun in the van. I just purchased new tires for my car. I enjoy traveling with the guys I am playing with. It’s fun for me. Being on the road is not as tiring as you might think. When we go on stage, we play like we don’t know we’re beaten up. Music is what it is for me. We are healed by it.
We don’t play the same things all the time. Every night it is different. We are going to do a few from the new record. I want to figure out how to play these new songs. I don’t play bass and sing at the same time when I record, so it’s difficult to take it to the stage. Yeah, that’s right. I need to figure out what I’m doing and combine it with something else. It’s fun but also challenging.
What do you like about being back on the road after a break?
Two years at home and working in the studio was enjoyable for Porter Jr. There was some joy in that. I had a good time doing the shows. It was a great time. It made sense for me to get back in the van and listen to the feedback from people who were warm. I am still very cautious out there. I like to play it safe with the COVID stuff. It is very easy to travel in the van. It’s okay. I like to put a few miles on it.
The last question. The Meters aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You guys have added so much to the musical cannon and influenced so many musicians along the way, so come on, you guys are not in it for awards, but, come on, man, you guys have added so much to the musical cannon and influenced so many musicians along the way,
Porter Jr. said that he was laughing. I’m not sure. Someone must have said something to someone. I don’t know. I have something to say. We didn’t have a record label or management that was completely behind us. People who make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have that. everyday people can cast their vote in the paper Only 1% of the vote gets in. When it comes down to the final two cuts of that thing, the academy people do their thing, and I don’t think The Meters have no friends in those. We’re here. I don’t know how that all works.
Georgeporterjr.com and Jimmysoncongress.com have more information.