Betty Harris: The Lost Queen Of New Orleans Soul

The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul, a compilation by Betty Harris, gathers the remarkable stream of soul and funk singles she released from 1964 to 1969, under the musical direction of the legendary composer, musician, and producer Allen Toussaint. This collection truly captures the heart and soul of New Orleans during that era. Harris' powerful and fiery soulful vocals found the perfect accompaniment in the New Orleans musicians Toussaint assembled to back her, which by the time of her funk classic "There's A Break In The Road" had evolved into the legendary, super-tight, super-funk group The Meters.

The extraordinary songwriting skills of Allen Toussaint, combined with the powerful, soaring, confident, and emotive vocals of Harris, and the irresistible groove of The Meters, create an unbeatable musical combination. Interestingly, Harris herself never actually resided in New Orleans, as she would fly in from Florida for all her recording sessions with Toussaint's local in-house players. Yet this geographical detail seems almost irrelevant, as the quintessential New Orleans sound is captured so vividly in the recordings featured here.

All of the singles included in this collection were released on the local New Orleans label Sansu, owned by Toussaint and his business partner Marshal Sehorn. While widely distributed in the southern city, these recordings were only available in limited quantities elsewhere. Consequently, Betty Harris' music failed to achieve the same commercial success as that of other notable New Orleans artists, such as Lee Dorsey (with whom she recorded) and The Meters (who backed her).

By the end of the decade, Harris had retired from the music business to focus on raising her family in Florida, a decision that in no way reflects the stunning musical quality of these songs, which encompass a wide range of styles, from southern soul and heavy funk to deep soul ballads and northern soul. Betty Harris has been a cornerstone of the Soul Jazz Records' compilations of New Orleans Funk and New Orleans Soul, as her music always exudes soulfulness and funkiness, embodying the essence of New Orleans music. She is truly the Lost Soul Queen of New Orleans.

This collection is available on CD, heavyweight gatefold double LP vinyl (with a download code), and digital formats, and comes complete with a full biography and the original label artwork.

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