NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Longtime New Orleans-area musician, band leader, educator and military veteran Paul Batiste has died at age 74, his family told Fox 8.
Relatives said Batiste passed away Friday night (April 25) after a fight with cancer.
Paul Batiste was a founding member of the Batiste Brothers Band, a funk and blues act that formed in Metairie in 1974. It’s original members included brothers Paul (songwriter, guitar and flute), Michael (lead vocals, bass), Peter (keyboard and vocals), David (keyboard) and Russell (drums, percussion).
Along with the Neville and Marsalis families, the Batistes rose to prominence as one of Louisiana’s most influential musical families. Paul Batiste’s nephew Jon Batiste (Michael’s son) has carried on the tradition, earning international fame as a Grammy Award-winning performer and Oscar-winning composer.
The Batiste Brothers Band recorded several singles in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including “Starlite,” “Hooked On You” and “Dancin’ Shoes.” The group recorded with the late superstars Allen Toussaint and Isaac Hayes, and toured at times as the opening act for Wilson Pickett, Al Green, The Temptations, The O’Jays and others.
But Paul, who was born at New Orleans’ Charity Hospital, also had a passion for music education. He became a state-certified teacher who taught at more than 15 schools in New Orleans since 1978, according to the biography for his book “(Gon’ be dat) New Orleans Music: Memoirs of Paul A. Batiste,” published in 2011.
“Over a period of decades, I’ve experienced some things that may help someone,” he wrote in his introduction. “I am a teacher and band director. I have developed skills which combine methods and techniques to conform to today’s advanced students. As a band director, I have started music programs from elementary school to high school. In addition, I have routinely started band programs from scratch.
“... I have spent most of my performing career in Louisiana. Another vanishing great set of values are described and examined is the American Musical Family. In this book, we will explore value systems and the pros and cons of having a musical family.”
Paul Batiste returned home from the US Army in 1971, when he began a four-year stint managing the band David Batiste and The Gladiators, which morphed into the Batiste Brothers Band. He also began studies that year toward his music education degree at Southern University New Orleans.
Following Hurricane Katrina, he founded the nonprofit Paul A. Batiste Conservatory of the Arts, as well as the Batiste Cultural Academy at Xavier University in New Orleans.
“My goal was to help to facilitate the many needs of the arts during a time of crisis,” he wrote. “The purpose of the conservatory is to restore, preserve, protect, and support the arts in our schools. The conservatory is an educational organization whose goals include replacing band instruments, band uniforms, sheet music, materials and supplies lost due to Hurricane Katrina and providing scholarships to music students.”
Paul Batiste spent 35 years as a music teacher before his retirement.
A statement from Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office said, “Mr. Batiste dedicated his life to service — in the military, in the classroom, and on the stage — shaping generations of musicians and preserving the rich legacy of New Orleans music.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched. His spirit will live on through the countless students he taught, the music he shared, and the community he loved so deeply.”
Family members said Paul Batiste is survived by a son and two daughters, and that Damon Batiste (David’s son) and NOSACONN All Stars will pay tribute to him next Thursday (May 1) at Jazz Fest during their 2:20 p.m. show on the Congo Square stage.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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