Most people know Paul Shaffer as the bespectacled bandleader on Late Show with David Letterman. What they may not know is that Letterman's sounding board is also the music director for the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In 1986, Shaffer's HoF gig got him noticed by HBO, and he was brought on board as music director for an episode of the Cinemax series Sessions. This, however, would be no ordinary concert. Piano legends Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis would be sharing the stage at New Orleans' vaunted Storyville Ni
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While New Orleans struggles to overcome the tragic effects of Hurricane Katrina, one wonders if we’ll ever hear the joyous sounds of Mardi Gras again. The new documentary Make It Funky! (opening today in select cities) presents a history of the town and the music born in its streets. Filmmaker (and N'Awlins native) Michael Murphy chatted with TVGuide.com about the sounds of the Big Easy and why he knows his city will rise again.
TVGuide.com: What makes the music of New Orleans so special?
Michael Murphy: Well, everyone knows New Orleans for its jazz, but it has 200 years of rich musical influences: rhythm and blues, blues, Mardi Gras Indians, marching brass bands.... It really makes for a great gumbo of traditions. It also has a uniquely funky beat.
TVGuide.com: A lot of people were worried about Fats Domino
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After being declared missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on Thursday, R&B legend and New Orleans resident Fats Domino has been found. His daughter, Karen, has told the Associated Press that she saw a picture of the 77-year-old being rescued by boat from his flooded home in the lower 9th ward.
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