The Dixie Cups, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Frankie Ford, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Jean Knight and Robert Parker will be honored as heroes of New Orleans classic R&B at OffBeat magazine's Best of the Beat Awards on Jan. 18. The event at New Orleans' Generations Hall will also toast other local musicians and music businesses.
OffBeat, celebrating its 25th anniversary as the city's primary source of music and cultural coverage, is marking its birthday with a commemorative issue out this week. Founded by NOLA-born entrepreneur Jan Ramsey in 1987, OffBeat has chronicled all facets of Louisiana's thriving music scene, tracking the careers of such Crescent City legends as Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, the Marsalis family, Harry Connick Jr. and Trombone Shorty.
"Looking back on the early issues of OffBeat, it's obvious that the same creative freedom that Louisiana's musicians enjoyed applied to writing about that music," Ramsey said in a statement. "The history reflected in OffBeat's pages offers a profound commentary on cultural crosscurrents in America."
