It’s the third consecutive week that I’ve featured a song The Pointer Sisters had a hit with. That’s the point of this week’s post. Need any more pointers?
The great New Orleans songwriter Allen Toussaint wrote Yes We Can in 1971 for Lee Dorsey. It was not a hit until The Pointer Sisters added a Can. I’m sticking to the original title. Can can you dig it?
We begin with Lee Dorsey:
Let’s get to the point: Yes We Can Can was the sisters’ first hit single. Oops, I slipped and used the alternate title.
The songwriter recorded his song for a post-Katrina federal flood benefit album in 2005.
Finally, a 21st Century version of the Toussaint classic by guitar great Duke Robillard.
What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without an instrumental version of the week’s tune? This time, David Fathead Newman.
That’s it for this week. Raise your glass and toast that all around great guy, Allen Toussaint. He’s still missed nearly nine years after his death. It’s what Danny Barker, Dr. John, and Pete Fountain would want. Never argue with them.
