By Karen Nazor Hill
Staff Writer
Walter “Wolfman” Washington, blues guitarist and a lifelong resident of New Orleans, was at home with his wife, Barbara Gillmor, when Hurricane Katrina hit last August.
The two survived the disaster, and their home suffered little damage. But when they left their residence 12 days later, what they saw would forever change their lives, Ms. Gillmor said.
Mr. Washington and his band, The Roadmasters, will be headlining performers tonight at the Bessie Smith Strut, as the Riverbend Festival relocates for one night to the M.L. King Boulevard area.
“At first, we thought Katrina was going to be like any other storm, and we’d get a little flooding and a little wind damage,” Ms. Gillmor said in a telephone interview from New Orleans. “We were sitting on our steps watching the water go down when all of a sudden it started rising.”
After the storm, they had trouble getting out of their driveway because of the extensive debris. “We had to move trees and make a path to get out,” she said.
Communication was nonexistent, Ms. Gillmor said. “We had no idea if any of our friends were dead or alive,” she said.
When the couple finally made it out of New Orleans, they drove to Ohio to stay with Ms. Gillmor’s sister. Several weeks later, Mr. Washington was contacted by a friend in New Orleans asking him to come back and be the first to play at the popular Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street.
“We drove 22 hours to come back, and it was the first live music played in New Orleans after Katrina,” she said, noting that his performance was filmed by national media organizations and he was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine.
“It was something to see,” Ms. Gillmor said. “It was a big reunion, and it was so good to see friends because you didn’t know if they had made it out or not.”
Since then, the music hasn’t stopped, she said.
“Walter is 61, and you’d think he’d get worn out every now and then, but he doesn’t. He just keeps going,” she said. “He’s probably played every major city in the country at least once.”
In September 2005, Mr. Washington entertained in New York City for The New Yorker magazine’s benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. He joined a star-studded cast that included a Nobel laureate as well as Pulitzer Prize, Grammy and Academy Award winners, according to www.jazzreview.com. Among the musicians were Toni Morrison, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, David Byrne and past Riverbend favorite Buckwheat Zydeco.
“They flew everybody into New York,” Ms. Gillmor said. “It was a great show, and it raised money for the Red Cross to help people in New Orleans.”
Mr. Washington later jammed with U2’s guitarist, The Edge, in Music Rising, an effort to raise money for musicians affected by Katrina.
“I had heard the group (U2), and I had seen The Edge play, but I never thought I’d be one who’d get to jam with him,” he said. “And he’s really good, and I kept noticing how he’d react to what I’d do. He explained to me a lot of what he does, and I did the same to him. It was a real treat.”
Mr. Washington said he’s got more work today than ever before.
“I play mostly in New Orleans, but I also travel all over the place,” he said. “I’m heading to Italy soon to play a week there.”
Mr. Washington said he looks forward to tonight’s performance.
“I love open-air festivals,” he said. “The only thing that gets me though is that because it’s outside, I tend to get a little hoarse. But that’s OK, we’ll do great.”
E-mail Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com
Staff Writer
Walter “Wolfman” Washington, blues guitarist and a lifelong resident of New Orleans, was at home with his wife, Barbara Gillmor, when Hurricane Katrina hit last August.
The two survived the disaster, and their home suffered little damage. But when they left their residence 12 days later, what they saw would forever change their lives, Ms. Gillmor said.
Mr. Washington and his band, The Roadmasters, will be headlining performers tonight at the Bessie Smith Strut, as the Riverbend Festival relocates for one night to the M.L. King Boulevard area.
“At first, we thought Katrina was going to be like any other storm, and we’d get a little flooding and a little wind damage,” Ms. Gillmor said in a telephone interview from New Orleans. “We were sitting on our steps watching the water go down when all of a sudden it started rising.”
After the storm, they had trouble getting out of their driveway because of the extensive debris. “We had to move trees and make a path to get out,” she said.
Communication was nonexistent, Ms. Gillmor said. “We had no idea if any of our friends were dead or alive,” she said.
When the couple finally made it out of New Orleans, they drove to Ohio to stay with Ms. Gillmor’s sister. Several weeks later, Mr. Washington was contacted by a friend in New Orleans asking him to come back and be the first to play at the popular Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street.
“We drove 22 hours to come back, and it was the first live music played in New Orleans after Katrina,” she said, noting that his performance was filmed by national media organizations and he was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine.
“It was something to see,” Ms. Gillmor said. “It was a big reunion, and it was so good to see friends because you didn’t know if they had made it out or not.”
Since then, the music hasn’t stopped, she said.
“Walter is 61, and you’d think he’d get worn out every now and then, but he doesn’t. He just keeps going,” she said. “He’s probably played every major city in the country at least once.”
In September 2005, Mr. Washington entertained in New York City for The New Yorker magazine’s benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. He joined a star-studded cast that included a Nobel laureate as well as Pulitzer Prize, Grammy and Academy Award winners, according to www.jazzreview.com. Among the musicians were Toni Morrison, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, David Byrne and past Riverbend favorite Buckwheat Zydeco.
“They flew everybody into New York,” Ms. Gillmor said. “It was a great show, and it raised money for the Red Cross to help people in New Orleans.”
Mr. Washington later jammed with U2’s guitarist, The Edge, in Music Rising, an effort to raise money for musicians affected by Katrina.
“I had heard the group (U2), and I had seen The Edge play, but I never thought I’d be one who’d get to jam with him,” he said. “And he’s really good, and I kept noticing how he’d react to what I’d do. He explained to me a lot of what he does, and I did the same to him. It was a real treat.”
Mr. Washington said he’s got more work today than ever before.
“I play mostly in New Orleans, but I also travel all over the place,” he said. “I’m heading to Italy soon to play a week there.”
Mr. Washington said he looks forward to tonight’s performance.
“I love open-air festivals,” he said. “The only thing that gets me though is that because it’s outside, I tend to get a little hoarse. But that’s OK, we’ll do great.”
E-mail Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com
