This evening, a new concert series presented by the Friends of the Cabildo and the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation begins. The series will highlight the music scenes in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Shreveport.
Tonight’s performance features New Orleans R&B musician C.P. Love. It will be held in the wonderful new performance space at the Old U.S. Mint, which is located at 400 Esplanade Avenue.
The doors open at 5:30 PM. The concert includes a 75-minute performance and 30-minute interview and question period.
Vocalist C.P. Love might well be best known for a song he didn’t record rather than one he did. Love had been offered “Groove Me” by King Floyd but passed on the song, feeling Floyd deserved to record it and would do a better job with it. While he could have recorded a major hit, Love still managed to notch a couple of regional successes and assembled a compact but enjoyable resume of soul and R&B recordings.
Born Carleton Pierre Love in 1945, he was raised on the West Bank of New Orleans. At age 12, Love taught himself to play guitar and formed a four-piece band. He later switched to bass when he joined Little Benny and the Creoles, a group that sometimes featured Walter Washington. Originally, Love didn’t sing, but when the vocalist couldn’t learn new material, he began fronting the band on bass and vocals. Eventually, Love dropped the bass and concentrated on singing.
