A music-filled funeral Wednesday for New Orleans legend Pete Fountain will include performances by Irma Thomas and Fountain protégé Tim Laughlin, as well as a second line through the French Quarter featuring members of his famous Half-Fast Walking Club.
Fountain’s son-in-law and longtime manager, Benny Harrell, said that in addition to a traditional Roman Catholic funeral Mass, the goal is to present a true “celebration of life” for Fountain, the beloved clarinetist and musical ambassador who died Aug. 6 at the age of 86.
The day will begin with a public visitation at St. Louis Cathedral beginning at 9 a.m. At approximately 11:30 a.m., eulogies will be delivered before the funeral Mass. Mayor Mitch Landrieu is scheduled to speak, Harrell said. Landrieu will be followed by WYES-TV producer Peggy Scott Laborde (who interviewed and profiled Fountain several times) and New Orleans Advocate music writer Keith Spera, who also chronicled Fountain's long and successful career.
Also scheduled to speak is Lawrence Welk Jr., son of the famous bandleader and television host. According to Pete Fountain lore, the younger Welk was just a teenager when he suggested his famous father recruit Fountain for a job on his weekly 1950s TV show. Welk did, offering Fountain a job, which beamed his brand of New Orleans jazz into the homes of TV viewers nationwide for two years. “Pete kind of adopted Larry as a little brother too, so having him speak will be very special,” said Harrell, who will also deliver a eulogy.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond and will feature several special guests as musical performers. Trumpeter Jimmy Weber, who performed with Fountain for decades, will perform “Amazing Grace,” Harrell said. Grammy-winning singer Irma Thomas will perform “Precious Lord,” while vocalist Sarah Jane McMahon will perform several religious hymns.
Closing out the Mass will be clarinetist Tim Laughlin, with what is sure to be a touching rendition of “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” one of Fountain’s signature songs and the one he performed for Pope John Paul II when he visited New Orleans in 1987. Laughlin performed alongside Fountain in recent years, having idolized the clarinetist as a teenager.
Once the funeral Mass concludes, a large funeral procession and second line will begin on the steps of St. Louis Cathedral. Music for it will be led by Mike Genevay, a trombonist who performed alongside Fountain since 1978. He has assembled the brass band for the second line, Harrell said. It will feature a number of local musicians as well as a funeral cortege featuring a horse-drawn hearse.
Some 200 or so members of Fountain’s legendary Half-Fast Walking Club, formed in 1961 and now a fixture on Mardi Gras, will also participate in the procession. Though club members are known for their colorful suits and crazy costumes, Harrell laughed when he said they’ll appear in their “civilian clothes,” rather than in costume. Several members have been affected by flooding in the Baton Rouge and Tangipahoa Parish areas, Harrell said, but hope to be able to attend. Banners and flags that normally accompany the group on Fat Tuesday will be a part of the funeral procession.
The second line route will travel from St. Louis Cathedral down St. Peter Street, taking a left on Royal Street before ending at the Hotel Monteleone in the 200 block of Royal, the traditional ending point for the Half-Fast Walking Club on Mardi Gras.
WWLTV.com will stream live coverage of the funeral Mass beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
