Trumpet player Sidney Desvigne (Sidney Louis Desvignes) was born in New Orleans on September 11, 1893 (or 1892). Desvigne's early career included stints with the Excelsior Brass Band, Maple Leaf Orchestra, Fate Marable's band on the S.S. Capitol, and as bandleader on the S.S. Island Queen and the S.S. Capitol. After retiring from music, Desvigne left New Orleans and ran a night club in Los Angeles. He passed away on December 2, 1959. His only recordings were "Frankie and Johnny" and "Pianoflage", with Fate Marable's Society Syncopators in 1924. Read more here.
Keyboard player, composer, arranger and music educator Sam Henry (Samuel Henry Jr.) was born in New Orleans on September 11, 1939. Henry led funk band Sam & The Soul Machine (whose members included Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste, Gary Brown, and Eugene Sinegal) in the late 1960s. He also worked with John Brunious, Chuck Badie, Al Hirt, Allen Toussaint, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Ritchie Havens, Ramsey Lewis, Etta James, Wanda Rouzan, Juanita Brooks, Wardell Quezergue, and many others. Henry passed away on April 23, 2011 at age 71. Read more here. See Sam Henry recording credits. Listen to Sam Henry music on YouTube. Listen to Sam & The Soul Machine music on YouTube.
1946
Photographer, videographer, author, and historian Sylvester Francis was born in New Orleans on September 11, 1946. He was the founder and curator of the Backstreet Culture Museum, which focuses on the history of social aid and pleasure clubs, Mardi Gras Indians, and jazz funerals. Francis died on September 1, 2020 from appendicitis. He was 73 years old.
1958
Lloyd Price recorded his hit "Stagger Lee" at Bell Sound Studio for ABC-Paramount in New York City on September 11, 1958. The track went on to top both the Pop and R&B Charts for 4 weeks, and sell over a million copies. It was included in Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (Issue RS963).
1967
Grammy and Emmy winning singer, musician, composer, actor, and former TV host Harry Connick Jr. was born (Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr.) in New Orleans on September 11, 1967. See Harry Connick Jr. filmography. See Harry Connick Jr. discography. Watch Harry Connick Jr. videos on YouTube.
Former Bourbon Street jazz vocalist and New Orleans native Betty Farmer (Elizabeth Ann Farmer) died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. She was 62 years old. Farmer, born in New Orleans on October 15, 1938, had only been working for Cantor Fitzgerald in the WTC for three weeks prior to the attack. This from an AP report: "Farmer debuted at (age) 17 with a Dixieland band on Bourbon Street. After years of touring, including performances with Duke Ellington, Farmer settled in Denver and opened her own club. In 1996, she moved to New York, where she continued to entertain at clubs in Greenwich Village and Soho. She spent three years working for Showtime Entertainment in New York before joining Cantor Fitzgerald". Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees in the WTC attack.
2005
Tim McGraw's 8th studio release "Live Like You Were Dying" hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts on September 11, 2004. The album was nominated for Best Country Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. The title single won Grammys for Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
2005
Beausoleil was profiled on CBS News "Sunday Morning" on September 11, 2005. From the CBS press release: "Rita Braver takes us to meet the most famous Cajun band in history, Beausoleil, and its founder Michael Doucet.
2007
Keyboard player, vocalist, songwriter and producer Willie Tee (Wilson Turbinton) passed away on September 11, 2007 at age 63. The New Orleans native released several singles in the 1960s (including the Top 20 R&B hit "Teasin' You") and later formed funk band The Gaturs. Willie Tee was the arranger and bandleader behind the groundbreaking "The Wild Magnolias" album, released in 1974. He was the brother of saxophonist Earl Turbinton (1941–2007). The siblings teamed up for the 1987 album "Brothers for Life". See Willie Tee discography. Watch Willie Tee videos on YouTube.
2009
President Barack Obama nominated New Orleans musician, composer and educator Irvin Mayfield for a position on the National Council on the Arts on September 11, 2009. Mayfield was sworn in as a member on March 26, 2010.
2013
Preservation Hall Jazz Band appeared on ABC TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on September 11, 2013. The band performed the title track from their album "That's It".
2013
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue appeared on NBC TV's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on September 11, 2013. The band performed the song "Fire and Brimstone" from their new studio album "Say That to Say This".
2025
Country music superstar Lainey Wilson appeared on ABC TV's "Celebrity Family Feud" on September 11, 2025. Wilson was facing off against actress-comedian Leanne Morgan. Host Steve Harvey asked the pair "Name a Britney Spears song that describes you in the bedroom". Wilson hit her buzzer first, shaking her head and answering with "Hit Me Baby, One More Time". Wilson and Morgan both laugh as Harvey looks stunned by the answer. Watch the video here.
