The Radiators (American band)
| The Radiators | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Swamp rock, roots rock, Southern rock, jam rock |
| Years active | 1978–2011, sporadically from 2011-present |
| Labels | Croaker, Epic, Rattlesby, SCI Fi |
| Website | www.theradiators.org |
| Past members |
Ed Volker Dave Malone Camile Baudoin Reggie Scanlan Frank Bua, Jr. Glenn Sears |
The Radiators, also known as The New Orleans Radiators, are a rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, who combined the traditional musical styles of their native city with more mainstream rock and R&B influences to form a bouncy, funky variety of swamp-rock they called fish-head music. Described by OffBeat magazine as "New Orleans' longest-running and most successful rock band", The Radiators' had only limited commercial success, with only a handful of chart appearances, but, as a party band from a party town, their enthusiastic live performances, danceable beats and relentless touring earned the band a dedicated following and the admiration of many of their peers. In a feat of continuity rarely seen in the rock music world, the five-man line up in the year of their breakup (2011) is the same one as when the band formed in 1978.
The Radiators had a repertoire which included over three hundred original songs—many never released on album—and over one thousand covers (or partial covers used as part of a medley). With the band's approval, over 500 concert recordings have been made available for free (for non-commercial use) on the Internet Archive.
On June 10, 2011, at Tipitina's in New Orleans, LA, during the second of their final three concerts, The Radiators were inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Despite ceasing to perform regularly as an active band the Radiators still reunite twice a year, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and for a three-day run at Tipitina's every January.
The Radiators wore their influences on their sleeve, or, at least, proudly displayed them in concert. While their albums mainly featured songs written by chief songwriter/keyboardist/vocalist Ed "Zeke" Volker and other band members, their concerts typically included a wide variety of music written by other artists. From the local New Orleans scene, The Radiators often featured works by, among others, The Meters, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Earl King, Jelly Roll Morton, and, of course, Professor Longhair, several of whom played with The Radiators at one time or another. The Radiators also covered songs traditionally associated with New Orleans or Mardi Gras, such as Iko Iko and St. James Infirmary Blues.
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