Wardell Quezergue

Wardell Quezergue, Sr.
Quezergue (left) greeting Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, New Orleans, 1997
Background information
Birth name	Wardell Joseph Quezergue
Born	(1930-03-12)March 12, 1930 New Orleans, Louisiana
Died	September 6, 2011(2011-09-06) (aged 81) New Orleans, Louisiana
Genres	Jazz, rhythm and blues, blues
Occupation(s)	Composer, producer, arranger, conductor, bandleader
Years active	1940s–2011
Labels	Nola, Malaco, and others

Wardell Joseph Quezergue (pronounced /ka-zair/, March 12, 1930 – September 6, 2011) was an American composer, arranger, record producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the "Creole Beethoven". Steeped in jazz, he was an influential musician whose work shaped the sound of New Orleans rhythm and blues, funk and pop music. His role as an arranger and producer kept him out of the spotlight and enabled him to enhance the careers of many. He was a staple of the New Orleans music scene and the recipient of an honorary doctorate in music.

Quezergue was born in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans into a musical family of creole descent. His father Sidney Quezergue Sr. played guitar and his mother Violetta Guimont played clarinet. His older brothers, Sidney Jr. and Leo, were jazz musicians. Sidney played the trumpet and Leo played the drums. The family played together on Sundays. Quezergue had no formal music training. He was influenced by Louis Armstrong, Harry James and Dizzy Gillespie. As a teenager he played the trumpet professionally and started to compose.

In late 1940s Quezergue played in Dave Bartholomew's band. In 1951 he was drafted into the army and served as an army musician stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He credits the army and the army musicians with his professional education. He met and married his wife Yoshi Tamaki in Japan. After returning to New Orleans he studied at the Gateway School of Music. He started to get work by rearranging popular hits for the local music market. He emerged as a bandleader in his own right in the mid-1950s with his band the Royal Dukes of Rhythm, and later with Wardell and the Sultans in the late 1950s. He taught music and arranged for well-known acts. His bands backed up a variety of artists including Otis Redding. He was the recording secretary and lifelong member of the New Orleans Negro Musicians Union.