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George Porter Jr.

New Orleans music royalty and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient 

George Porter Jr. founded The Meters in 1965 alongside Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste. Known as one of the progenitors of funk with Sly & The Family Stone and Parliament Funkadelic, The Meters carved their own place in history with syncopated polyrhythms and grooves inherited from New Orleans’ deep African musical roots. Porter’s heavy pockets and fat notes created the rubbery bass lines behind anthems like “Cissy Strut” off the group’s self-titled 1969 debut — The Meters’ greatest commercial single that reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint’s recording label and studio in New Orleans, backing records for Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Lee Dorsey, Earl King, Robert Palmer and Patty Labelle’s No. 1 hit, “Lady Marmalade”. They toured with the Rolling Stones and influenced everyone from Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys. Porter’s rhythmic work with drummer Modeliste became the building block behind scores from hip-hop artists A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, N.W.A. and Queen Latifah, all of whom sampled The Meters.

The band broke up in 1977, after Toussaint claimed rights to the name, but reformed in the 1980s as the Funky Meters following an informal jam during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Porter went on to become a highly coveted session bassist. He notched studio sessions with David Byrne, Jimmy Buffet, Tori Amos and Taj Mahal; and live performances with John Scofield, Warren Haynes, members of the Grateful Dead and countless others.

Porter started his own long-term project, the Runnin’ Pardners, in 1990. The group’s studio releases include Funk This (2000) and Can’t Beat the Funk (2011), as well as live albums along the way. The current lineup features drummer Terrence “Groove Guardian” Houston, Michael Lemmler on keyboards and guitarist Chris Adkins.

In 2000, the original Meters lineup reunited for a one-night stand at the Warfield in San Francisco, and again in 2006 to headline Jazzfest in the wake of Katrina. The group sporadically performed as The Original Meters to elated crowds between 2012 and 2017. Art “Poppa Funk” Neville retired from performing in 2018 and passed away the following year. But the Meters’ music and their heritage of funk lives on in George Porter and his bandmates – past, present and future.

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Award / Grant

George Porter Jr. to be Honored with Offbeat Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in Music

George Porter Jr. to be Honored with Offbeat Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in Music

Source: Something Else!

George Porter Jr., original bassist with the Meters, will be this year's recipient of OffBeat magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in Music, during ceremonies to be held January 26 at Generations Hall in New Orleans. An in-demand sideman, Porter has performed and recorded with Dr. John, Paul McCartney, Robbie Robertson, Robert Palmer, Patti Labelle, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Johnny Adams, Harry Connick Jr., Earl King, Warren Haynes, Tori Amos and Snooks Eaglin, among many others. With Art Neville, he co-founded the ...

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Recording

Bill Kreutzmann, Papa Mali, George Porter Jr. - 7 Walkers (2010)

Bill Kreutzmann, Papa Mali, George Porter Jr. - 7 Walkers (2010)

Source: Something Else!

By Nick DeRiso Grateful Dead co-founder Bill Kreutzmann, great groovy Meters bassman George Porter Jr. and hoodoo guitarist Papa Mali have joined together to form 7 Walkers, a rousing fusion of Bay area jam-rock with greasy New Orleans rhythm and blues. Their self-titled debut, issued Nov. 2 on Response Records, bills itself in the liner notes as a love letter to New Orleans—where many of the band members have connections: Kreutzmann's mother was born there, and Louisiana native Mali has ...

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Performance / Tour

7 Walkers Tour: Papa Mali, Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr.

7 Walkers Tour: Papa Mali, Bill Kreutzmann, George Porter Jr.

Source: JamBase

NEW PROJECT FEATURING FRESH ROBERT HUNTER LYRICS HITS THE ROAD

Bill Kreutzmann by Chad Smith Legendary drummer and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, Bill Kreutzmann, together with funky bluesman and voodoo electronic pioneer Papa Mali, officially unveil 7 Walkers' spring plans. 7 Walkers, which also features bass virtuoso Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green, JFJO) and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson and Friends), will stop at select markets and festivals through out the country, all in anticipation of a ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Mardi Gras Day

Eleven Music Experience
2023

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Mardi Gras Day

From: Mardi Gras Day
By George Porter Jr.

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