Queenie

There are plenty of reasons why Leigh (Little Queenie) Harris is beloved in New Orleans, but here’s why she’s beloved by me: Back in 1999, I happened into Levon Helm’s short-lived Decatur Street club, where she was doing happy hour. With just piano accompaniment, she launched into a version of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross standard “Cloudburst” that was astounding—it’s a tough song to master in the best of times, and she made each of its rapid-fire syllables ring with joy and sensuality. From there it was a short jump to the more mysterious, gospel-infused material on House of Secrets, the album she was promoting at the time. Overall it was as fine a vocal performance as I’d seen in years, and there were maybe 20 people in the room.