Porter Batiste Stoltz

Porter Batiste Stoltz are something of a New Orleans supergroup, consisting of three veteran musicians who worked as sidemen for decades before coming together in the trio. Bass player <a href="spotify:artist:2KDZHHE0Ca7LVqpzUH7y8a">George Porter, Jr.</a>, joined <a href="spotify:artist:2JRvXPGWiINrnJljNJhG5s">the Meters</a> in 1965. Over the years, he played on recording sessions with local performers such as <a href="spotify:artist:63aP18bg2ABSOqSNQcAMNy">Allen Toussaint</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:76ox7koAGPytUmTZGU6zWn">Earl King</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0En4EEcDMJ5kaUCf1aZ9js">Lee Dorsey</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:24qtJegdRiX2TPRvPN6rzk">Johnny Adams</a> as well as such national and international acts as <a href="spotify:artist:4STHEaNw4mPZ2tzheohgXB">Paul McCartney</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:28AyklUmMECPwdfo8NEsV0">Jimmy Buffett</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:20vuBdFblWUo2FCOvUzusB">David Byrne</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0ty0xha1dbprYIUAQufkFn">Patti LaBelle</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5R6GD31ZP8YPGIlt73Madf">Robbie Robertson</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1KsASRNugxU85T0u6zSg32">Tori Amos</a>. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr., the son of New Orleans musician David Batiste, began playing drums at age four. His sessions include work with <a href="spotify:artist:5R6GD31ZP8YPGIlt73Madf">Robertson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6u17YlWtW4oqFF5Hn9UU79">Harry Connick, Jr.</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1NnRjWELSLqFONDhwc8VU7">Champion Jack Dupree</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4RAQZfFgR7NPAWjKwUpEeC">Maceo Parker</a>. In 1989, he joined <a href="spotify:artist:2KDZHHE0Ca7LVqpzUH7y8a">Porter</a> in the Funky Meters, the successor to <a href="spotify:artist:2JRvXPGWiINrnJljNJhG5s">the Meters</a>. His band Orkestra from da Hood released the album The Clinic. Guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:2ifyiiFYH9KXlXQsTujhPR">Brian Stoltz</a> was a member of <a href="spotify:artist:3d1olqhURDe8e5HOta1Qxg">the Neville Brothers</a> and has done sessions with <a href="spotify:artist:74ASZWbe4lXaubB36ztrGX">Bob Dylan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2CvCyf1gEVhI0mX6aFXmVI">Paul Simon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5S0AJvE9NB1kGrXRfYh690">Daniel Lanois</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:320TrJub4arztwXRm7kqVO">Dr. John</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5Y4g6bsYzlhsC6jRDQnN4a">Edie Brickell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1sXbwvCQLGZnaH0Jp2HTVc">Linda Ronstadt</a>. As a solo artist, he has worked as a singer/songwriter, releasing the albums East of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money. He joined <a href="spotify:artist:2KDZHHE0Ca7LVqpzUH7y8a">Porter</a> and Batiste in the Funky Meters. When <a href="spotify:artist:4f9WzVkgm5FoJW8lGGmHkG">Art Neville</a>, another member of the Funky Meters, left the group to rejoin <a href="spotify:artist:3d1olqhURDe8e5HOta1Qxg">the Neville Brothers</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2KDZHHE0Ca7LVqpzUH7y8a">Porter</a>, Batiste, and Stoltz determined to strike out on their own. The initial result was the debut Porter Batiste Stoltz album Expanding the Funkin' Universe, released in 2005. On November 2, 2007, at the Club Metronome in Burlington, VT, they recorded their second album, MOODOO, with former <a href="spotify:artist:5wbIWUzTPuTxTyG6ouQKqz">Phish</a> keyboard player <a href="spotify:artist:0oRAN7x5TpAfyN2ERhvijE">Page McConnell</a> sitting in. The album was released September 30, 2008. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi