One of northeast Louisiana's legendary Blues singers, Toussaint Mccall, was inducted into the Northeast Louisiana Music Award Hall of Fame in 2016.
As a little boy, growing up in Delhi, Louisiana, McCall was raised by a musically inclined family. After his older sister went off to college, McCall began taking piano lessons and soon began practicing on his own.
While attending high school, McCall was introduced to music making through his high school’s music room. In an interview with McCall, he reminisces about how it all began: “After lunch, the music room was right out by the cafeteria so I would go in there and start practicing and I noticed that, uh… girls were coming in.”
Motivated by the need to impress his female peers, young McCall began to put more time into his music. “You know, every time I go in for lunch, girls would come sit on the bench… you know, standing over the piano, screaming and hollering.”
McCall’s soulful singing made his 1967 song, “Nothing Takes the Place of You” a hit, reaching number five on the U.S. R&B charts.
“Nothing Takes the Place of You” was also featured in the American dance comedy film Hairspray, directed by John Walter. Even though the hit was released more than three decades ago, McCall says he never gets tired of singing it. In November of 2016, McCall was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Northeast Louisiana Music Awards.
Along with his accolades, he has also established McCall’s Institute for the Performing Arts in Inglewood, CA. Toussaint McCall is a notable musician whose music still inspires listeners today.
Byway Blues is produced with the generous support of Washington Wine and Spirits, the Entergy Charitable Foundation, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.