New Orleans R&B took rollicking, Caribbean-derived piano lines and deep-fried horn arrangements (later borrowed by southern soul) and punctuated it all with a spirited, celebratory mood as festive as its hometown. By most accounts, pianists Professor Longhair and Fats Domino were the first acknowledged stars of New Orleans R&B in the early and mid-1950s, the former scoring hits with "In the Night" and "Tipitina," the latter with the immortal "Ain't That a Shame" and "Blueberry Hill." (Some even posit Domino's debut single, 1949's "The Fat Man," as the first rock and roll record.) Arriving toward the end of the '50s, producer / songwriter / solo artist Allen Toussaint became a tastemaker on the New Orleans scene, working with a virtual who's-who of local R&B talent during the next two decades. Later leaders of the genre included pianist Dr. John, who scored a big hit in the early '70s with the Toussaint-produced "In the Right Place" and who would also dabble in blues throughout his peripatetic career, and the Neville Brothers, whose official collective debut did not coalesce until 1978 despite having worked together in various incarnations since the late '50s.

Notable Artists: Professor Longhair; Fats Domino, the Neville Brothers