Bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Zigaboo Modeliste played the very first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival in 1970 with their groundbreaking funk band The Meters. More than 50 years later, The Meters are no more, but Porter and Modeliste are still among the festival's mainstays.
So are singer Irma Thomas, the renowned “Soul Queen of New Orleans," who first played the fest in 1974; and guitarist and singer Deacon John Moore, also a regular since 1970.
