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ACL brings classic Allen Toussaint episode back to air

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits closes out Season 46 with one of the most-requested episodes in the ACL archive: a vintage hour with the late New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, performing iconic gems from across his over half-century career. Originally broadcast over a decade ago in 2010, the installment remains one of the most enduring, entertaining hours in ACL’s history. The encore broadcast premieres Saturday, February 13 at 8pm CT/9pm ET, as the final offering for Season 46. The episode will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, February 14 @10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits. With live music on hold, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in performance. The program airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future Season 47 tapings, broadcast schedules and select live stream updates. 

On the eve of Mardi Gras, ACL celebrates the exceptional life and career of Allen Toussaint on the heels of what would have been his 83rd birthday. Born and raised in New Orleans, Mr. Toussaint built a legendary career alongside America’s finest musicians, sustaining his beloved city’s rich tradition of rhythm, blues and jazz, lifting it to the national stage. The songwriting legend/musician/arranger/producer was a fixture of modern New Orleans music since the 1950s, penning or producing hits for Ernie K-Doe (“Mother-In-Law”), Lee Dorsey (“Working in the Coal Mine”), Glen Campbell (“Southern Nights”), the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can Can”) and LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”), among many, many others. Toussaint was a de facto musical ambassador for the Crescent City, playing Nola’s Jazzfest virtually every year since the mid-1970s until his death in 2015. He wrote countless hit songs recorded by artists from all genres, produced hundreds of fantastic recordings, and created a steady stream of hits over the years, earning the unanimous respect of both artists and fans in New Orleans and beyond. 

In this exuberant hour, Toussaint’s timeless standards live on as he performs a career-spanning set and shares the stories behind many of his best-known songs. Opening appropriately with the funky “There’s A Party Going On,” Toussaint cuts a dapper figure in a canary yellow suit and pocket square. He greets the crowd with a jovial “Tonight we’ll be doing songs that I’ve written for various folk over the years, and a few I wish I’d written.”  He performs a thrilling medley of early highlights, including “A Certain Girl” and “Fortune Teller,” made famous in the 1960s by iconic acts such as The Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones. Toussaint dazzles on the piano, performing instrumental numbers from his acclaimed 2009 album The Bright Mississippi, demonstrating his love of jazz and what a magnificent left-handed pianist he was. “ Toussaint launches into “St. James Infirmary,” introducing it as “A tune that’s been floating around N’awlins forever, but it’s a wonderful song.”  A set high point is the funky anthem “Yes We Can Can,” with unity conscious lyrics that continue to resonate today. He closes the sparkling hour with a vivid, spoken word intro to “Southern Nights,” the title track of his acclaimed 1975 solo album, inspired by childhood memories of the Louisiana countryside where his Creole cousins lived.

photo by Scott Newton

Allen Toussaint setlist:

There’s A Party Going On

Medley:

A Certain Girl

Mother-In-Law

Fortune Teller

Working in the Coal Mine

Egyptian Fantasy

St. James Infirmary

Solitude

Yes We Can Can (w/We Are America intro)

Get Out of My Life Woman

Southern Nights

ACL’s Season 46 premiered in October 2020 with standout performances including 2021 Grammy nominees Rufus Wainwright and blues-soul luminary Ruthie Foster. In a year of profound loss, ACL saluted a trio of ACL greats we lost during 2020: legendary singer/songwriters John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver. Season 46 featured many must-see ACL debuts including UK country-soul sensation Yola, 1970s outlaw country legend Ray Wylie Hubbard, acclaimed Austin breakout singer-songwriter/guitar ace Jackie Venson and dynamic husband-and-wife Americana duo The War And Treaty. The diverse season also featured the return of rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks for the first time in two decades with their first-ever Spanish language album. ACL celebrated iconic acts that have made history on the ACL stage with special hourlong retrospectives: Stevie Ray Vaughan: 30 Years On, celebrating the blues-rock guitar giant on the 30th anniversary of his tragic death, a silver anniversary celebration of rock superstars Foo Fighters, a five-decade career retrospective of western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel and Best of Spoon, spotlighting the acclaimed Austin band, now one of modern rock’s premier bands. 

Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future Season 47 tapings, live streams and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

About Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 47th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.

Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com. 

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Featured News

ACL artists collect 2023 Grammy Award nominations

Brandi Carlile on Austin City Limits, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

Grammy season is upon us, as the nominations for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Tuesday. We’re proud to see so many of our featured artists and distinguished alumni rack up nominations. Our Season 48 opener Brandi Carlile received seven nods, including Album of the Year for In These Silent Days, Record of the Year, Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song for “You and Me On the Rock,” on which she collaborated with fellow 48ers Lucius, and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Broken Horses.” She showcased both nominated songs in her dazzling season premiere along with highlights from the celebrated album, which will encore on your local PBS station next year, check acltv.com for episode schedules.

Maren Morris on Austin City Limits, Oct. 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

We’re thrilled to showcase many of the nominees, including Maren Morris, Spoon and The War on Drugs, in full-hour performances in the second half of our Season 48, which will begin airing early next year, and the complete broadcast line-up will be announced in early December. Country star Maren Morris, who recently taped her first-ever ACL appearance, received a trio of nominations, including Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Circles Around This Town” and Best Country Album for Humble Quest. Austin-bred indie rockers Spoon received their first-ever nomination, Best Rock Album, for their acclaimed LP Lucifer On the Sofa. The War On Drugs scored a Best Rock Song nod for “Harmonia’s Dream” from their I Don’t Live Here Anymore.

Cimafunk on Austin City Limits, May 3, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

Current Season 48 standouts garnering accolades include Cuban sensation Cimafunk, who recently debuted on ACL in a performance for the ages, and received his first nomination (but surely not his last) for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for El Alimento, while genre-defying songstress Allison Russell got nods for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Prodigal Daughter,” her collaboration with singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan. ACL Hall of Famer Lyle Lovett picked up a nomination for Best Americana Performance for “There You Go Again” alongside his pals and fellow AC Hall of Famers Asleep at the Wheel.

Sheryl Crow sings “I Shall Believe” with Brandi Carlile, Brittney Spencer and Lucius’ Jess Wolfe during the 8th annual ACL Hall of Fame induction, Oct. 27, 2022. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Cheers to this year’s esteemed ACL Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Crow, who returns to the Grammys with a nom for Best American Roots Song for “Forever,” a new song from her acclaimed 2022 documentary Sheryl. Stay tuned for our upcoming ACL Hall of Fame broadcast featuring the nine-time Grammy winner, which airs early next year and features one-of-a-kind collaborations including Sheryl and Brandi Carlile.

Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits, 2015. Photo by Scott Newton.

Season 48 artists aren’t the only ones who need to clear space on their mantle, however. Season 41 standout Kendrick Lamar collected a whopping eight nominations, including Record, Song and Album of the Year, plus the four Rap categories and Music Video of the Year. ACL four-timer Miranda Lambert garnered four nominations, including Best Country solo performance for “In Her Arms,” a song she first performed on last year’s Season 47 season premiere alongside co-writers Jon Randall and Jack Ingram. Our friend and ACL Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt also scored four nods, including Song of the Year for “Just Like That” the title track from her acclaimed 2022 album. We here at the house that Willie built, are beyond thrilled to see Willie Nelson earn four nominations, including three in the Country field, proving that, at 89 years young, his career keeps rolling on.

Dolly Parton performs her ACL debut in 2000. Photo by Scott Newton.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. Our prestigious alumni who received multiple nominations include Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Rosalía, the Black Keys and Angelique Kidjo, while single nods were had by Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, Elvis Costello, the late Dr. John, Florence + the Machine, and far too many more to list here. We encourage you to check out the full list of nominations is here. Co-produced by ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will broadcast on Sunday, February 5, on CBS. Good luck to everyone nominated.

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ACL Artists at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards

Austin City Limits congratulates all the nominees for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. We’d like to give a special shout-out to the nominees who have appeared on ACL. Big high fives to roots rock powerhouse Brandi Carlile, who earned noms for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Album. And a hearty backslap once again to Kendrick Lamar, whose eight nominations include nods for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Rap Song (twice – one as a writer only) and Best Song Written for Visual Media.

We’re happy to be showcasing many of this year’s nominees during our current Season 44. Besides Carlile, we’ve already broadcast new episodes from Kacey Musgraves (Album of the Year, Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song, Best Country Album), St. Vincent (Best Rock Song, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Recording Package), John Prine (Best American Roots Song (twice), Best Americana Album), Janelle Monáe (Album of the Year, Best Music Video), Miguel (Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best R&B Song, Best Song Written for Visual Media) and Anderson East (Best American Roots Performance). Coming up next year in the second half of our season, we’ll have brand-new episodes featuring Willie Nelson (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Best American Roots Performance, Best Arrangement – Instruments and Vocals), Arctic Monkeys (Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Album) and Buddy Guy (Best Traditional Blues Album).   

 

photo by Scott Newton

Additional congrats go out to our ACL veterans who received nominations: Beck, Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges, Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Bettye LaVette, Vince Gill, Margo Price, David Byrne, Natalia Lafourcade, John Legend, Lee Ann Womack, Joan Baez, Ben Harper, Iron & Wine, Keith Urban, Boz Scaggs, Sufjan Stevens, Punch Brothers, The Milk Carton Kids and the Decemberists.

A full list of all nominees can be found here – good luck to them all. Co-produced by ACL executive producer, Terry Lickona, the 61st Annual Grammy Awards will telecast on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019.

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ACL artists at the 2018 Grammys

Austin City Limits congratulates all the nominees for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. We’d like to give special recognition to the nominees who have appeared on ACL. Big congratulations to Kendrick Lamar, a top contender with seven nominations. The Compton hip-hop trailblazer earned nods for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Album and Best Music Video.

We’re thrilled to be showcasing many of this year’s nominees during our current Season 43, stay tuned for new episodes and congratulations to Chris Stapleton, earning top honors with nominations for Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country/Solo Performance; LCD Soundsystem, for Best Dance Recording and Best Alternative Music Album; Father John Misty, for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package; Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song and Run the Jewels for Best Rap Song for their collaboration with Danger Mouse. You can see all of these artists’ brand new episodes in early 2018.  We’re also chuffed for fellow nominees whose episodes kicked off the first half of our 43rd season: Ed Sheeran, for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album; Miranda Lambert, for Best Country/Solo Performance and Best Country Song; and Zac Brown Band, for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Additional congratulations to the talented ACL veterans who received top nominations: Foo Fighters, for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song; Coldplay, for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; CeCe Winans for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song; the Allman Brothers’ Gregg Allman (R.I.P.) and the Mavericks, both for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song; Alison Krauss for Best Country/Solo Performance and Best American Roots Performance; The National, for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package; Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Best World Music Album and Best Children’s Album; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds for Best Music Film and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package and the late Leonard Cohen for Best Rock Album and Best American Roots Performance. We’re proud to note that four of the five noms for Best Alternative Music Album comes from ACL vets: Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Father John Misty and The National.

Shout-outs as well to Queens of the Stone Age, Sarah McLachlan, Beck, Arcade Fire, Juanes, The War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes, Reba McEntire, Blind Boys of Alabama, Rodney Crowell, Damian Jr. Gong Marley, Aimee Mann, Randy Newman, Robert Cray, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, Natalie LaFourcade, Portugal. The Man, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Iron & Wine, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Punch Brothers’ Noam Pikelny and the late Glen Campbell for their nominations.

A full list of all nominees can be found here – good luck to them all. Co-produced by ACL executive producer, Terry Lickona, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards will telecast on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018.

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ACL artists at the 2017 Grammys

Austin City Limits congratulates all the nominees for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. We’d like to give special recognition to the nominees who have appeared on ACL. Congratulations to Sturgill Simpson, whose latest LP A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is nominated for the top honor of Album of the Year, as well as Best Country Album; Iggy Pop, nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for Post Pop Depression, an album given its first full live airing on our show this season; Radiohead, who have nominations for both Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Album; Rhiannon Giddens, who gets nods for both Best Folk Album and Best Americana Roots Performance; Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban, who go head to head for Best Country Performance and Best Country Song (Urban also has a Best Country Album nod); the Avett Brothers, nominated for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Performance; and Austin’s own Sarah Jarosz, nominated for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Performance. Congratulation also to both Steve Martin and Cyndi Lauper, who are both nominated in the Best Musical Theater Album category for their scores for Bright Star and Kinky Boots, respectively, which may be a first for us. And we’d like to send a special congratulations to Alabama Shakes, who not only garnered a Best Rock Performance nod for “Joe,” but did it with a track recorded on our stage:

Congratulations also to the following ACL performers who nabbed nominations: Willie Nelson, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Loretta Lynn, Jesse & Joy, Blind Boys of Alabama, William Bell, Robbie Fulks, Jack White, Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Elvis Costello, Trey Anastasio, Andrew Bird, Bonnie Raitt, Leon Bridges and Coldplay. A full list of nominations can be found here.

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will telecast on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017.

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ACL artists at the 2016 Grammys

The nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards are out now, and we’re pleased to see that a number of Austin City Limits’ distinguished guests have received top honors. Congratulations to Kendrick Lamar with eleven nominations: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song (twice), Best Rap Album, Best Pop/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Dance Recording and Best Music Video (twice!). Also shout-outs to a number of Season 41 performers receiving well-deserved nominations, including Alabama Shakes, nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Courtney Barnett, for Best New Artist, Angélique Kidjo, for Best World Music Album, Leon Bridges, for Best R&B Album, Don Henley, for Best American Roots Song and James Taylor, for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Kudos as well to the following ACL veterans who landed nominations: Florence + the Machine, John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Punch Brothers, Foo Fighters, Buddy Guy, Bela Fleck, the Mavericks, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Jason Isbell, Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, The Milk Carton Kids, Mavis Staples, Brandi Carlile, Lee Ann Womack, Hayes Carll, Ralph Stanley, Shemekia Copeland, Bettye LaVette, Patty Griffin, Glen Hansard of the Swell Season, Rhiannon Giddens and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Congratulations to them all.

Go here to see in what categories all these artists are nominated, as well as all the nominees.

Stay tuned to ACL to catch stellar performances from some of these fine folks in action in the coming weeks – Alabama Shakes kick off the second half of our Season 41 with a return appearance on January 2, Kendrick Lamar on January 9, Angélique Kidjo on January 23, Leon Bridges on February 6 and Ed Sheeran on February 27.

And don’t forget – our own executive producer Terry Lickona is also co-producer of the Grammy telecast, as well as the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy, the Grammys’ parent organization. The Grammy Awards broadcast on February 15th – Good luck to Terry and all the nominees!