Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2009 - (Page 45) “I always take the train cause I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere.” — Nellie Lutcher by Delma McLeod-Porter Internationally-known jazz and blues diva, Nellie Lutcher preferred to take li e steady a n slow. Born in Lake Charles, on October 15, 1912, Nellie f d Lutcher moved through life purposefully, gracefully — and musically. Despite the challenges she faced becoming a successful performer, Nellie was driven by her belief in herself. Nellie’s mantra for success gave purpose t oher life: “First, find what you have a natural flair for. If you like it — stick with it and give it all you have.” The oldest surviving child of Isaac and Susie Lutcher, Nellie set her sights on a music career when she was still in rompers. Tempted by the family piano that her mother managed to buy on “time,” Nellie developed an ear for music before she could read or write. By the time she was eight years old, Nellie was earning $2 a month as assistant pianist at the New Sunlight Baptist Church. Sitting on a stack of books in order to reach the keyboard, Nellie began her music career playing hymns during Sunday school. Nurtured by her mother’s and father’s love of music, Nellie’s natural gifts as a musician were developed by her mentor and teacher, Eugenia King Reynaud. Isaac and Susie Lutcher provided a safe and disciplined home for Nellie and her nine brothers and sisters. Isaac worked at the Houston Packing Company to support his family, and Susie stayed home to care for her children, occasionally taking in washing to supplement the family income. Nellie’s talent and love of music came to her naturally. Isaac, affectionately known as Skinner, was a talented musician himself, playing string instruments, specializing in the bass violin. Performing locally on weekends and holidays with Clarence Hart’s Imperial Jazz Band, Isaac introduced Nellie to the art form she grew to love — jazz. Filled with music and dancing, the Lutcher home also produced Joe, Nellie’s younger brother, who played saxophone, James who played trumpet “a little while,” and Charlie, who briefly played bass violin like his father Isaac before becoming the first black disc jockey in Lake Charles. Although Susie Lutcher was not keen on Nellie’s picking up the jazz that her father loved, with a little encouragement from Isaac, she came to appreciate Nellie’s God-given talent and managed to ignore those who said that “jazz was the work of the devil” and that Nellie “was going straight to hell” for playing jazz music. Although the chronology is a little fuzzy, Nellie came into her own as a pianist by the time she was twelve. Continuing to play hymns at church on Sunday, she began to play with the Imperial Jazz Band, and, once the community heard of her talent, she began playing at local house parties and at the Majestic Hotel. In a personal interview with Elaine St. Mary in 1987, Nellie reminisces about her experiences entertaining guests at the Majestic playing “The Blue Danube Waltz”: “I can see myself going there now as a little girl because Mrs. [Emma] Michie, who was a very charming, wonderful lady used to send for me. My, we didn’t even have a telephone at the time, but she would send one of the guys from the hotel. and said ‘Tell Susie you want Nellie to entertain our guests.’ Well now at that time I must have been about 12 and 13 years old. Maybe a little younger than that even. But I would sit there and I could play well enough to play for her guests.” Spring 2009/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 45
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