RIP: Coco Robicheaux

New Orleans hoodoo bluesman Coco Robicheaux collapsed at his favorite haunt the Apple Barrel on Friday and died. To say I knew him is to way overstate it, but we did spend some time together on multiple occasions. The Apple Barrel is one of my favorite haunts as well and I have a tendency to either get there very early, or very late. Or, when the moon is properly aligned, both. One of the benefits of this is that I would often see Coco at the bar or on the bench outside and we'd get to chatting.

One time I had arrived in New Orleans a day or 2 before Charity and found myself at the Apple Barrel once again. I don't recall if it was way early or way late this particular evening, but I did notice Coco sitting at the end of the bar and said hello. We ended up talking & buying each other drinks. He had just flown in from playing a few shows in Germany and so was out of sorts with jet lag so thought he'd adjourn to the Apple Barrel.

And he kept sharing story after story with me. We talked for a very long time. And kept buying each other drinks. Finally I asked the bartender for a pen & some paper and looked at Coco and said, "Man... I'm not a reporter or anything, but I have to write some of this stuff down. Because I want to remember it tomorrow." And I still have that piece of paper that is titled "Notes With Coco" - it resides in my Soul Box.

The story I most clearly remember was when he, Jim Morrison & Jimi Hendrix were drinking an afternoon away in a San Francisco blues bar. And hippies would walk by and taunt the 3 of them by yelling, "Alcohol's an establishment drug!" Oh to have been sitting at the bar with him then...

Safe passages, Coco. In an often phony & superficial world, you were authentically & delightfully different. I am grateful for the time we spent together and at least I still have your music to go with some great memories. As the Times-Pic obituary article said:

Known for an especially gravelly voice, a swamp-blues guitar style and a fascination with subjects of a spiritual and/or mystical nature, Mr. Robicheaux lived an especially colorful life, even by the standards of a New Orleans musician.

Yep. Well done, Coco... You will be missed & I wish I could head down to your Second Line on December 12th. Am sure it will be a proper send-off for a New Orleans original.

Another good feature on Coco located HERE in which they discuss how Coco got to be featured in the lyrics to Dr. John's "Walk On Gilded Splinters."

And just stumbled across this nice remembrance site too which tells the story of how Coco hexed the bathroom door at the Apple Barrel.

"Goin' to make trouble wherever I can."