Talented blues and jazz singer Alton "Big Al" Carson was born on October 2, 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Talented blues and jazz singer Alton "Big Al" Carson was born on October 2, 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the urging of his mother and grandmother, Big Al started his blues journey by learning to play the trumpet while attending William O. Rogers Elementary School. He later attended Xavier University in New Orleans where he studied music under accomplished New Orleans musician Walter Payton.
While attending Xavier University, Big Al began performing professionally with a succession of brass bands, relationships that would endure well into the 90s when he finally gave up marching. One of the first was with the famed Doc Paulin and then the Treme Brass Band. As Big Al recalled "I remember when Benny Jones [snare drummer] broke from the Dirty Dozen[wherein he was a charter member] and formed the Treme with his uncle, Lionel Batiste. Sometimes, it would be just the four of us--Lionel on bass drum, George Johnson on trumpet, Daryl Adams on saxophone, and I--out on the streets on mornings and afternoons playing for tips."
After graduating from Xavier University in 1972, he was well known all over the South for playing tuba in parades and second line for many years-even while he headlined his own band as singer and songwriter at various local clubs. "Big Al" Carson formed his first R&B group, Better Half, in 1974 and local R&B outfit Rare Blend (later Rare Connexion) during the 1980's were they regularly performed Saturday nights at the Fourth Edition club. Currently, lead singer of The Bluemasters, Big Al sings with his band "The Bluemasters" at the Funky Pirate on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans several nights a week.