Reggie Scanlan

Reggie Scanlan
File:ReggieScanlan.jpg Reggie Scanlan playing live with The Radiators (South Florida 11-12-2005) Photo by Brian O'Hagan
Background information
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana
Occupation(s)	Musician, photographer
Instruments	Bass guitar
Associated acts	The Radiators, Professor Longhair, The New Orleans Suspects

Reggie Scanlan is a bass guitar player and photographer from New Orleans, Louisiana and a founding member of swamp rock band, The Radiators.

According to Matthew Haggman of radio station WWOZ in New Orleans, "In the early seventies Scanlan made enough of a name for himself as a bassist to record with James Booker at Sea Saint studios under the auspices of Allen Toussaint ... Booker, however, was both eccentric and unproductive. Toussaint, doing the session on spec, called it off and Booker lost the session tapes in a cab."

In 1974, Scanlan got an opportunity to jam with legendary New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair (aka "Fess"). In 1977, Scanlan was invited to join Fess's band, and he toured with Fess until the end of the year, when most of the band was replaced. During that time Scanlan and guitarist Dave Malone were in a band called Road Apple. In January 1978 Ed Volker invited both men to jam with Camile Baudoin and Frank Bua, Jr. who were members with him in a band called The Rhapsodizers. The jam lasted for about 5 hours and at the end of the session The Radiators were born. Reggie's photography is the cover art for two of the Radiators albums, New Dark Ages and Bucket of Fish.

With the break-up of the Radiators in June 2011 Reggie formed, and is currently touring with, the New Orleans Suspects.

References

• Playing With Fess: A Three Part Series on Musicians Who Played with Professor Longhair, Part 1 at the Wayback Machine (archived June 29, 1998) by Matthew Haggman, Fess Biographer, on New Orleans radio station WWOZ Website, via the Wayback Machine
• Born on the Bayou, an autobiographical essay by Camile Baudoin of The Radiators