Pete Fountain

Pete Fountain – Life, Career, and Selected Quotes

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Pete Fountain (1930–2016) was a beloved American jazz clarinetist from New Orleans. Dive into his life, musical journey, style, influence, and memorable insights in this comprehensive biography.

Introduction

Pete Fountain (born Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr.; July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016) was one of the most recognizable and commercially successful jazz clarinetists of his generation. His warm, fluid tone and New Orleans style made him a musical ambassador of Dixieland and traditional jazz well beyond his hometown. Fountain combined showmanship, deep respect for jazz tradition, and a lifelong devotion to the city and culture that shaped him. In this article, we explore his early life, artistic development, major milestones, legacy, and some of his statements that reflect his spirit and outlook.

Early Life and Roots

Pete Fountain was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 3, 1930. His birth name was Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr., and his family name was later Anglicized to “Fountain.” He was raised in the Mid-City area, in a Creole-style frame house on White Street between Dumaine and St. Ann. His father, Pierre Sr. (sometimes called “Red”), was a delivery truck driver and part-time musician.

As a child, Fountain suffered respiratory problems and repeated lung infections. On the advice of a doctor, his parents purchased a wind instrument for him to play—part therapeutic exercise, part hope for recovery. He chose the clarinet. Initially he could not coax a sound, but he persisted, gradually developing breath control and improving his health in the process.

Fountain’s early musical influences included Benny Goodman for his technical clarity and Irving Fazola for his mellow New Orleans clarinet tone. He would often listen to records of those musicians and attempt to emulate them.

By his teenage years, Fountain was already gigging in nightclubs on Bourbon Street and in local bands.

Musical Career and Achievements

Early Ensembles & Rise in New Orleans

In 1950, Fountain co-founded The Basin Street Six with his friend George Girard (trumpeter). That group played traditional New Orleans jazz and helped him gain local recognition.

After the Basin Street Six disbanded in the mid-1950s, Fountain briefly moved to Chicago to play with the Dukes of Dixieland, before returning to New Orleans. In New Orleans, he also performed with trumpeter Al Hirt and other local groups.

National Exposure & Television

In 1957, Fountain was recruited to join The Lawrence Welk Show as a featured soloist. He made many solos on the popular ABC television series, which brought him national exposure. His time with Welk lasted about two years; tensions arose over musical style differences, famously when he “jazzed up” a Christmas carol and reportedly drew Lawrence Welk’s displeasure.

After leaving the show, Fountain focused on his own path.

He also appeared frequently on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson—some sources say around 58 times.

He performed at the White House for four U.S. presidents and played for Pope John Paul II at a papal mass in 1987.

Establishing His Own Domain

Fountain opened a jazz club in New Orleans in the French Quarter, which became a hub for performances and visitors. Later, he acquired Pete Fountain’s Jazz Club at the Riverside Hilton in downtown New Orleans. Over the years, he played regularly in his home city, becoming a fixture and local cultural icon.

He also performed in Mississippi (at times in Bay St. Louis), though his home remained New Orleans.

Style, Tone, & Discographic Output

Pete Fountain was known for a sweet, fluid, woody tone on the clarinet. His signature sound was partly due to his long use of crystal mouthpieces, inherited after Irving Fazola’s death.

Though rooted in Dixieland and traditional jazz, many of his albums ventured into more popular, instrumental-pop territory. Over his career, he released more than 100 LPs/CDs under his name and participated in many more. Some of his albums earned gold status, including Pete Fountain’s New Orleans, The Blues, and Mr. New Orleans.

One notable collaboration was with singer Brenda Lee: the 1968 album For the First Time, credited to “Brenda and Pete,” featured Fountain’s clarinet alongside Lee’s vocals.

Honors & Later Years

• In 2006, Fountain underwent heart bypass surgery but continued performing thereafter.

• In March 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree from Loyola University New Orleans.

• That same year, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

• Fountain passed away of heart failure in his home city of New Orleans on August 6, 2016, at age 86.

Legacy and Influence

Pete Fountain’s impact is felt in multiple dimensions:

• Cultural Ambassador of New Orleans Jazz
  Even after national fame, Fountain remained tied to New Orleans. His frequent performances in the city and dedication to its musical tradition reinforced his status as a musical icon of the Crescent City.

• Bridging Traditional and Popular
  Fountain brought traditional jazz sounds into more mainstream listening spaces. He proved that jazz clarinet could appeal broadly, not only to jazz purists.

• Extensive Discography
  His voluminous recorded output assures his presence in historical and contemporary listening libraries.

• Inspirational Tone & Technique
  His tone—warm, lyrical, expressive—has been studied and admired by clarinetists and jazz musicians. The story of using the clarinet to recover his lungs adds a poignant dimension to his artistry.

• Local Legend, Enduring Memory
  Dates like “Pete Fountain Day” and continued local reverence confirm that beyond the national stage, his legacy remains woven into the cultural fabric of New Orleans.

Personality & Approach

Fountain was known as warm, affable, and engaging in performance—a showman who respected the music but also delighted in connecting with audiences. He once quipped that he left The Lawrence Welk Show because “champagne and bourbon don’t mix,” reflecting both humor and a refusal to be molded artistically.

He maintained a humility about his artistry, often grounding his performances in the traditions he loved rather than seeking radical reinvention.

Despite health struggles, he persisted in performing well into advanced age, indicating a deep commitment to his music and to audiences.

Selected Quotes & Aphorisms

While Pete Fountain was less quoted than some artists, a few remarks capture his spirit:

“Champagne and bourbon don’t mix.”
(This was his humorous explanation for leaving The Lawrence Welk Show when asked to tone down his jazz style.)

“You can leave New Orleans, but it never leaves you.”
A reflection on how deeply the city shaped him and how his identity stayed rooted in his hometown.

These brief lines hint at his blend of wit, loyalty, and musical conviction.

Lessons from Pete Fountain

1. Stay true to your roots
   Fountain never abandoned New Orleans as his musical home. His lasting identity and authenticity derived from his grounding in place and tradition.

2. Let adversity be fuel
   His early health struggles were transformed into motivation; the clarinet, intended to improve his lungs, became his voice.

3. Bridge rather than isolate genres
   Fountain balanced genre purity with popular appeal, showing that tradition and broad appeal need not be in conflict.

4. Endure for the long term
   His decades of performance, recording, and local engagement show that consistent dedication often outlasts flashier trends.

5. Humility, humor, and humanity matter
   His light-hearted quips, grounded stage presence, and respect for listeners remind us that artistry is not only about prestige but connection.

Conclusion

Pete Fountain remains a compelling figure in American jazz: charismatic, masterful, and devoted to his musical home. His clarinet voice evoked the spirit of New Orleans, translating it into concert halls and living rooms across the country. While his name may not always be front-of-mind today, his recordings, influence, and local legend continue to echo. For those curious, I can also prepare a recommended listening guide to his best albums or contrast his style with other jazz clarinetists like Benny Goodman or Irving Fazola. Would you like me to do that next?