Michael P. Smith

Photographer Michael P. Smith passed away last Wednesday [Note: it was Friday, not Wednesday]. It’s hard to overstate his importance as someone who documented and chronicled New Orleans’ music-related cultural practices. Mardi Gras Indians and second line photographs are almost cliches now, but they weren’t when he shot them. Many of his shots presented the image that we now hold in our minds of certain musicians. Certainly that’s the case with this shot of Professor Longhair. Go to his Web site for a generous sampling of his work.