Reed Alleman

Biography

Reed Alleman is a New Orleans-based singer/songwriter known for his locally inspired songwriting rooted in South Louisiana culture, performing along the Gulf Coast for over two decades. His music often tackles themes from his upbringing, including marsh and swampland destruction, Mississippi River refineries, Hurricane Katrina, and colorful local characters like radio personality Don Dubuc and fisherman Deadly Dudley, set against small towns such as Chipola, Sorrento, and Cocodrie. He shifts seamlessly to broader topics like soldiers at war in songs such as 'Fortunes Of War' and real-life narratives.[1]

Alleman's career includes performances at prestigious events like the New Orleans French Quarter Festival’s BMI Songwriters Stage, BMI’s Key West Songwriter’s Festival, and the Mississippi Songwriter’s Festival, as well as live broadcasts on WWOZ radio and interviews on WWL radio. He has released three CDs over the last decade, with songs featured in projects like the documentary 'The Sojourners' ('Life’s A Strange Game'), the Hurricane Hymns compilation ('Katrina'), and as the theme for the Don Dubuc Radio Show. Notable travels with the Gumbo Krewe post-9/11 to NYC and to Camp Lejeune for troops inspired 'Operation Gumbo Drop' and 'You Don’t Even Know Me,' covered by Time Magazine and Inside Northside Magazine. He performs solo and with the Reed Alleman Band at venues like Hard Rock Casino and Margaritaville, and is part of the Voices Of New Orleans songwriters group.[1]

His musical style blends Cajun influences with folk songwriting, evident in his Gulf Coast gigs and commitment to Louisiana stories, continuing to perform in the greater New Orleans area.[1][2]

Fun Facts

• Traveled with the Gumbo Krewe to NYC after 9/11, inspiring 'Operation Gumbo Drop,' and to Camp Lejeune for troops returning from Afghanistan, inspiring 'You Don’t Even Know Me'—stories covered by Time Magazine.[1]
• Wrote the theme song for the Don Dubuc Radio Show, broadcast on WWL 870 AM across over 30 states.[1]
• Performed eight times a week with Roger and the Playboys in the 1960s, including their own TV show on KLFY Channel 10 in Lafayette, and stopped after his wife's death in 1978 before returning in 1990.[2]
• Last public performance was a Roger tribute in October 2004 at the Liberty Theater in Eunice.[2]

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Roger and the Playboys - Fixture steel guitar player and Cajun crooner in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s ("KLFY Waltz," "Diga Ding Ding Dong," "Une Autre Chance," "Alida," "Lafayette Playboy Waltz," "OST Special") [1950s-1970s]
• Blackie Forestier - Reunited to perform together after hiatus [1990]
• Donald Thibodeaux and Cajun Fever - Reunited to perform together after hiatus [1990]
• Louisiana Cajun Heat Band - Reunited to perform together after hiatus [1990]
• Jambalaya Cajun Band - Performed in tribute concert (Tribute to Aldus Roger at Liberty Theater) [2002]

External Links

• Spotify