Allen Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American
musician,
songwriter,
arranger and
record producer, who was an influential figure in
New Orleans R&B from the 1950s to the end of the century, described as "one of popular music’s great backroom figures." Many other musicians recorded Toussaint's compositions, including "
Java", "
Mother-in-Law", "
I Like It Like That", "
Fortune Teller", "Ride Your Pony", "Get Out of My Life, Woman", "
Working in the Coal Mine", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", "
Here Come the Girls", "
Yes We Can Can", "
Play Something Sweet", and "
Southern Nights". As a producer, his credits included
Dr John’s hit "Right Place, Wrong Time" and
Labelle's "
Lady Marmalade".