......... ... I first met Albert Broussard when he was getting his photo taken for a magazine; Synde Byrd a popular local photographer had invited me along to met Al. Al was ninety five years old when I met him and he was playing the piano at the Tirco club on 711 Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Al would arrive at 12 midnight and play to about 3 in the morning. He would play for the Bourbon street crowds that would drift in and out as they made their way thought the many bars on the block. He really loved to play and worked at the 711 bourbon street for over 17 years.

.............. After the photo shoot we all sat down and had drink , I made arraignments with Al to met up with him the next day. The Next day I met Al and we went down to the Italian Restraint on the corner and sat and talked for a while about his life. He told me story's about how he got started playing the piano and how his mother keep him in line. Al played in the infamous storyville district and lived in the federal housing for over 50 years after they tore down storyville and built the projects.

.............He did not always make his living playing the piano, in the 1930 he sold newspapers, ran numbers and bet on the horses. One thing that Al talked about was that he was a sharp dresser and always wore a nice suit, he had his own style and was quit a lady's man. It was hard to make a living playing music so he collected scrap metal with his uncle. He would collect scrap on his own too and built up a scrap business into one of the biggest junk yards in the Louisiana.

............ A great story he told me; during " World War two " scrap metal was valuable and people were stealing from him so he would sleep in a shack at the junk yard. One night he was in the shack and he heard voices in the distance so he went out to see what was up ! bringing along with him a 12 gauge just incase. He snuck around and saw in the distance a couple of men wearing black suits trying to tamper with the rail road tracks, one of the men spotted him and started shooting ! He dove to the ground got his composure and fire his shot gun.... he say's he hit one and the others ran off. He knew this was not just some thieves trying to steel some copper these men where trying dislodge one of the rail road tracks to derail the train. A few mins later a train with window blacked out windows came barreling down the track about 90 miles. The FBI came to talk to Al and told him that trian was a troop transport train and the troops where on their way to Germany.

Below is a Video Documentary Segment of Al Broussard