Petaluma Records released a new version of the Allen Toussaint-penned, Aaron Neville-recorded 1973 R&B/soul classic “Hercules.” Neville teamed up with Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more to record a new version of the song for the award-winning Martin Shore-directed documentary series Take Me To The River.
After focusing on Memphis in the first installment, Take Me To The River headed down the Mississippi for the second iteration “celebrating the rich musical history, the heritage, legacy, and influence of New Orleans and Louisiana,” as per a press release. Take Me To The River: New Orleans arrived in 2022.
As part of the doc, some of New Orleans’ most prominent musicians got together to record music for the soundtrack. The single “Stompin’ Ground” arrived in January 2022 and took home the Grammy for Best American Roots Performance earlier this year.
While “Hercules” didn’t make it onto the Take Me To The River: New Orleans soundtrack, it features the same cast as the Grammy-winning “Stompin’ Ground”: Aaron Neville, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville, Ian Neville, George Porter Jr., Eric Krasno, Terence Higgins, Fancy Clemons, Anjelika Jelly Joseph, Erica Falls and Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Greg Davis, Kirk Joseph, Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris, Efrem Towns and former member Big Sam Williams.
Produced by Krasno, Petaluma is now releasing the “Hercules” outtake in honor of the 50th anniversary of Aaron Neville’s original version. Watch the in-studio video below:
