Toussaint McCall

Louisiana soul vocalist Toussaint McCall etched an unforgettable mark on 1960s soul with the languid, mournful 1967 single “Nothing Takes the Place of You.” He both composed the track and supplied its organ accompaniment; although his run of chart success proved brief, the recording endured on oldies playlists, surfaced in John Waters’ motion picture Hairspray, and inspired versions by Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Brook Benton, and numerous others. Later he turned to gospel while continuing to issue polished Southern soul outings that echoed the mood of his signature hit.

Born March 26, 1934, McCall spent his childhood in nearby Monroe as one of twelve children of Rev. D. L. McCall, who presided over a Baptist congregation in Delhi. During high school he began playing piano, quickly realizing the instrument improved his standing with female classmates, and soon supplanted his sister at the keyboard during Sunday services at his father’s church. After graduation he enrolled at Southern University in Baton Rouge to study education and kept refining his musical skills. Once coursework ended, he accepted a teaching post yet performed in neighborhood clubs whenever time allowed. At home he assembled a rudimentary studio where he wrote and taped original material.

In 1967 he composed “Nothing Takes the Place of You” and captured it there, singing and playing organ while friend Jimmy William supplied drums. Certain the song could succeed, McCall convinced a disc jockey at Shreveport’s KOKA-AM to air the tape; listener requests mounted rapidly, prompting Stan Lewis of Shreveport-based Jewel Records to offer a single deal. Released on Jewel’s Ronn subsidiary as “Nothing Takes the Place of You” b/w “Shimmy,” the record climbed to number five on the soul survey and reached number 52 on the pop chart. Ronn next issued “I’ll Do It for You” b/w “The Toussaint Shuffle,” which peaked at number 26 R&B and number 77 pop.

Eager to capitalize, the label rushed out the album Nothing Takes the Place of You and followed with five additional McCall singles between 1967 and 1969, none of which charted. In 1970 he appeared on Dore with “Sweet Tea” b/w “Mary.” Throughout the decade he cut several sides for Nu-Sound; after moving to Los Angeles he completed a second long-player, 1976’s Make Love to Me. Live work continued, though studio activity remained sporadic until 1988, when John Waters cast him in Hairspray, set amid teen life in 1960s Baltimore. On screen McCall performed “Nothing Takes the Place of You” to his own recording; attentive viewers observed the narrative unfolded in 1962, five years before the song’s actual release. The track also graced the movie’s soundtrack album, and that year McCall issued Help Me Pick Up the Pieces on his own LaSaint imprint. In 2010 LaSaint released For Lovers Only, which included a fresh rendition of “Nothing Takes the Place of You.” He maintained his gospel practice, returning to church organ duties and serving as featured accompanist on the Wesley United Methodist Church Choir’s album In Times Like These. In 2016 he received induction into the Northeast Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. McCall died August 7, 2023, at the age of 89.