Harold Brown is the founding member of the American funk band War, formed in 1969. He was the drummer, percussionist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader. Though the Los Angeles-based group has been silenced, initially with lawsuits, and now the passing of time as the group members have dispersed, few realize one of the founding members—Harold Brown—shares a deep affinity with New Orleans.

One of the first nationally (and interna...