May 4, 2026
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Since 1957, the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library have been standing up for the Library’s mission through sponsorship, fundraising, and advocacy work.
Meet Allay Earhart: Rapper, Library Worker, and Crescent City Sounds Artist
Marie Simoneaux
Marie is the media & communications coordinator for the New Orleans Public Library
Hurricane Katina made landfall in Louisiana on Alvin Harris’ 9th birthday, tearing his world apart and changing his city forever. Fifteen years later, August 29 would mark the day he buried his 13-year-old brother, Ahmad Brown, who died from a gunshot wound on August 14, 2020.
This year, as New Orleans commemorates the 20th anniversary of the storm, Harris will celebrate his 29th birthday at the Fillmore, where he will host a release party for his new album, “2005.”
“Most years, I chose not to celebrate, so this is going to be my first birthday party since Hurricane Katrina,” Harris said.
Harris is a rapper who performs as Allay Earhart, a tribute to another lost family member — his cousin, Sadiki Navarre.
“I grew up in the Calliope projects, which is split down the middle by Earhart Boulevard,” Harris said. “So, my name is significant because it’s where I grew up, but also because my cousin was murdered on that street in 2013. I decide to call myself Allay Earhart to pay homage to him, because he was one of the main people to really push me in the direction of music.”
His 2022 album “Great Habits, Great Heights,” is featured on Crescent City Sounds, a free streaming platform for local music created by the New Orleans Public Library, where Harris now works.
“The Crescent City Sounds project is actually what first made me interested in working with the Library,” Harris said. “I consider myself an avid reader, so I was always going to the Library to check out my books. One day, I was just curious and picked up a few brochures and flyers while I was there. When I saw that they were collecting submissions for this local music streaming service, I thought that was really cool, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
When “Great Habits, Great Heights” was picked by Crescent City Sounds curators during the platform’s second submission round in 2023, Harris said he was “honored to have my music attached to something bigger, and something so community minded.”
“Community is a big thing for me, it’s a big motivator,” he said. “Sharing this space with a collective of New Orleans musicians means so much more than just having an album on a big streaming service, where you get lost amongst millions of other artists. This is homegrown. It’s New Orleans. It’s something special.”
The title “Great Habits, Great Heights,” was inspired by the book “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, adding to the significance of the album being featured on a Library-built platform.
“It really feels like the right place for this album to be,” Harris said.
Library associate Joshua Smith helped bring Crescent City Sounds to life and has led the project since it launched in 2022. To Smith, Harris’ experience is exactly what Crescent City Sounds, and the Library as a whole, is all about — making connections in the community.
“Hearing Alvin’s album and adding it to Crescent City Sounds was great, but it is even better that the connection went further, and Alvin found his way to work with us and the community,” Smith said. “Alvin couldn’t be a better fit for the Library. He is a super chill and caring person, and it is a joy to see him working with our patrons. This experience perfectly illustrates what I hope to accomplish as a Library worker and as the steward of Crescent City Sounds.”
Harris described making music as “a lifelong process.” He points to his parents’ love of hip-hop and listening to soul music with his grandparents as key parts in that journey.
“My parents had me young, so I was raised both on their music and my grandparents’ music, which I think comes through in my music,” he said. “My sound is definitely Crescent City. It’s soulful, it’s heartfelt, it’s nostalgic. It’s refreshing.”
Alvin Harris Birthday
Alvin Harris celebrates a childhood birthday, before Hurricane Katrina -- which made landfall on his 9th birthday -- changed them forever.
Alvin Harris and Family
Alvin Harris and his parents, Tyesha Harris and Alvin "6th Ward Pook" Williams
Alvin Harris Birthday
Alvin Harris celebrates a childhood birthday, before Hurricane Katrina -- which made landfall on his 9th birthday -- changed them forever.
Alvin Harris and Dad
Alvin Harris and his father, Alvin "6th Ward Pook" Williams. The two are pictured together on the cover of his new album "2005," in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Alvin Harris and Dad
Alvin Harris and his father, Alvin "6th Ward Pook" Williams. The two are pictured together on the cover of his new album "2005," in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Alvin Harris "2005"
Alvin Harris, who performs as Allay Earhart, will celebrate the release of his album "2005," on Aug. 29 -- the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and his 29th birthday.
In addition to working at the Library and making music, Harris helps run VäKú, a community-driven arts, apparel, and music collective he started with a group of friends in 2013, while attending McDonogh 35 High School. After graduating, Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Dillard University.
Harris is excited to spend the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina surrounded by community, while celebrating his golden birthday and the release of “2005,” which he said may be his last album. On the cover is 9-year-old Harris, dehydrated, in his father’s arms. The photograph was taken by Michael Appleton for the New York Daily News outside the Superdome on Sept. 1, 2005. While the picture was cropped for the album, the full image shows Harris’ father carrying him past a row of armed National Guardsmen, as the family tries to leave the city without becoming separated.
“This album means a lot to me. It’s all about living in New Orleans before Katrina, and how 2005 really changed everything,” he said. “I’m proud of this work. I learned a lot while making it and I’m excited to see what’s next.”
For now, Harris said he’s focusing on living in the moment and is looking forward to going on his first cruise, which he’ll embark on a few days after his album drops.
“After that, I don’t know what the future will hold. Right now, I’m focusing on giving back to my community, working on myself, and making New Orleans a better place,” he said. “What I do know, is that 29 will be the year I finally start a garden, and you can quote me on that.”
Crescent City Sounds will add a new class of artists this winter. Submissions will be accepted from Sept. 3 through Oct. 7. Visit crescentcitysounds.org for more information.
May 1, 2026
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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate, we’re taking a look through our City Archives & Special Collections to honor the history and heritage of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the New Orleans area.
April 27, 2026
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View the winning entries of the 2026 Black History Month Art Contest.