Dan Charles Talbot

Dan was a dedicated church musician for his entire lifetime. He originally started playing for School Stations of the Cross in second grade while in school at Our Lady of Mercy. He accompanied church choirs and school choirs throughout the city. He became a full-time organist/choirmaster in sixth grade at Our Lady of Mercy. He played his first wedding at First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge while in third grade. He attended high school at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, graduating in 1970. He designed the new organ for Our Lady of Mercy in 1974 while attending LSU, graduating in 1975 with his Bachelor of Music. He had a piano and organ studio for 12 years. In 1989, Dan had the privilege of playing the famous Mormon Tabernacle organ, spending five hours practicing on the instrument. He also had the honor of demonstrating the organ at Rice University with the builder.

Dan substituted and played at many churches in Baton Rouge, frequently at First United Methodist Church Baton Rouge. Over the years, he played for the following Louisiana churches: Our Lady of Mercy (35 years), Episcopal Church of Ascension Lafayette (10 years), First Baptist Baton Rouge (22 years), St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (2 years). Dan retired in 2023 from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church after completing the organ project.

In addition to his passion as a musician, Dan was a lover of animals and his dogs Wolfgang “Wolfy”, Nate, Mikey, and Bruiser. Dan enjoyed dining out with friends, LSU sports, and bowling, having won awards for 3 perfect games.

A memorial service will be held on June 17th at 10am at First United Methodist Church in downtown Baton Rouge. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First United Methodist Church (Baton Rouge) music ministry fund.