"FOO FIGHTERS" DAVE GROHL SEEKS THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN MUSIC FOR A PROJECT THAT BROUGHT HIM TO NEW ORLEANS, WHERE "60 MINUTES" CATCHES HIM MAKING A LITTLE HISTORY

Windows in Preservation Hall are Opened for a Performance for First Time in 60 Years

It was a memorable night in New Orleans' French Quarter. There was rock and roll being played in the city's revered jazz temple, Preservation Hall. And you could hear it on St. Peter's Street because all the windows were opened wide so anybody could enjoy the show � a gesture not made in 60 years. It was Foo Fighters, playing their raw rock in the birthplace of jazz to the amazement of hundreds of passersby. 60 MINUTES cameras and Anderson Cooper were there to capture the moment for a profile of the popular band and its guitarist and lead singer, Dave Grohl, to be broadcast on Sunday, Oct. 26 (7:30-8:30 PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Watch an excerpt.

Grohl and bandmates Taylor Hawkins (drums), Nate Mendel (bass), Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett (guitars) were in New Orleans, considered the birthplace of jazz, for an HBO documentary series he is directing called "Sonic Highways," which focuses on the musical heritage of eight American cities. He and the band spend a week in a city and talk to local musicians. "There's a reason why Chicago blues sounds like Chicago blues. And there's a reason why jazz music is here, in New Orleans," says Grohl.

"When I interview these people, I get them to explain not only the history of the city but the influence that that has on the music that comes from here," he tells Cooper. "It could be anything."

Before he started Foo Fighters, Grohl played drums in Nirvana, the legendary and influential Seattle band that ended when its lead singer, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide in 1994. The weather influenced them, says Grohl. "In Seattle, it rains all the time, so people stay in their basements and write songs."

The documentary series was not just a way for Grohl to share his take on America's unique musical heritage and revisit his own musical journey, but also helped him write the songs for Foo Fighters' eighth studio album, also called Sonic Highways. In New Orleans, he was inspired to write a song referencing the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina and the history of jazz after talking to local musicians such as Troy Andrews, better known as Trombone Shorty. 60 MINUTES cameras and Cooper were there while Grohl recorded his vocal track for the song, "In the Clear," just an hour after finishing writing lyrics for it. The song is expected to be released next month.