Celebrating the Birthday of Bo Dollis

Theodore Emile "Bo" Dollis was born in New Orleans on January 14, 1944, and grew up in Central City. While in high school, he secretly attended Sunday night Indian "practice" at a friend's house, following The White Eagles tribe, playing and singing the traditional repertoire. In 1957 he masked for the first time with The Golden Arrows, not telling his family of his involvement with the Indians. He made his suit at someone else's house and told his folks he was going to a parade. Hours later his father discovered him, having recognized his son in the street, underneath a crown of feathers. In 1964, Bo Dollis became Big Chief of The Wild Magnolias, having previously participated in other Mardi Gras tribes.

Bo Dollis' name is virtually synonymous with the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indian Tribe. Dollis’ talent is legendary, as he could improvise well and sing with a sweet voice, or a rough edge. Dollis’ childhood friend Monk Boudreaux, Chief of the Golden Eagles, has appeared with The Wild Magnolias since 1970. In that year, The Wild Magnolias recorded a single called "Handa Wanda," that, in addition to featuring their usual ensemble of vocalists and battery of percussion instruments, made history as the first time Mardi Gras Indians performed in the studio with a full band backing them up. The single found success in jukeboxes and through local word-of-mouth, if not on the radio, and ultimately led to a record contract. Two critically acclaimed full-length albums followed, in 1974 and 1975, and a single, "Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke it Right)", went to #74 on the Billboard Black Singles chart in 1974. 

In the late 1980s, The Wild Magnolias’ career got a boost from Allison Miner who booked them on new tours, along with signing them to Rounder Records, who released an album of theirs, I'm Back...at Carnival Time (featuring the ReBirth Brass Band) in 1990. In 1992, the Magnolias toured Europe as part of Willy DeVille's "New Orleans Revue", along with Dr John, Johnny Adams, and Zachary Richard. In 1999 they released Life is a Carnival, and with a permanent backing band, they embarked on worldwide tours. 2013's New Kind of Funk  marked the first Wild Magnolias record fronted by Dollis' son, Gerard "Bo Jr.," who also now serves as Big Chief of the tribe. Sadly Big Chief Bo Dollis died on January 20, 2015. Today we celebrate the birthday of this unique artist whose authentic music features prominently in the glorious fabric of New Orleans culture.

Photo: Derek Bridges

Celebrating the Birthday of Big Chief Tootie Montana

Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana was born in New Orleans on December 16, 1922, and was a New Orleans cultural icon who acted as the Mardi Gras Indian "Chief of Chiefs" for over 50 years. Tootie is revered in the Mardi Gras Indian culture as the Big Chief who is responsible for making the the culture of the Mardi Gras Indians about pageantry rather than violence.

In 1982 Tootie is quoted to have said that "Now, people run to the Mardi Gras Indians; back in the day, people would run from them". Montana is a recipient of a 1987 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Tootie continued to mask as Chief until 1998, when his son Darryl took over as Chief of The Yellow Pocahontas Tribe. At the age of 78, Tootie was the oldest continuously masking Mardi Gras Indian. In 1995 he stated, "I am the oldest, I am the best, and I am the prettiest". 

On June 27, 2005, Tootie was making a speech at the New Orleans City Council Chamber against the NOPD abuse of the Mardi Gras Indians, when he suffered from a heart attack that took his life. At his funeral, different tribes from across the city gathered to sing, dance and honor Tootie, the Big Creole Chief, the Chief of Chiefs. Today we commemorate the birthday of the Chief of Chiefs and his invaluable contributions to New Orleans culture.

Happy Birthday, Monk Boudreaux!

Monk Boudreaux, born Joseph Pierre Boudreaux in New Orleans on December 7, 1941, is the Big Chief of the Golden Eagles, a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. He is widely known for his long-time collaboration with Big Chief Bo Dollis in The Wild Magnolias, which he joined in the late 1960s. Dollis and Boudreaux were close friends since their childhood. In 1970, Boudreaux appeared with the Wild Magnolias at the very first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In that same year, the group released the single "Handa Wanda", the first studio recorded music by the Mardi Gras Indians. In 1974, he appeared with the Wild Magnolias on their debut album, which featured supporting musicians Snooks Eaglin and Willie Tee. Boudreaux is exclusively featured on Golden Eagles' 1998 live album Lightning and Thunder. In 2001, after 30 years with the Wild Magnolias, Boudreaux left the group. Since then, he has performed and recorded with artists such as Anders Osborne, Galactic and Papa Mali in addition to the Golden Eagles.

Boudreaux participated in the recording and tour of the Voice of the Wetlands All-stars, a band that also featured Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, and Dr. John among others. He is also featured on one track in Sing Me Back Home, the New Orleans Social Club's album released in 2006. In addition, he performs in New Orleans with John Lisi & Delta Funk, with whom he has also recorded. In 2010, Boudreaux appeared in the feature-length documentary Bury the Hatchet, which provides an intimate look at the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, following Boudreaux and several other Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs in the year before Hurricane Katrina, through the storm and the years after. In 2016, Boudreaux received a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. Today we celebrate the birthday of this unique New Orleanian! Happy Birthday Big Chief!

Photo: Masahiro Sumori

Happy Birthday, Dr. Michael White!

Jazz clarinetist, bandleader, composer, Jazz historian and musical educator Dr. Michael White was born in New Orleans on November 29, 1954, and he began his jazz musical career as a teenager playing for Doc Paulin's Brass Band. White is a classically trained musician who was discovered by Kid Sheik Colar while performing in Jackson Square in the French Quarter. He was a member of the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, played in the Young Tuxedo Brass Band since 1979, and led a band called The New Orleans Hot Seven during the 1980s.

In 1981, White founded The Original Liberty Jazz Band to preserve the musical heritage of New Orleans. The group has performed an end-of-year concert at the Village Vanguard every year since the early 1990s. He is a recipient of a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. White is also a college professor who teaches African-American Music at Xavier University of Louisiana, and, he holds the Rosa and Charles Keller Endowed Chair in the Humanities of New Orleans Music and Culture. He has also served as guest director at several Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts relating to traditional New Orleans jazz, often working with Wynton Marsalis. White has also served as a commissioner for the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.

White is a celebrated and accomplished musician, historian and educator who shares his many gifts with students and audiences alike. Let’s all join together today to wish him a very happy birthday wishes!

Photo: Derek Bridges

Happy Birthday, Doreen Ketchens!

Jazz clarinetist, singer, bandleader and music educator Doreen Ketchens was born in New Orleans on October 3, 1966, and performs Dixieland and Trad Jazz. Ketchens has performed at concert halls and music festivals, at U.S. Embassies, for four U.S. Presidents, and on Royal Street in the French Quarter with her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Ketchens is widely considered one of the cultural ambassadors of New Orleans and of the traditional music.

Ketchens grew up in the Tremé, studied clarinet in elementary school, played in high school in, and was accepted to NOCCA, Louisiana's Arts Conservatory in New Orleans. She attended Delgado Community College, Loyola University of New Orleans, Southern University In New Orleans, and the University of Hartford's The Hartt Schoolin. Ketchens worked her way through conservatories and college as a chef, and met her husband, arranger and sousaphonist for Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, Lawrence Ketchens at Loyola. 

Ketchens performed her first jazz gig with Lawrence in 1987, and ran a plate lunch eatery called "Doreen's Sweets" for a time. She and Lawrence saw musicians working the streets of New Orleans, and determined that they could make money doing that as well. The couple began performing on the streets of New Orleans in 1987 with her first band, the Jackson Square All-Stars. Their band evolved into "Doreen's Jazz New Orleans," and, after struggling with the chauvinism of traditional Jazz and club owners, they found their stride playing and entertaining crowds at street shows, Jazz festivals, and ultimately through direct sales of their music and videos on the Internet. Ketchens has been sharing traditional American Jazz in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, Russia and the United States. They have performed with programs sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and The US Department of State. Ketchens' group appears at Jazz Festivals in New Orleans and at music festivals, fairs, and showcases throughout the world.

Ketchens has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, Al Hirt, and Dr. John, and has been seen around the world by millions of people via media and fan videos of her performances. She has been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its music, and its heritage, and she has been seen on television in shows like HBO's Tremé. Ketchens embodies so much of what we love about New Orleans and its culture!

Photo by: Aris Vrakas

Celebrating the Birthday of Uncle Lionel Batiste 2/11

Jazz and blues musician and singer "Uncle" Lionel Batiste was born in New Orleans on February 11, 1931, and began his music career at the age of 11 playing bass drum with the Square Deal Social & Pleasure Club. He was the bass drummer, vocalist and assistant leader of the Treme Brass Band; known for his kazoo playing and singing as well, and has recorded a CD as a vocalist. He was an inspiration an role model to many young musicians. Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins called Batiste his "total influence," saying that Batiste "taught [him] how to act, how to dress, how to feel about life." Uncle Lionel was a New Orleans Legend who led many second line parades throughout the city and around the world, including Europe and Africa. In 2003, he became the first African American King of Krewe Du Vieux, a parading krewe known for showcasing many of New Orleans' best brass bands, as well as for its wild satirical and adult themes. Sadly, he passed away on July 8, 2012, but his influence lives on.

Photo: Infrogmation