The Wild Magnolias
The Wild Magnolias | |
|---|---|
| Members | Theodore "Bo" Dollis June Yamagishi Norwood "Geechie" Johnson Gerard "Little Bo" Dollis Queen Rita |
| Past members | Monk Boudreaux |
| Website | Wildmagnolias.net |
The Wild Magnolias are a
History
Origins
A group calling itself the Wild Magnolias, participating in the local "
In 1964, Bo Dollis became Big Chief of the group, having previously participated in other
1970s: Commercial peak
In 1970, the group cut a
"Here's some Mardi Gras music a little louder and jammier than we expect from Tee's Crescent City rival Allen Toussaint. In fact, it's the most boisterous recorded party I know, two sides of dancing fun that wears down only slightly as it slips into 'Saints.' This is not only what I always wanted the polyrhythm kids on the bandstand and benches of Tompkins Square Park to sound like, it's also what I always wanted Osibisa and the Ohio Players and maybe even the Meters to sound like."[3]
At the height of the group's popularity, they booked dates at Carnegie Hall[1] and the Capital Centre in Washington, D.C. Polydor elected not to release the second album stateside, which would not see release in America until 1993. The group returned to New Orleans and local festivals.
1980s–2000s
In the late 1980s,
In 2001, Boudreaux left the group as a result of disputes with the group's manager over guarantee payments.[5]
In 2007, the group's two 1970s albums were re-released as a two-disc set with bonus materials on
In 2011, Dollis was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[6]
2013's New Kind of Funk LP marked the first Wild Magnolias record fronted by Dollis' son, Gerard "Bo Jr.," who also now serves as Big Chief of the tribe. The LP also brought Monk Boudreaux back into the Magnolias fold, following Dollis' successful reclamation of The Wild Magnolias' trademark from his former manager.[7] Boudreaux continues to occasionally perform with the group.
Big Chief Bo Dollis died in January 2015.[8]
Members
- Current members
- Norwood Johnson – percussion
- Gerard "Little Bo" Dollis ("Big Chief") – vocals
- Queen Rita – vocals
- Former members
- Theodore "Bo" Dollis("Big Chief") – vocals, background vocals, tambourine
- Monk Boudreaux – vocals, background vocals, congas
- Billy Iuso – guitar
- Joe Gelini - drums
- June Yamagishi – guitar
- Willie Tee – background vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Snooks Eaglin – guitar
- Adam Crochet - guitar, vocals
- Earl Turbinton, Jr. – soprano sax, alto sax, alto clarinet, bass clarinet
- Alfred "Uganda" Roberts - congas
- Tom Worrell - keys, vocals
- Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste - drums
- George French - electric bass
- Bill Richards - electric bass, vocals
- Julius Farmer – electric bass
- Norwood "Geechie" Johnson - bass drum
- June Johnson, Jr.
- Washington "Bubba" Scott - background vocals, tambourine, triangle
- Gator June - background vocals, tambourine
- Crip Adams - background vocals, cowbell, tambourine
- Johnny "Quarter Moon" Tobias - background vocals, tambourine, whistle
- Tobias Johnson
- Ervin Charles - electric bass
- James Smothers - background vocals, bongos, congas
- Larry Panna – drums
- Leonard "Gate" Johnson – background vocals, tambourine
- George "Little Georgie" Rossi – background vocals, piano
Discography
- "Handa Wanda" 7" single (Crescent City, 1970)
- The Wild Magnolias (Barclay/Polydor, 1974)
- They Call Us Wild (Barclay, 1975)
- I'm Back...at Carnival Time (Rounder, 1988)
- Super Sunday Showdown (collaboration with Mardi Gras Indians and Dr. John, 1991)
- 1313 Hoodoo Street (AIM Records, 1996)
- Life is a Carnival (Capitol/Metro Blue, 1999)
- 30 Years and Still Wild (Pony Canyon, 2002)
- They Call Us Wild re-release (with The Wild Magnolias and bonus material, Sunnyside, 2007)
- A New Kind of Funk (One More Time, 2013)
- Wild Side(s): 2015-1991 (2015, independent release)
References
- ^ a b c "Bo Dollis: Mardi Gras Indian Chief". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Billboard singles, Allmusic.com
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ See Marcus, Richard (2006) “Interview: Willy DeVille.” Archived September 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Leap in the Dark (a blog). Archived March 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lone Monk (Best of New Orleans Article) Archived 2008-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2011". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Big Chief Bo Dollis Reclaims Wild Magnolias Totem (Offbeat article)
- ^ Scott, Mike (May 15, 2018). "The voice that launched Mardi Gras Indian culture into the outside world". The Times-Picayune. NOLA.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
External links
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