Monk Boudreaux (born Joseph Pierre Boudreaux; 1941 in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, United States) is an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

musician and Big Chief of the Golden Eagles, a

Mardi Gras Indian Mardi Gras Indians (also known as Black Masking Indians) are black carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel. Collectively, their organizations are calle ...

tribe. He is widely known for his long-time collaboration with Big Chief Bo Dollis in The Wild Magnolias.

History

In the late 1960s, Boudreaux joined the Wild Magnolias, the Mardi Gras Indian group led by his Big Chief Bo Dollis. Dollis and Boudreaux have been close friends since their childhood. In 1970, Boudreaux appeared with the Wild Magnolias at the very first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and also in the same year, the group released the single "Handa Wanda" on Crescent City Records, the first studio recorded music by the Mardi Gras Indians. In 1974, he appeared with the Wild Magnolias on their debut album on Barclay/Polydor Records which featured Snooks Eaglin and

Willie Tee Wilson Turbinton (February 6, 1944 – September 11, 2007), professionally known as Willie Tee, was an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer and notable early architect of New Orleans funk and soul, who helped shape the sound of New ...

in the supporting musicians. Boudreaux is exclusively featured on Golden Eagles' album ''Lightning and Thunder'', a live recording released in 1988 on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

. After being with the Wild Magnolias for over 30 years, Boudreaux left the group in 2001 as a result of disputes with the group's manager over guarantee payments. Since then he has performed and recorded with artists such as Anders Osborne, Galactic and

Papa Mali Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne (born May 6, 1957) is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter who grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, and lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. His debut recording '' ...

aside from the Golden Eagles. Boudreaux with the Golden Eagles appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film '' Make It Funky!'', which presents a history of

New Orleans music The music of New Orleans assumes various styles of music which have often borrowed from earlier traditions. New Orleans, Louisiana, is especially known for its strong association with jazz music, universally considered to be the birthplace of th ...

and its influence on

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. They perform the Mardi Gras Indian standard "Sew, Sew, Sew". In the recent years, he has also 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 Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

among others. He is also featured on one track in the New Orleans Social Club's album ''Sing Me Back Home'' released in 2006. He currently performs regularly 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'' directed by Aaron Walker. The film is an intimate look at the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, following Boudreaux and several other Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs in the year before

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, through the storm and the years after. The documentary won best Louisiana feature at the New Orleans Film festival and a work-in-progress edit of the film won the Grand Prize and Intangible Culture Award at the Royal Anthropological Institute Festival of Ethnographic Film in Leeds, England. He was a recipient of a 2016 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Discography

Solo

*1988 ''The Golden Eagles/Lightning & Thunder'' (Rounder) *2002 ''Bury the Hatchet'' (Shanachie) with Anders Osborne *2003 ''Mr. Stranger Man'' (Shanachie) *2009 ''Rising Sun'' (featuring Reverend Goat Carson) (f. Boo Music) *2011 ''Won't Bow Down'' (f. Boo Music) *2021 ''Bloodstains & Teardrops'' (Whiskey Bayou Records)

With the Wild Magnolias

*1974 ''The Wild Magnolias'' (Barclay) *1975 ''They Call Us Wild'' (Barclay) *1990 ''I'm Back… at Carnival Time'' (Rounder) *1996 ''1313 Hoodoo Street'' (AIM) *1999 ''Life Is a Carnival'' (Metro Blue) *2002 ''30 Years .. And Still WILD!'' (spacing, punctuation, type case sic) (AIM)

Other

*1992 ''The Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday Showdown'' (Rounder) *2005 ''Voice of the Wetlands'' (Rykodisc) *2005 "Golden Crown" (vocals and wrote song) appeared on Tab Benoit's album ''Fever On The Bayou'' (Telarc) *2006 ''The New Orleans Social Club/Sing Me Back Home'' (Burgundy) *2007 '' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

) *2012 ''Rough Guide to the Music of New Orleans'' (World Music Network)

References

External links

* *
Home Of The Groove: Mardi Gras Indians

Voice of the Wetlands official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boudreaux, Monk Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans 1941 births American male singers Living people Singers from Louisiana National Heritage Fellowship winners Rounder Records artists Shanachie Records artists