The Hawketts were an American
R&B combo from
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
who are best known for their 1954 recording of "
Mardi Gras Mambo
"Mardi Gras Mambo" is a Mardi Gras-themed song written by Frankie Adams and Lou Welsch. The song's best known version was recorded in 1954 by the Hawketts, whose membership included Art Neville, a founding member of the Meters and the Neville ...
", a song that has become an iconic classic of the New Orleans
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
celebration.
The band's members hailed from the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
community in New Orleans, Louisiana, and were all teenagers when they recorded the 1954 song written by Frankie Adams, Ken Elliot and Lou Welsh.
Their membership consisted of
Art Neville
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...
on lead vocals and piano, who was only sixteen years old at the time of the recording, and would later gain fame in
the Meters and
the Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
History
The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1 ...
, George Davis on alto sax, Alfred August on guitar, Israel Bell on trumpet, August Fleuri on trumpet, Carroll Joseph on trombone, Morris "Moe" Bachemin on tenor sax, and
John Boudreaux
John Mortimer Boudreaux, Jr. (December 10, 1936, New Roads, Louisiana – January 14, 2017, Los Angeles) was an American drummer who was active in jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues idioms.
Early Years
Boudreaux moved to New Orleans at age ten or ...
on drums.
The band had no bass player.
According to drummer John Boudreaux, "We didn't know that a band was supposed to have a bass player."
The song they recorded reflects
rhumba and
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
influences in early New Orleans R&B.
Membership
*
Art Neville
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...
(lead vocals and piano)
*George Davis (alto sax)
*Alfred August (guitar)
*Israel Bell (trumpet)
*August Fleuri (trumpet)
*Carroll Joseph (trombone)
*Morris "Moe" Bachemin (tenor sax)
*
John Boudreaux
John Mortimer Boudreaux, Jr. (December 10, 1936, New Roads, Louisiana – January 14, 2017, Los Angeles) was an American drummer who was active in jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues idioms.
Early Years
Boudreaux moved to New Orleans at age ten or ...
(drums)
Discography
45 rpm
*"Mardi Gras Mambo" b/w "Your Time's Up" (Chess, June 1954)
References
External links
*
Interview with Art Nevilleat OffBeat.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawketts, The
Musical groups from Louisiana
Musical groups established in the 1950s
American rhythm and blues musical groups