“Me big chief, me got ’em tribe.
Got my squaw right by my side,
My flag boy just went by,
My spy boy he full of fire.
My whole tribe is having fun,
We gonna dance ‘till morning come.”—Earl King

Closely identified with Carnival, “Big Chief” was recorded by Professor Longhair and produced by Wardell Quezergue in 1964. It first saw the light of day as a two-part single on the local Watch label. While one would assume “Big Chief” was about the colorful Mardi Gras Indian...