Culture bearer Chief Bo Dollis Jr. will release his newest track “Young Time Indians/Indian Red,” from his upcoming album with The Wild Magnolias, Chip Off the Old Block, out June 13 on Strong Place Music. Chip Off the Old Block masterfully combines the West African rhythms, funk and jazz influences of Mardi Gras Indian music with the deep, soulful blues of Memphis. The album features all-star musicians including Archie “Hubbie” Turner, Rev. Charles Hodges and Leroy Hodges of legendary soul “house band” Hi Rhythm Section (plus latest addition Lina Beach on guitar). The album also highlights Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph.
On “Young Time Indians/Indian Red,” Bo Dollis Jr. expresses deep pride for his Mardi Gras Indian culture and honors his unique community. He told Glide magazine, “’Young Time Indians/Indian Red’ is a very special tribute of true stories about some of the fallen young Indians we’ve lost in various ways that I grew up with. It’s my way of saying “we will never forget about you.” The song echoes the values of tradition and cultural storytelling while simultaneously reclaiming them for a new generation.
Mardi Gras Indians are cultural stewards, deeply rooted in the indigenous and Black history of New Orleans. Also known as Black Masking Indians, Mardi Gras Indians are integral to indigenous and native Black New Orleans history, steeped in distinct musical roots, carnival revelry, intricate hand sewn beaded and feathered suits, and generations of oral history. Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. took the reins as The Wild Magnolias’ new Big Chief when his father, Big Chief Bo Dollis Sr. passed away in 2015. On April 19, Sr. was honored in New Orleans with a street naming, at the intersection of Jackson Ave and Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, which was named for the New Orleans civil rights activist. Dollis Jr. received the proclamation, a figurative passing of the torch as Jr. continues the grand customs and institutions passed down from his father.
Produced by Take Me to the River: New Orleans GRAMMY winners Boo Mitchell, Martin Shore and Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Chip Off the Old Block was recorded in New Orleans (Number C Studio) and Memphis (Royal Studios). Shore notes, “In working with Bo Dollis Jr. on Take Me to the River New Orleans, I imagined him collaborating with the best soul rhythm section in the world, the Hi Rhythm Section. It was the perfect intersection of Louisiana funk and Memphis soul.” Check out Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & The Wild Magnolias’ latest single below.
