Big Chief Theodore “Bo” Dollis, who led the Wild Magnolia tribe for
several decades and whose gritty voice helped introduce Mardi Gras
Indian music to a worldwide audience, has died. He was 71.
His death was announced Tuesday by the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame.
“It is with profound sadness that I must inform you of our newest
ancestor. Big Chief Theodore ‘Bo’ Dollis passed this morning,” reads a
message posted to the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page. “His wife, Big Queen
Laurita Dollis, has requested prayers for the family and his soul at
this time. Please honor her request and refrain from calls and text
messages as she prepares for his public life celebration.”
Dollis was born in New Orleans in 1944 and raised in Central City.
He was fascinated by the Indian tribes in his neighborhood from a young
age and masked for the first time at age 14. According to published
reports, Dollis made his suit at a friend’s home because he didn’t want
his family to know he had become involved with the Indians, who were
often associated with violence at the time.
He became chief of the Wild Magnolias in 1964 and held the position
until poor health led him to hand over the reins to his son, Gerard “Bo
Jr.,” a few years ago.
Dollis’ elaborate costumes and energy brought throngs of admirers to
watch his “gang” take to the streets on Super Sunday each March.
“When you saw him in his Indian suit, you saw a man truly in his
glory. He would electrify people around him,” said Dow Edwards, a “spy
boy” for the Mohawk Hunters tribe. “You could look at the eyes of the
people who were waiting, and you knew the ones who had been there before
because you could see the expectation that they had. There was
something special about him.”
A musical pioneer, Dollis expanded the reach of the Mardi Gras Indian
sound by recording traditional chants and blending them with funk and
rhythm-and-blues music. The Wild Magnolias performed at the first New
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970.
With Dollis as lead vocalist, the Wild Magnolias recorded several
albums, including “The Wild Magnolias” in 1974 and “They Call Us Wild”
in 1975.
“Bo Dollis created the soundtrack to Mardi Gras with the Mardi Gras
Indian sound,” Big Chief Juan Pardo of the Gold Comanche tribe said.
Dollis may be best known for his raw vocals, exemplified in the
Mardi Gras classic “Handa Wanda,” which opens with Dollis’ powerful
shout.
Dollis and the Wild Magnolias are credited with bringing the unique
sound of the Mardi Gras Indians to an international audience with
performances in London, Berlin and Nice, France. Dollis also led the
group in performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.
“He was the first to take Mardi Gras Indian music around the world,”
said Pardo, who now performs worldwide with an Indian band. “He
awakened the world to what was happening here in New Orleans with the
Mardi Gras Indian sound and basically laid a path. I could not do what I
go around the world to do had he not done what he’s done.”
Dollis was named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 2011.
He is survived by his wife and son.
Jaquetta White|
jwhite@theadvocate.com
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like —Bman’s Blues Report— Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! – ”LIKE”