Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. is an award-winning cultural performer, musician, and educator whose work preserves and promotes the rich cultural heritage of Mardi Gras Indians, a distinctly New Orleans tradition. Together with his band The Wild Magnolias, Dollis, Jr. combines reimaginings of classic songs – including Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” – with contemporary originals on their newest album, Chip Off the Old Block, due out June 13th on Strong Place Music. Merging the West African rhythms, funk, and jazz elements of Mardi Gras Indian music with the blues of Memphis, the album features all-star musicians including Archie “Hubbie” Turner and Rev. Charles Hodges of the iconic soul band Hi Rhythm, and Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph of Galactic and Tank and the Bangas.
Also known as Black Masking Indians, Mardi Gras Indians are culture bearers who are integral parts of indigenous and native Black New Orleans history and steeped in distinct musical roots, carnival revelry, intricate hand-sewn beaded and feathered suits, and generations of oral history. The culture was on full display during Super Bowl LIX, which was hosted in New Orleans and featured an official logo designed by Mardi Gras Indian Tahj “Queen Tahj” Williams. In recent years, Mardi Gras Indian funk bands like Cha Wa and The Rumble have earned GRAMMY awards and nominations. As Big Chief of the Mardi Gras Indian tribe The Wild Magnolias, Dollis, Jr. follows in the footsteps of his father Big Chief Bo Dollis, Sr., a progenitor of the Mardi Gras Indian funk sound. Dollis, Jr. began masking, or performing Mardi Gras Indian traditions with The Wild Magnolias, at age 10. In the decades since, he has led The Wild Magnolias on albums including A New Kind of Funk (2013) and My Name is Bo (2021).
Black Masking Indian culture is threatened by gentrification in New Orleans, forcing many of the beloved cultural performers to leave the neighborhoods in which their traditions were born due to rising costs of rent. Rising sea levels and soaring temperatures are further threatening the stability of the streets and communities in which Mardi Gras Indians parade and perform, an issue Dollis, Jr. is deeply invested in. In 2025, he will speak with students at Harvard University and Tulane University about the intersection of cultural preservation and climate justice.
Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the standout tune “Young Time Indians/Indian Red.” Brimming with cool, flowing funk grooves, the song finds Dollis, Jr. incorporating the sounds of the Mardi Gras Indians and second line culture into something that feels fresh and vibrant. The song bounces along like a parade with Indian chants, a delightful onslaught of tambourine, soul organ and keyboards, and sharp guitar licks. The groove is in the pocket while the band seems to be having one hell of a time. Lyrically, the song finds Dollis, Jr. honoring the past while also casting his sights on the future of this absolutely essential cultural tradition. It’s also just a downright damn good party tune.
Dollis, Jr. describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“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’ll never forget about you”.
LISTEN:
