With the Saints first home game scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Tipitina’s is the place to be on Saturday night for amazing night of live music and to support a great cause. The event is a fundraiser for the Bo Dollis, Sr. (pictured above) Memorial Fund of the New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation. A huge roster of musicians and special guests will be on hand.
The Wild Magnolias, the groundbreaking band founded by Dollis Sr., and now fronted by his son, Gerard “Bo” Dollis, Jr., are the headliners. Poet and spoken word artist Chuck Perkins is the Master of Ceremonies.
The Bo Dollis, Sr. Memorial Fund was set up in conjunction with the New Orleans Musician’s Clinic to support the health needs of the black Indian community of New Orleans. The Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans are iconic culture bearers who have struggled for decades with health care. The proceeds from the show go to the Bo Dollis, Sr. Memorial Fund, which has been established by the Dollis family and the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic to ease financial burdens of active, masking Mardi Gras Indians in times of dire need.
In addition to the party and show, a silent auction will aid in fundraising and includes items such as Bo Dollis, Sr., and Bo Dollis, Jr.’s custom stage jackets, photos of Bo Dollis, Sr., donated by the family, a Todd Lannan print of Big Queen Laurita Dollis, 79rs Gang LPs, and custom-made purses.
“It was a dream of my father’s to have a resource for Mardi Gras Indians just like the fund we’ve set up with the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic,” says Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. “It is truly a humbling experience to see people come together in my dad’s name and in support of the culture.”
Joining the Wild Magnolias will be one of the newest performing groups of black Indians, the 79rs Gang, which is led by big chiefs from the Seventh and Ninth Wards. Another young tribe, the Creole Hunters, is also on the bill.
Legendary hip hop artist Mystikal, trumpeter and vocalist Kermit Ruffins, trumpeter Shamarr Allen, trombonist and bandleader “Big Sam” Williams, zydeco stalwart, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr., and hip hop legend Mia X are some the special guests scheduled to be on hand.
The Pinettes Brass Band, the only all female brass band in New Orleans and the Red Bull Street King competition winners in 2013, will keep the party rolling.
TOP PHOTO: DEREK BRIDGES
PHOTOS OF BIG CHIEF BO, JR. AND
BIG QUEEN LAURITA DOLLIS:
KAREN LOZINSKI
