Founder / Bandleader / Alto saxophone · In Memoriam
Harold “Duke” Dejan
In Memoriam (1909-2002).
Oddusee · New Orleans
Saxophonist Harold 'Duke' Dejan formed the Olympia Brass Band in 1958 after leading a unit of the Eureka Brass Band, and it became the city's best-known traditional brass band of the 1960s-90s, touring Europe and Africa and playing Sunday nights at Preservation Hall. The band appeared in the 1973 James Bond film 'Live and Let Die' and recorded 'New Orleans Street Parade' (1968). Its Young Olympia offshoot trained many later players, and the band's run is generally considered to have ended with the 2010 death of grand marshal Richard 'King' Matthews. Founded: 1958
The Lineup
Every name here carries the sound — the leaders who run the band, and the players who make the groove. Leaders first, then the lineup.
Leaders · The Band Runs Through Them
Founder / Bandleader / Alto saxophone · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1909-2002).
Trumpet / Assistant leader · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1934-2001).
The Lineup · Players on the Stand
Tuba · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1935-1987); Preservation Hall founder.
Sousaphone · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1950-2004).
Snare drum · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1970-2024); came up through Young Olympia.
Bass drum
Came up through Young Olympia; co-founded New Birth.